Readings

Click here for a selection of readings that might be suitable for a Wedding, Vow Renewal or Baby Ceremony.

Vows

Vows are often one of the elements of a Ceremony that a couple struggles with the most. But this doesn’t need to happen. The key to getting your Vows right is to start working on them well in advance, so that you have plenty of time to practice them before your big day.

Below are some of ways that Vows can be incorporated into your Ceremony, and below that are some examples of Romantic, Traditional, Lighthearted and Themed Vows. And as you read through you will notice that some Vows are Vows of Promise, (I promise to love, cherish and respect…”) some are Vows of Virtue (I love that you are my very best friend) and some are mixed.

Personal Vows

Personal Vows are where you would each write and read your own Vows to the other person during the Ceremony. The main things to remember here is that there should be balance in your Vows, so decide between you on things like how many words your Vows will be, and what the tone will be, so that one person doesn’t end up writing half a page of really romantic Vows while the other writes a 10-minute comedy sketch!

“Mark, from the day we met I knew you were the one. I knew it when you stopped to give some money to the homeless man we saw as we walked to the restaurant, and I knew it when you took him our left over pizza on the way home. I knew you were the one when you turned up at my door to cook Sunday dinner because I had the flu, and I knew it when I found the honey, lemon, paracetamol and love letter in my lunch box the next day. Mark, I think I have always known that I was waiting for you and I am and will always be so grateful for finding you in this world. I can’t promise that life with me will always be easy but I can promise it will always be interesting! And I promise that for the rest of my life, I will love you with all my heart.”

Repeat After Me Vows

This is where I (the Celebrant) will say a line from your Vows and you will repeat it after me:

Emma please repeat after me… (Emma would then repeat one line at a time)
“Mark, from this day forward…
…these are the promises I make to you
… I promise to be there for you when you need me
… and to give you space when you don’t!
… I promise to let you play golf at least once a week
…. and I’ll even be your caddy if you ask nicely!
… I promise to always cook you your favourite Sunday roast
… as long as you load the dishwasher
… But most importantly, I promise
… That from this day forward
… Until the end of time
… I will love you with all my heart

Aye Do Vows

I Do Vows are perfect for those couples who are very nervous about speaking in front of their guests because rather than you having to say lots, it’s the Celebrant who does most of the talking and you just need to say “Aye Do!” at the appropriate time!

“Mark, from this day forward, do you take Emma to be your wife? Do you promise to love and to honour, to cherish and respect, in times of happiness and in times of sadness? Do you promise to stand by her side in times of happiness and times of trouble? Do you promise that you will occasionally load the dishwasher, and that you won’t leave your socks lying all over the bedroom? Mark, do you promise that from this day forward you will always try to be the man she fell in love with, and through thick and thin that you will face the world together as husband and wife?”

Examples of Vows

Vows | Traditional

Traditional 1
I call upon the persons here present
To witness that I (name)_______
Take you (name)_____________
To be my lawful wedded husband/wife
To have and to hold
From this day forward
For better, for worse
For richer, for poorer
In sickness and in health
As long as we both shall live (or forever and always; for all the days of our lives etc)
Repeat

Traditional 2
I, ________, take thee ________, to be my husband/wife, and before God and these witnesses I promise to be a faithful and true husband/wife.

Traditional 3
“Will you, ________, have ________ to be your husband/wife? Will you love him/her, comfort and keep him/her, and forsaking all other remain true to him/her as long as you both shall live?” (“I will”)
(Repeat) “I, ________, take thee ________, to be my husband/wife, and before God and these witnesses I promise to be a faithful and true husband/wife.”
(Rings) “With this ring I thee wed, and all my worldly goods I thee endow. In sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, ’til death do us part.”

