Today, as I give myself to you in marriage, I promise to always love you wholly and completely.  I will be unfaltering in my commitment to you, to be honest and true to you, comfort you and care for you – always.  Through all the trials in life, as well as the joyous times, I will always be by your side as your loving and supportive partner.  I will be unwavering in my faith to you and your heart, and will never take for granted the beautiful love you give to me.  I promise to protect and preserve the deep love and bond that we have, and to always keep it alive and as pure as it is today.  I will never stop trying to be worthy of your amazing love.  Thank you for being the gentle man that you are, and for blessing my life in so many ways.  I am completely humbled and honored to become your wife today.  I promise to give you and “us” my all – always.  You have shown me the greatest love I have ever known, and I will always be forever grateful from the depth of my heart and soul.  Simply – you are my love, my everything!"  

                      Sample Vows

Sample Vow 1:

Who gives this woman’s hand in marriage to this man?

To our assembled guests, on behalf of Jeremy and Amy, I welcome you.

Jeremy and Amy, I greet you. We welcome you to this moment in your lives and to the place you have come to in each other’s hearts. We join with you on this day, as you commit before friends and humanity that from this day forward you shall live as one.

I remind all of our guests you are here because this couple feels close to you and asks that you join with them.  You represent symbolically all the people in the world who will be touched in any way by the life of this couple.  They have chosen this act of marriage and in which to proclaim it. 

Jeremy and Amy, we live at a time when very little in life is sacred.  This day we celebrate a sacred agreement between the two of you. I congratulate you on the journey of your lives, on the strength and the courage it has taken for each of you to make your way to this place.

And now we come to the presentation of rings by which you will symbolize and bind your love.

For centuries a circle has been the symbol for eternity.  The wedding ring is a perfect circle.  It is our wish that your wedding rings will symbolize for you the perfection of your love, and like eternity, may your love have no end. 

Amy, will you receive Jeremy’s ring from your Maid of Honor, place it on Jeremy’s finger, and repeat your chosen vows:

Jeremy, I give unto you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I will honor and love you all the days of my life. With this ring, I give you my heart, for I have no greater gift to give. May my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home.  May we walk together through all things. I pledge to honor, encourage and nurture, and support you through our life together.  I will stand beside you through thick and thin, good and bad, joy and sorrow.  I promise to always make you a priority in my life.  I take you as my best friend and companion for life.  I feel honored to call you my husband.

Jeremy, will you receive Amy’s ring from your Best Man, place it on Amy’s finger, and repeat your chosen vows:

Amy, I give unto you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I will honor and love you all the days of my life. With this ring, I give you my heart, for I have no greater gift to give. May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home.  May we walk together through all things. I pledge to honor, encourage and nurture, and support you through our life together.  I will stand beside you through thick and thin, good and bad, joy and sorrow. I promise to always make you a priority in my life. I take you as my best friend and companion for life.  I feel honored to call you my wife.

May this man grow strong in the arms of this woman, May this woman grow glorious in the love of this man, May all the world be blessed hereby.

Amy, do you take this man, Jeremy, to be your lawful wedded husband, to love him, and to honor him, nurture and sustain him, be faithful to him through times of darkness as well as light, henceforth and forevermore?  Do you commit to honor this vow unto all your days.

Jeremy, do you take this woman, Amy, to be your lawful wedded wife, to love her, and cherish her, honor and sustain her, be faithful to her, through times of darkness as well as light, henceforth and forevermore?  Do you commit to honor this vow unto all your days? 

And now Amy and Jeremy, by the authority vested in me by the state of California, but much more important, by the look of love in your eyes, and the seriousness with which you make this commitment; and because I believe my faith is shared by others gathered here, it is my honor and delight to now pronounce you, henceforth from this moment, husband and wife.

Jeremy, you may kiss your Bride!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Smith! 

Sample Vow 2

Who gives this woman’s hand in marriage to this man?

On behalf of Ryan and Jennifer, I want to thank you all for coming here today. 

Today we celebrate life.  The life of a marriage, conceived in love, and given birth by the joining of these two.

We are all here to witness the union of Ryan and Jennifer.

