This is a very basic ceremony, which is modeled on the vows suggested by the Florida Guidelines for Notaries (I made a few changes to make it a little more romantic). If you select Package 1, I will use these vows.

To marry the person you have set your heart on is a joy unparalleled in human life. We come joyfully together, to acknowledge the decisions of these two people, John and Jane, to unite together in marriage.

John, do you take Jane to be your wife, to live together in marriage, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live? (Groom says I do.) (Bride repeats the same.)

John, please repeat after me. "I, John, take you, Jane, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live." (Bride repeats the same.)

I will ask you now to seal the vows which you have just made by the giving and receiving of rings. As these rings encircle your fingers from this day forward, year in and year out, so will your love encircle each other.

John, please place the ring on Jane's finger and repeat after me: "I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love." (Bride repeats the same.)

John and Jane have consented together to be married and have witnessed the same before this company. By the authority vested in me, but most of all by the power of your own love, I pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may seal your promise with a kiss.

(Also available: Standard Vow Renewal Ceremony & Standard Commitment Ceremony.)

Together, we can write custom vows to use at your ceremony. Or you can surprise each other with your own vows. Either way, here are some guidelines to follow when writing vows. Here is the typical order to follow:

• The Greeting
• The Declaration of Intentions
• The Weddings Vows  
• The Exchange of Rings
• Blessings and Readings
• The Pronouncement

Here are a few possibilities to consider for your Custom Vows:

Greeting

1. To marry the person you have set your heart on is a joy unparalleled in human life. Tonight, we come joyfully together, to acknowledge the decisions of these two people, John and Jane, to unite together in marriage.

2. Friends and family of the Bride and Groom, what a joy it is to welcome you here, for we have come to celebrate the miracle of love and to witness the union of John and Jane.

3. Love is a miraculous gift, and a wedding is a celebration of that gift. We are here today to celebrate this gift of love. We are gathered together to share in the joining of two very special people, and to witness the union of John and Jane.

4. We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of John and Jane. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. This ceremony is a public affirmation of that bond. Jane and John, you have come here today from your varied life experiences to make public the commitment you have made to each other. You combine your two separate lives into one. Although sharing one life, never forget that you are two separate people. Cherish and affirm your differences. Love each other. Keep your commitment foremost in your minds and hearts.

5. John and Jane have asked you here this evening because each one of you has touched their lives in some special way. They hold you, their family and friends, as a valued part of who they are as individuals, and who they will become as a married couple. Your presence is a gift of support and caring, and they appreciate your sharing this very special moment. We are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! Today, we celebrate with Jane and John, and their families, the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives.

6. John and Jane want to welcome you to this celebration of their love for one another. Each of you has given something special to their lives. Your love and encouragement will forever be appreciated. Thank you for sharing one of life's happiest moments with them. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.

Declaration of Intentions

(Examples here are said by the Groom. The Bride repeats the same, or you may choose a different one for each of you.)

1. John, Do you choose Jane to be your wife, companion and friend, and do you promise to love her, respect her, and value her through all of the circumstances of your life together?

2. John and Jane, as you give your hand to the other, are you both ready to give yourselves to each other as husband and wife? (Both answer “Yes.”)

3. John, do you come before this gathering of friends and family to proclaim your love and devotion for Jane? Do you promise to support her, respect her, and care for her during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? Do you pledge to remain faithful to her?

4. John, do you take this woman whose hand you now hold, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, and comfort her with kindness, understanding and respect throughout your lives?

5. Do you, John, knowing this woman's love for you and returning it, realizing her strengths and learning from them, recognizing her weaknesses and helping her to overcome them, take Jane to be your lawfully wedded wife?

Vows

(Examples here are said by the Groom. The Bride repeats the same, or you may choose a different one for each of you.)

1. I, John, take you, Jane, as my dearest wife. / Come health, happiness, and prosperity / I will stand with you. / Come illness, sorrow, or poverty / I will stand with you. / I promise to love you, and support you / and grow with you for the rest of our days.

2. I, John, take you, Jane, to be my partner in life. / I promise to walk / by your side forever / and to love, help, and encourage you / in all that you do. / I will take time to talk with you / to listen to you / and to care for you. / I will share your laughter and your tears / as your partner, lover, and best friend. / Everything I am and everything I have / is yours now and forevermore.