Traditional 4
________, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband/wife.
Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you
as long as we both shall live.
I take you, with all your faults and strengths,
as I offer myself to you
with all my faults and strengths.
I will help you when you need help, and
turn to you when I need help.
I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

Traditional 5
Groom
I, ________, take you, ________, to be my wedded wife. With deepest joy I receive you into my life that together we may be one. As is Christ to His body, the church, so I will be to you a loving and faithful husband. Always will I perform my headship over you even as Christ does over me, knowing that His Lordship is one of the holiest desires for my life. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care. I promise I will live first unto God rather than others or even you. I promise that I will lead our lives into a life of faith and hope in Christ Jesus. Ever honoring God’s guidance by His spirit through the Word, And so throughout life, no matter what may lie ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful husband.
Bride
I, ________, take you, ________, to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy I come into my new life with you. As you have pledged to me your life and love, so I too happily give you my life, and in confidence submit myself to your headship as to the Lord. As is the church in her relationship to Christ, so I will be to you. ________, I will live first unto our God and then unto you, loving you, obeying you, caring for you and ever seeking to please you. God has prepared me for you and so I will ever strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you. Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as an obedient and faithful wife.

Traditional 6
I, ________, take you ________ to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. 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, 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 So help me God.
I, ________, take you ________, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. 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, 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 So help me God.
In unison: Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.

Traditional 7
I ________, take thee ________, to be my husband/wife.
To have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
for richer or for poorer,
and I promise my love to you forevermore

Traditional 8
I ________, take you ________, to be my husband/wife.
To share the good times and hard times side by side.
I humbly give you my hand and my heart
as a sanctuary of warmth and peace,
and pledge my faith and love to you.
Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal.
Just as it is made of incorruptible substance,
my commitment to you will never fail. With this ring, I thee wed.

Traditional 9
Before our friends and those so special to us here,
on this wonderful day of gladness and good fortune, I ________ take
you ________ as my husband/wife, in friendship and in love,
in strength and weakness,
to share the good times and misfortune, in
achievement and failure, to celebrate life with you forevermore

Traditional 10
Will you please, as an expression that your hearts are joined together in love, now please join your hands.
________, do you take ________ to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her. So long as you both shall live?
(Groom): “I do”
________, do you take ________ to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him So long as you both shall live?
(Bride): “I do”

Traditional 11
I take you, ________, to be my husband/wife and I promise before God and all who are present here to be your loving and faithful husband/wife, as long as our lives shall last. I will serve you with tenderness and respect, and encourage you to develop God’s gifts in you.

Traditional 12
I take you for the love you hold in your heart, and vow to spend my life cultivating my love and care for you, for our family, and for all living things. Our relationship is my most important consideration; it gives me strength, and I vow to put every effort into strengthening it in turn through honesty, faithfulness, and patience. For all the days that we live with one another, I promise to spend each day working to become a more true version of myself, and I will do my upmost to help you do the same. In this effort, I take the Threefold Refuge vows, the Three Boundless precepts, the Ten Grave Precepts, as well as your wisdom and your council as my guides. (Buddhist)

Traditional 13
Do you, ________, take this man/woman, ________, to be your husband/wife, according to God’s holy decree; do you promise to be to him/her a loving and loyal husband/wife, to cherish and keep him/her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him/her as long as you both shall live?
Answer: “I do.”

Traditional 14
Before God and these witnesses, I, ________, take you, ________, to be my husband/wife, and I promise to love you, and to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.

Traditional 15
I, Liam take you Sally to be my wife, and I promise before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful wife/husband. I will be by your side to share with you your happiness and success, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and disappointment. As your companion, I will seek to be open and honest with you, to forgive you as Christ has forgiven me, and to always remind you of the Lord’s plans and promises. Forever I devote my love and my life to you from this day forward.

Play on the Traditional Words
And if you want Traditional Vows but with a little humour, you could have something such as…
… I Adam take you Zoe, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better or worse, for richer or poorer… even when you’ve bought another pair of shoes (or handbag etc) and we’re definitely poorer) in sickness and in health …..
… I Zoe take you Adam, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, even when your sickness is the result of getting hammered with your mates …. to love and to cherish ….

Vows | Romantic

Below you will find different examples of Romantic vows and you are free to use these in their entirety or combine them with other words. Some couples choose to recite the same vows to each other and so each of the examples below would just be repeated. However, you don’t have to do this, you can choose different vows. It’s completely up to you.

