True Stories from Couples who wrote their own vows
By ALLISON MICARELLI
Sometimes, the words everybody else says just aren't enough to express how you really feel. So many to-be-weds are opting to put pen to paper and write their own vows.
If you're getting married and would like to write your own vows, you'll have to get permission from your officiant before you create your ode, but if you are allowed to stray from the traditional, then feel free. And don't think you have to be an ace with words - many brides and grooms borrow from famous quotes, movies and myths for their vows.
How to get started? Begin by sifting through love letters or favorite books of love poetry, be keen to songs you hear on the radio and review spiritual texts to help you pick and choose the right words. Whether you want to get your guests giggling or grabbing for the Kleenex, penning your promise will truly personalize your wedding.
Here are wedding vows created by five real couples to inspire you:
Danielle, 24, a graduate student, and Gregory, 25, investment associate:
Groom: I love you for your beauty, your intelligence, your kindness ... and for the way you always know how to make me feel so special. So on top of all the other vows that I will make to you on our wedding day, I also vow to always appreciate how lucky I am to have someone who makes me feel the way you do and to continue to try as hard as I can to make you feel as special as you make me feel, forever and ever.
Bride: You have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible... . You have made me a better person as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together.
Alithea, 28, actress, and Jevan, 28, lawyer:
Groom: I promise to love and care for you and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient, and forgiving. I promise to try to be on time. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you. I love you.
Bride: I promise to love and care for you and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving. I promise to keep a sense of humor. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.
Michelle, 35, account executive, and Alex, 38, project manager:
Groom:
I promise to encourage your compassion, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, for there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together. I promise to be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole. Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust, for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.
Bride: I promise to encourage your individuality, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, because through them we'll emerge stronger. I promise to be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole. I promise to share with you the joys of life, because with you they will be that much sweeter. Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust, for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.
Amy, 25, graduate student, and Russell, 31, fly-fishing guide:
Groom and Bride: You are my lover and my teacher. You are my model and my accomplice. And you are my true counterpart. I will love you, hold you and honor you. I will respect you, encourage you and cherish you, in health and sickness, through sorrow and success, for all the days of my life.
Alexandra, 28, actor, and Bemin, 29, actor:
Groom: In your eyes, I have found my home. In your heart, I have found my love. In your soul, I have found my mate. With you, I am whole, full, alive. You make me laugh. You let me cry. You are my breath, my every heartbeat.
"I am yours.
"You are mine.
"Of this we are certain.
"You are lodged in my heart.
"The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever."*
Bride: You are my inspiration and my soul's fire. You are the magic of my days. You help me laugh, you teach me love. You provide a safe place for me, unlike I've ever known. You free me to sing my own song. You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you. You are my greatest boon.
"I am yours.
"You are mine.
"Of this we are certain.
"You are lodged in my heart.
"The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever."*
* Excerpt from a poem by Frau Ava (circa 1160), translated by Willis Bairnstone
- For more resources and ideas on writing your own vows, check out The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows & Traditions (Broadway Books), and visit www.theknot.com/vows.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service; www.shns.com.)
