How to Write Sentimental Wedding Vows

Preparing for you wedding day is a wonderful and hectic time in your life. On top of all that, you and your beloved have decided to write your own vows. Not just any wedding vows will do; you wedding vows must be sentimental, expressing all the love you have in your hearts for each other. How do you do that in just a few sentences? How do you keep them from being sickening sweet and still letting each other and the world know how you feel? Here are a few ideas that can help you write your sentimental wedding vows.

Instructions

1. Designate specific times that you and your future spouse can sit down together and discuss what you want to say to each other in your vows. Each of you will have ideas on how you want to convey your love. There are rarely bad ideas--just ideas that probably should not be used in a such a public way. Avoid anything that might cause any embarrassment.

2. Decide which ideas should be used in your vows. No doubt the two of you have shared many wonderful moments, but you must narrow that long list down for your wedding vows. Brainstorm together the moments that you have shared together that mean the most to you, the moments that brought you closer together and made it clear that the love you both feel is never-ending.

3. Set aside time to write your vows. This may be easier to do separately than when you are both together. Your wedding vows do not have to match. They should compliment each other, just as the two of you do as individuals.

4. Be specific. Avoid saying things like “I want to spend the rest of my life with you because you are funny.” Briefly mention a moment when the love of your life made you laugh. As time passes in your marriage, you will be able to look back on these vows and remember why you fell in love and why you decided to spend the rest of your lives together. They do not have to be big moments in your life, just the most meaningful to both of you. Those are the moments you want to include in your wedding vows.

5. Avoid clichés. The words used in your wedding vows should come from the heart. There is no need for a thesaurus. Use the everyday words you would normally use. Flowery language is nice for a sonnet, but this is your wedding vows.

6. Do not worry about rhymes or the rhythm of your vows. These words are your heart speaking to the heart of the person you will be spending the rest of your life with. They don’t have to be perfect, just filled with love, respect and hope for your future together.

7. Read your vows aloud to each other. Listen to the words carefully. The vows should be about the same length, but this is not necessary. If you future wife is rather closed lipped about emotional issues or your future husband can talk for days about his love for you, let your personalities shine through.

8. Don’t even think about what others will be thinking about your vows. You aren’t saying the vows to the guests you invited to your wedding. Keep in mind who they are written for and how much you love your soon-to-be life partner.

9. Edit, edit and edit again. Perfection is impossible, but you want your vows to be as close to it as possible. Think of what is most important to you and let that flow from your heart. Then edit those words so they do not appear to be rambling and trite. Make each word count.

10. Do not make promises you can not keep or are unwilling to keep. This is the most important part of writing your wedding vows. Years down the road, your spouse will remind you of those words. Only say things that you want your spouse to bring up to you later that will draw you even closer together.