In honor of our ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY (seriously… how is time going by this fast already??) I figured I would share something very near and dear to my heart: our wedding vows!
We knew right away that this was something we wanted to do and looking back I’m SO glad we did. At first the thought of putting our eternal love and promises into words was completely overwhelming and daunting to say the least, but once I started I was surprised by how effortlessly it flowed!
For anyone thinking of writing their own vows but feels a little intimidated by the process, I want to encourage you: it’s SO worth it!
Here are a few tips to help get you started:
- Keep it short and sweet (Around 60 – 90 seconds max)
- Try to not overdo it with cliche sayings and mushy fluff (Example- I made a point to not say anything like “You’re my best friend” or “You complete me” etc.)
- A great format to follow:
- Qualities / characteristics of your partner and what they mean to you
- What you promise to them aka your VOWS
- Sweet summary to wrap it up
- Keep in mind that your guests are listening! It’s always a fun idea to add something from your everyday life to keep it relatable and allow others to really get to know your relationship (As you’ll see in my football reference below ha!)
- Don’t overthink and DON’T procrastinate! (I gave myself a deadline of the week before so I wouldn’t stress the week of! This is the BEST advice I can give someone!)
I hope this helps! Would love to know if anyone else wrote their own vows or if you plan to in the future!
And here you go… my vows to Jerome below! Enjoy!
Jerome,
I’ll never forget one of our very first conversations, on that romantic Southwest Airlines flight. We talked about being fully present in each moment. How people tend to always look forward to the next thing. Planning that next vacation, living in the future. While I am so excited and looking forward to our future together, I am focused on truly being in the NOW with you. Remembering to live each day with an eternal mindset, so we are able to fully enjoy the precious life memories that God gives us.
Since the very beginning, I knew you were different. You had depth. You had soul. You had a heart I had longed for my entire life. The man I had prayed for, and my friends and family had prayed for, for years. I’m thankful for your love. Your strength. Your wisdom. Your faith. The fact that His Spirit is in you and it’s so apparent to everyone that meets you. I’m thankful for your sense of humor. Your drive. Your compassion. Your ability to handle my many moods, which you quickly discovered I was not as “chill and easy going” as I may initially come across. But you loved me anyways. Through all my faults, you continue to love me, fearlessly and selflessly.
I vow to do the same. To love you through the good and the bad. The hard times and even harder times. To run through all of life’s trials and triumphs, hand and hand, with you. I promise to support you. Laugh with you. Lean on you. Lean on God with you. I promise to pray for you and our marriage every single day. To be patient with you. Encourage you. Always trust you. To love what you love. Yes, this even means rooting for the Chargers, but only when they’re not playing the Cowboys.
In all seriousness, I’m overwhelmed by God’s grace and faithfulness. He didn’t bring us together to “complete” each other, that’s not the purpose of this marriage. He brought us together because He knew that together, we could accomplish more than we ever could apart. I’m so thankful for His example of sacrificial love, and for the opportunity for others to see His love through us and through this marriage. But most of all, I’m thankful that he saw me worthy to be your wife. That He trusted me with you. For that, I am forever grateful, and forever yours.
XOXO
