How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows (Template + Examples)

The 5-step framework

1. Start with a list, not a draft. Write 10 things you love about your partner and 5 memories that show why. Pick the strongest.
2. Open with a declaration. One line that names what they mean to you.
3. Tell one specific story. Not a list of adjectives — one scene.
4. Make three concrete promises. Specific beats abstract. “To always be the one who finds your keys” lands harder than “to always support you.”
5. Close with a vow. A short final line that resolves it. Often a callback to the opening.

Example — Warm, slightly funny

Anna, when I met you I was the kind of person who ate cereal for dinner. Now I'm the kind of person who cooks for two on a Tuesday because you deserve a Tuesday dinner… I promise to keep cooking. I promise to keep listening. I promise to keep choosing you, especially on the Tuesdays.

Example — Heartfelt

James, I used to think love was a feeling. You taught me it is a practice… I vow to practice it with you every day for the rest of my life.

Example — Short and clean

Today I promise to be your home, your safe place, and the person who always laughs at your jokes — even the ones I've already heard.

Four mistakes to avoid

• Inside jokes. Funny to two people, awkward for 100.
• Too long. Past 2 minutes the room starts to drift.
• Listing virtues. Adjectives are forgettable. Stories are not.
• Winging it. You will cry. Read from a card.

The day-of checklist

• Print on a 4×6 card, 16pt — your hand will shake.
• Give a backup copy to your officiant or wedding party.
• Pause after the opening line. Breathe. Then continue.