Wedding Blog

If my last vow suggestions didn’t inspire you, I have two more for you to consider this week. The following is a poem by Dorothy R. Colgan called "The Promise."

"I promise to give you the best of myself
And to ask of you no more than you can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person
And to realize that your interests, desires and needs
Are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and attention
And to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you,
To let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears
And feelings, secrets and dreams.
I promise to grow along with you,
To be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and bad,
With all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how,
Completely and forever."

Another option are the seven goals in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony:

"Let us live with honor and respect.
Let us be happy and enjoy life.
Let us share joys and pains together.
Let us not forget our parents and community.
Let us observe all acts of charity.
Let us live a long and peaceful life.
Let us be friends with love and sacrifice."

You may also choose to write your own vows, each person reciting what is most important to you. Some couples prefer to read their vows, while others prefer to have the officiant ask them as questions so only a response of "yes" or "I do" is required. The most important thing is to make vows you can keep.