Romantic 1
You are my husband/wife. My feet shall run because of you. My feet shall dance because of you. My heart shall beat because of you. My eyes see because of you. My mind thinks because of you. And I shall love because of you.

Romantic 2
Laura, I promise to encourage us to try new and unusual things. I vow to invest in loving you daily and to snuggle you as often as possible. I vow to be the best parts of me that fit perfectly with the best parts of you. Although I will be imperfect, I pledge to be sensitive and respectful of your unique talents, abilities and quirks. I pledge to lend you strength for all of your dreams. Through our union we can accomplish more than I could alone. I believe in you.
Bride/Groom will then repeat (or use different vows).

Romantic 3
I love you. Very simple. Very truly. You are the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. There isn’t another soul on this planet who has ever made me half the person I am when I’m with you. I am forever changed because of who you are and what you’ve meant to me. (from Chasing Amy)

Romantic 4
Colin, you are my best friend. I love you with all my heart and stand here before all of our friends and family, sharing the happiest day of my life. I want nothing more than to share my future with you – my triumphs and my challenges, my joys and my sorrows. Together, I know we can accomplish the life we both dream of living.
Groom/Bride will then repeat (or use different vows).

Romantic 5
Karen, here in front of everyone we love, I give you everything that I am. My dreams and my fears. My triumphs and my failures. I trust you, and will always endeavour to be worthy of your trust in me. If we face times of struggle and hardship, you can depend on me to support and protect you, no matter what the cost. (from The Bold & the Beautiful)
Bride/Groom will then repeat (or use different vows).

Romantic 6
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 (written by Frau Eva in the 1100s)

Romantic 7
You know that there are some things I don’t believe in. But today, I want to tell you about some things I do believe in. I believe in sunrises and sunsets. I believe in hikes in the woods and walks on the beach.… I believe in all the beauty, the mystery and the wonder of life, and I believe that these joys, like all joys, are multiplied when you have someone to share them with. And I’m here because I want you to be that person. There’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with. I love your shy smile, your sweet laugh, your sense of humor, and your adventurousness. And most of all, I love the way you make me happier than I thought anyone ever could. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’m marrying you today.

Romantic 8
There are three words that are stronger than I love you. Today I stand in front of you to say ‘I choose you’. I choose you over all others. I choose you to share happiness with. I choose you to care for. I choose you to have a family with. I choose you to grow with. I choose you to love forever.

Romantic 9
I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to accept you the way you are. I fell in love with you for the qualities, abilities, and outlook on life that you have, and won’t try to reshape you in a different image. I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realise that those are sometimes different, but no less important, than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my personal world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside, in the only way I know how … completely and forever.
Repeat

Romantic 10
Today, as I give myself to you, my mind is clear and my commitment is strong and without reservation.
I love you because you are my best friend.
I take you to be my life’s partner, and I will never leave you nor forsake you.
From this day forward, I will cherish you.
And I will look with joy down the path of our tomorrows knowing
we will walk it together, side by side, hand in hand, and heart to heart.
Repeat

Romantic 11
It’s because of you that I wake up smiling every day.
I promise to forever keep you smiling.
It’s because of you that I am happy every day.
I promise to forever keep you happy.
It’s because of you that I know how it feels to be cared for.
I promise to forever care for you.
It’s because of you that I have learned how to truly, deeply love someone.
I promise to forever love you.
I promise all these and more, forever and for always.
Repeat

Romantic 12
From this day on, I choose you, my beloved ________, to be my husband/wife.
To live with you and laugh with you; to stand by your side, and sleep in your arms; to be joy to your heart, and food for your soul; to bring out the best in you always, and, for you, to be the most that I can. I promise to laugh with you in good times, to struggle with you in bad; to solace you when you are downhearted; to wipe your tears with my hands; to comfort you with my body; to mirror you with my soul; to share with you all my riches and honors; to play with you as much as I can until we grow old; and, still loving each other sweetly and gladly, our lives shall come to an end.
Repeat

