Writing your own vows is a great opportunity to share your commitment to your future spouse with your friends and family during your ceremony. There are some things you need to take into consideration before the big day!

• You both need to be into it. If only one of you wants to write vows, maybe what you should do instead is write private letters to each other. That way you can still share your heart with each other.
• Check with the officiant. Sometimes they can help you – Sometimes they aren’t allowed. Check first and you will be in the clear!
• Plan early! You do not want to “wing it” – that only goes will in movies (where someone memorized the script pretending to wing it!)
• Create an outline. Every great speech begins with an outline.
• Keep it SHORT and sweet. Yes, we are all there for your big day, but please, keep it short. There is a party to get to.
• Remember your audience. If you first met because he threw beads at you during Mardi Gras… that may not be the best story to recite during your vows. Saying you were at a parade and your eyes met through a mass of people and you knew there was something special about him… a much better version of the same story.
• Schedule the time to do it. Again… Do not even try to wing it! Your wedding day is a chaotic mess of love and flowers. Don’t leave something as important as writing your own vows to the last minute. Take the time to sit down weeks before hand and think about your relationship, what it means to you, and why you are making this commitment to each other.
• Practice OUT LOUD. You will feel silly but we promise you it will help.
• Don’t forget to talk about your future together. Your vows are about you as a couple. You may be writing your own vows to back away from the traditional “in sickness and in health…” but remember, those vows are written for a life time.