As guests of the bride and groom, you have the honor of bearing witness to this blessed and joyous event.  You are here because this couple feels close to you and asks that you join with them.  You also represent symbolically all the people in the world who will be touched in any way by the life of this couple.  They have chosen this act of marriage and this public ceremony in which to proclaim it.

"Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging of human relationships. It is not created here, in a ceremony, but rather, is crafted through years of love and patience, through dedication and perseverance, through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other, through tenderness and laughter, through forgiveness, through the appreciation of your differences, through learning to focus on what is important and leaving other things to rest. The ceremony, then, is an occasion merely to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as husband and wife as you begin this journey."

Ryan and Jennifer, we live at a time when very little in life is sacred.  This day we celebrate a sacred agreement between the two of you.  I congratulate you on the journey of your lives, on the strength and the courage it has taken for each of you to make your way to this place. 

Jennifer, do you take Ryan to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love, honor, and respect him, to comfort him in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for better or worse?  Do you promise to be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live? 

Ryan, do you take Jennifer to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in the estate of matrimony?  Do you promise to love, honor, and respect her, to comfort her in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for better or worse? Do you promise to be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live? 

The wedding ring is a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end.  It is the symbol of the commitment which binds these two together. There are two rings because there are two people, each to make a contribution to the life of the other, and to their new life together.  May your rings be a constant reminder of this moment when you have pledged your unending love to one another.

Ryan, I give unto you this ring, as a symbol of my vow.  I pledge to honor, encourage and nurture, and support you through our life together. With this ring, I give you my heart, for I have no greater gift to give. I Jennifer, take you Ryan, as my best friend, and companion for life. 

Jennifer, I give unto you this ring, as a symbol of my vow.  I pledge to honor, encourage and nurture, and support you through our life together. With this ring, I give you my heart, for I have no greater gift to give. I Ryan, take you Jennifer, as my best friend, and companion for life.

Love is the greatest gift we can give to one another.  Love is better when it is shared and not kept.  It should be made fresh each day.  You are starting a new life, one that should be shared equally.

Ryan and Jennifer, as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, and have promised your love for each other by these vows, by the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife.

Ryan, you may kiss your bride.

Family and friends, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Smith!

Sample Vow 3

Welcome, family, friends and loved ones.

We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Kevin & Renee. You have been invited to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, and to offer your love and support to this union. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other, but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple.

Will you who are present here today, surround Kevin and Renee in love, offering them the joys of your friendship, and supporting them in their marriage?  The guests say in unison: “We will”

Please be seated.

Kevin & Renee, we are here today to celebrate with you as you declare your love and commitment to each other.

We wish for you love, a love that gives you something to lean on when you need it most, a love that allows you to see each other as you really are, and reminding you of why you are together.

We wish for you a home.  More than just a place to live, but a haven from the pressures of the world outside your door. A place to let down your guard, to unburden yourself, and know that there’s someone always on your side.

Finally, we wish you joy, joy that makes you laugh out loud, joy that lights your eyes and fills your soul, joy that shouts to the world your happiness with one another.

All of this and more we wish for you today, and every day throughout the years of your marriage.

In the “Art of Marriage:”

The little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.

It is at no time taking the other for granted. 

The courtship should not end with the honeymoon, but should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

We now come to the point of your ceremony where you will pronounce your vows to one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance, will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred, than those you now assume.

For Kevin (repeats after Ed):

I take you Renee to be my wife. I will cherish our friendship, and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you.  I will laugh with you, and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst, and through the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.

For Renee (repeats after Ed):

I take you Kevin to be my husband. I will cherish our friendship, and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you.  I will laugh with you, and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst, and through the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.

May I please have the rings?

Renee, will you please place Kevin’s ring on his finger and repeat your chosen vows:

Kevin, I give you this ring, as a symbol of my promises to you, and a reminder of my devotion to you.

Kevin, will you please place Renee’s ring on her finger and repeat your chosen vows:

Kevin, I give you this ring, as a symbol of my promises to you, and a reminder of my devotion to you.

These rings will bind your lives to each other. They are a symbol of eternal love, everlasting friendship, and the promise of tomorrow. May these rings be a reminder to Renee and Kevin of the commitment they have made today and be a testimony to the world of their dedication in marriage.

And now, by the authority vested in me by the state of California, and by the power of your love and commitment, I now pronounce you husband and wife!

Kevin, you may kiss your bride!