Romantic 13
________, the first time we met, I fell deeply in love with you. I knew that you were the man/woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Every moment we have spent together since that day, my love for you has grown. My heart, my soul and everything that I am belongs to you.
You are the most amazing and perfect man/woman I have ever known. You make me happier than I ever thought possible and I feel truly blessed that you have agreed to be my husband/wife.
So I make these vows to you in the presence of our closest friends and family, so that they may witness the promises I make.
I solemnly vow that I will spend every day doing everything I can to be the husband/wife that you deserve; to support, love and cherish you; through the happiest times, but also through the darkest times. I vow to be your best friend, your closest soulmate and, most of all, your faithful husband/wife.
No matter what life may throw at us, I vow that I will never stop loving you, will never stop caring for you and will never stop trying to be the best husband/wife that I can be.
I love you, ________, with every fibre of my heart.
Repeat

Romantic 14
Today I make the most sincere promise one heart can make to another.
I vow to be your constant love and support; your devoted partner in life;
To allow myself to grow through your remarkable love for me.
I vow to be your home; to be your place of comfort and calm;
To have faith when our journey is effortless, and when it is challenging.
And when we face adversity, we will never do so alone;
Because today I promise you, my “person” and my best friend,
That I will never give up; that I will always believe in us;
And that I will love you completely for all of my life.
Repeat

Romantic 15
Claire, I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my husband/wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life’s adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life.
Repeat

Romantic 16
Emma, I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. Together, let us build a home filled with learning, laughter and light, shared freely with all who may live there. Let us be partners, friends and lovers, today and all of the days that follow.
Repeat

Romantic 17
Emma, you are my best friend. I promise to laugh with you, cry with you, and grow with you. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart. I promise to support your dreams and to respect our differences, and to love you and be by your side through all the days and nights of our lives.
Repeat

Romantic 18
Do you Emma promise to be a loving friend and partner in marriage? To talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate, to respect and cherish John’s uniqueness? Do you promise to support, comfort, and strengthen him/her through life’s joys and sorrows? Do you promise to share hopes and dreams as you build your lives together, and to grow with John in mind? Will you strive to build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honor, filled with peace, happiness, and love? Do you promise to always be open and honest with John, and cherish him/her for as long as you both shall live?
Repeat

Romantic 19
Mark, I choose you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To be joy to your heart and food for your soul. To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many adventures and grow old together.
Repeat

Romantic 20
‘Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours’ Beethoven to his Immortal Beloved (a nice last line)

Romantic 21
“My Heart is Ever at your Service” Shakespeare (a nice last line)

Romantic 22
James, do you take Louise, to be your partner in the adventure that lies ahead?
Do you promise to walk by her side to the ends of the earth?
To love, encourage, and support her in her every endeavor?
Do you commit to opening yourself up completely to her and share with her your entire being?
To share her laughter as well as tears?
Do you take her as your wife for now until the end of time?
Repeat

Vows | Funny

Funny 1
A great way of making your vows funny is to write them for each other! So the bride would write what she wants the groom to say and the groom would write what he wants the bride to say. And because you don’t get to see them until the day itself, it can be very funny.
You can see an example of it here:

Funny 2
I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad, carry you around when your arthritis is bad, all I wanna do is grow old with you. I’ll get your medicine when your tummy aches, build you a fire if the furnace breaks, oh it could be so nice, growing old with you. I’ll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold. Need you, feed you, even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink, put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink, oh I could be the man (woman) who grows old with you, I wanna grow old with you. (from The Wedding Singer)

Funny 3
Celebrant: Do you take this man to be your husband?
Bride: I do.
Celebrant: Do you take this woman to be your wife?
Bride: He does.

Funny 4
Claire, from this day forward I promise to be worth it. Worth the time. Worth the trip. Worth the energy. Worth the embarrassment. Worth your love. I promise that you will always count. You will always come first, and of course, if you don’t for whatever reason, I will buy you some shoes. From the moment you entered my world, you have filled it with life, colour and energy like never before … like a strawberry slushy in a mud puddle … or a cupcake in a salad …  You are my cupcake Claire, and I promise to devote my life to you.

