Traditional Wedding Vows: Full Text by Religion (2026)

The classic English wedding vow

Almost every traditional vow you hear in an English-speaking wedding is a descendant of one paragraph written in 1549. Both partners repeat the same words, swapping only the names.

I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife/spouse], to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. This is my solemn vow.

Older Anglican wording included “to love, cherish, and obey” for the bride — most modern ceremonies drop “obey,” and many couples replace “till death do us part” with “as long as we both shall live.”

Catholic wedding vows

The Roman Catholic rite offers two approved forms. Either is valid; couples choose one and both partners use the same form.

Form A (declaration)

I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my [husband/wife]. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Form B (question-and-answer)

The priest asks, “Do you take [Name] to be your [husband/wife]? Do you promise to be true to [him/her] in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love [him/her] and honor [him/her] all the days of your life?” Each partner answers, “I do.”

Protestant wedding vows

Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran and Anglican/Episcopal ceremonies share the “to have and to hold” text above with small variations. Some traditions (Methodist, Episcopal) keep the longer 1979 Book of Common Prayer version, which adds: “and forsaking all others, to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.”

Jewish wedding vows

Traditional Jewish ceremonies don't include spoken vows at all. The binding moment is the groom placing the ring on the bride's finger and saying, in Hebrew:

Harei at mekudeshet li b'taba'at zo k'dat Moshe v'Yisrael. (“Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel.”)

Reform and many Conservative ceremonies add a reciprocal line for the bride and often include English vows similar to the Protestant form.

Civil and courthouse vows

Civil officiants in the United States most often use a stripped-down version of the classic vow, with no religious language:

I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my [husband/wife/spouse], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live.

Should we use traditional vows or write our own?

Both, if you want. The most common approach today is to repeat the traditional vow first — as the legally and religiously binding promise — and then read short personal vows you wrote yourselves. That gives the ceremony the weight of tradition and the warmth of your own voice.

Length to aim for

• Traditional vow: ~30 seconds when read aloud.
• Personal vows: 60–90 seconds each. Anything longer drags.

A quick comparison