The perfect wedding vows

The moment when a bride and groom affirm their love and make their vows to one another can be one of the most touching memories of an entire wedding celebration. That’s why an increasing number of couples like to make that magical moment unique by writing their own personalised wedding vows.

With the help of one of Thailand’s professional wedding planning agencies like Signature Weddings, holding an elaborate wedding celebration in paradise is now within reach of most couples. Everything from the decor and flowers to the food and entertainment can be planned to suit the couple’s personal tastes and preferences, guaranteeing a supremely personal and memorable event.

To add to the personalisation, an increasing number of couples are breaking away from tradition and also writing their own vows. The vows are one of the most important parts of the wedding ceremony itself, and with an audience of family and friends in attendance, brides and grooms who craft their own vows can call upon their innate creativity to craft words that touch the heart.

Here are a few tips for budding wordsmiths keen on creating their own wedding vows…

Set your Schedule

One of the most important things to remember when writing your own vows is that writing at speed or under pressure the night before your wedding day will never yield the best results. It is helpful to set yourself a few deadlines leading up to the big day for writing your vows, the same way you would with any other long term project. With more time you can give each word the thought and attention it deserves. If you aim to get a first draft done about three weeks before the wedding day, and a final draft completed at least two days beforehand, this will give you plenty of time to practice or make final adjustments.

Work Together

When you write your own vows, it is essential to make sure you are both on the same page, literally, by establishing what the vows should mean to each person as they are spoken.  The vows should reflect what the bond of marriage means to each individual, so it is a good idea to to set aside some time to discuss this before brainstorming actual vows. Questions you can ask each other to make it a fun process include: What are you most excited about in married life? What challenges do you expect to face together? or What do you want to accomplish as man and wife? Such questions provide good starting points for personal vows.

Find your inspiration

After your vow discussion, you should take some alone time to reflect on how you real feel about your partner for life. Think back on some of your best memories together – the first time you met, the moment you realised you were in love, and what qualities you most admire in each other. This will lead you to the right words. It can also be helpful to find inspiration from traditional sources such as poetry and movies, even religious and spiritual texts. Keep a pen and paper handy to write down any ideas as they come to you.

Crafting the content

Once you have collected some basic words and ideas, it is time to start planning the structure of your vows. Many vows begin by talking about all the qualities in the bride or groom, then transition into a quote from a writer or religious text before going into the promises. As you will be saying these vows in front of an audience, it is important not to make them too cryptic or complex. Everyone wants to understand them so it is best to keep any personal anecdotes and code words for speeches made later in the day. It is also vital to plan your timing carefully, as your vows should last no longer than a couple of minutes.

Practice makes perfect

Once all of your carefully crafted words are finally penned and printed out, it is time to practice saying them. It may sound obvious, but you will be saying these vows in front of a lot of people, and after putting so much effort into writing them you will want to make sure you get the delivery just right. Read them out loud to check for any words or sentences you are likely to stumble over, and  make sure everything flows easily so your message comes through loud and clear.

 

 

by Wayne Hue

 

 

"The Signature Weddings is a bespoke destination weddings service offering a wide range of options to couples. However, some of the products and services mentioned in the blog articles on this page may not be available as part of the Signature Weddings' service."