Funny 5
Bride 1: I promise to love, cherish, and care for you in sickness and in health. Unless the reason for your illness is the fact, you have just seen our latest credit card bill and realised just how much you spent last month.
Bride 2: I promise to love, cherish, and care for you in sickness and in health. Unless it is 3am and the reason for your illness is alcohol-induced, and the care involves sitting with you beside the toilet bowl with a wet cloth.

Funny 6
I _____ do accept and wholeheartedly accept you as my wife. I shall promise to love you and support you in whatever you do, provided you handle the finances prudently and don’t go spending our earnings in a non-judicious way so as to cause our future family to go bankrupt. I promise to do my best to provide for your needs and wants, but I shall not bear the brunt of the mortgage alone, not if you want your name on the title.”

Funny 7
Groom: I can’t promise you the world, but I will promise you this…. I will buy you KFC and never stop looking at your bum.
Bride: I can’t promise you the world, but I will promise you this…. I will laugh at your jokes and always wiggle when I walk in front.

Funny 8
Groom: I, John, choose you, Karen, to be my wife. In front of our friends and family gathered here I promise to love and cherish you throughout the good times and bad times. I promise to try to remember to put down the toilet seat and to replace the toilet roll when it finishes. I promise to remember this day with love and roses. I will love you always.
Bride: I, Karen, choose you, John, to by my husband. In front of our friends and family, I promise to love and cherish you through every obstacle that may come into our path. I promise to learn how to change a tyre and how to refill the screen wash when it runs out. I will comfort you when your team loses and drink beer with you when they win. I will love you always.

Funny 9
Celebrant to Bride: Do you promise to love, honour, cook for, clean up after, surrender your share of the blanket to, live with the flatulence of, relinquish the remote to and with the toilet seat up until death do you part?
Bride: Yes (or) Aye do
Celebrant to Groom: Mark… you have the right to remain silent, anything you say may be held against you, and you have the right to have an attorney present. Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to continue?
Groom: Yes (or) Aye Do
With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may now kiss the Bride! 🙂

Funny 10
Celebrant: Firstly I have to ask the most important question… are either of you here against your will? Have either of you been coerced, threatened or drugged in any way?
Bride & Groom: No!
Celebrant: (looking at Bride) No?? Wow!

Funny 11
Celebrant:
Dan… do you promise to kill spiders and everything else that Monica deems creepy or gross? If you ever find yourself sinking in a paddle boat, do you attest that it is your turn to swim? Do you promise to let Monica rein you in at the music store, because you probably have enough guitars, for now? Do you promise to try not to steal the covers at night or beat Monica up because you’re having that ninja dream again? Do you vow to embrace Monica’s love of the ocean and enjoy it with her as often as is feasible?
Monica: Do you promise to attend car shows with Dan and at least pretend to show interest in horsepower, engines, and custom modifications, even if you have no idea what he’s talking about? Do you promise to go fishing, provided Dan takes care of anything slimy, scaly, pokey, or just plain mean-spirited? Do you promise to let Dan rein you in at the shoe store, because you probably have enough shoes, for now? Do you promise to scoop the kitty litter and try not to bring home any more strays? Do you promise not to complain about how loud Dan plays his guitar, unless or until the neighbours complain?
Do you both promise to be supportive of each other as individuals, never trying to change the other; to support and encourage, and give all that you’ve got to give to make each other’s dreams come true?
With this ring, I promise to love you unconditionally… and make each tomorrow the best it can be.

Funny 12
I promise to always leave the lights on in the bathroom
I promise to mysteriously take three hours to make a simple omelette
I promise to create a life for us of unexpected and strange adventures
I promise that I will love you
I pledge to listen to your advice, and occasionally take it
I pledge to never take score… even if I’m totally winning
I pledge to always admire your huge, strong, kind and determined heart
I pledge that I will love you
I vow to listen, for as long as it takes for you to feel heard
I vow to watch in awe as you kick ass and take names
I vow to be your unrelenting cheer squad on the days it feels too much
I vow that I will love you
I believe that ‘me time’ is an actual concept, that can be proven by science
I believe that carefully folded socks make you happy
I believe there is no time or place I’m more content than when you’re close
Because of this and so, so much more… I believe that I will always love you