3. I, John, give myself to you, Jane/ on this our wedding day. / I will cherish our friendship / and love you today, tomorrow and forever. / I will trust you and honor you. / I will love you faithfully / through the best and the worst / through the difficult and the easy. / What may come / I will be there always. / As I have given you my hand to hold / so I give you my life to keep.

4. Today, Jane, I join my life to yours / as your friend who respects you / and your lover who is true to you./ Let me be your trusted companion / through laughter and tears / conflict and tranquility. / With you, I will walk my path / from this day forward.

5. I, John, take you, Jane / to be my wife / my partner in life / and my one true love. / I will cherish our union / and love you more each day / than I did the day before. / I will trust you and respect you / laugh with you and cry with you / loving you faithfully / through good times and bad / regardless of the obstacles we may face together. / I give you my hand, my heart, and my love / from this day forward / for as long as we both shall live.

Explanation of the Rings

1. I will ask you now to seal the vows which you have just made by the giving and receiving of rings. As these rings encircle your fingers from this day forward, year in and year out, so will your love encircle each other.

2. The wedding ring serves as a symbol of the promise you have just spoken. It is the outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible love which binds your hearts together. Wear them as a sign of the love that exists between you, the love which now your hearts enfold and your words express.

3. The wedding ring is the outward and visible signs of an inward and invisible bond which unites two loyal hearts. The ring is a circle which has no end and symbolizes the never-ending love that exists between you. The gold substance of which the ring is composed, is a symbol of the riches that reside in each of you.  May these rings always reflect the light of your love throughout your life together.

4. Traditionally, the passage to the status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. Love freely given has no giver and no receiver - for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.

5. Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple. Round like the sun, like the eye, like arms that embrace. Circles, for love that is given comes back round again and again. Therefore, may these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, illuminates; that your love, like the eye, must see clearly; and that your love, like arms that embrace, is a grace upon this world.

Exchange of Rings

(The Bride and Groom repeat the same, or you may choose a different one for each of you.)

1. Please take this ring / and wear it as a sign of my love / and as a reminder of the commitment / I have made to you today. 

2. As I place this ring on your finger / may it always remind you / of my never-ending love / and may it always remind me / of the precious treasure I have in you. / Wear this ring with joy / for your love has made me complete.

3. I give you this ring / as I give you myself. / Love has given us wings / and our journey here begins. / Wherever the wind may carry us / I will stay by your side. / Jane, please take this ring / as a sign of my love and devotion.

4. This ring symbolizes my desire / that you be my wife / from this day forward. / With this ring, I thee wed.

5. I give you this ring as token / that I shall love you / in all times, in all places / and in all ways, forever.

6. Jane, my eternal love, with this ring, I thee wed.

Closings

1. These two lives are now joined together as one. May these two rings symbolize the spirit of undying love in each of your hearts. Wherever you go, may you always return to one another in your togetherness. May you find in each other the kind of love everyone longs for. May you grow in understanding and compassion. May the home you establish be such a place of peace and joy that many will find there a friend. (Should not be used with Pronouncement 5.)

2. Family and friends, this is a moment of celebration. Let it also be a moment of dedication. The world does a good job of reminding us how fragile we are. Individuals are fragile, relationships are fragile too. Every marriage needs the love, nurturance, and support of a network of friends and family. On this wedding day I ask you not only to be friends of John or Jane, but the friends of John and Jane together.

3. John and Jane, May the love you have found grow in meaning and strength until its beauty is shown in common devotion to all that is compassionate and life-giving. May the flow of your love help brighten the face of the earth. May the source of all love touch and bless you both, and grace your lives with color and courage.

4. John and Jane, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, may it be the love that brought you here today. It is only love which can make it a glorious union, and by love which your marriage shall endure. You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in the entire world whom you love above all others. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and to share love. May you be a blessing and comfort to each other, sharers of each others dreams, consolers of each others sorrows, helpers to each other in all of life's challenges. May you encourage each other in whatever you set out to achieve. May you trust each other, trust life and be unafraid. May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding.

Pronouncement

1. John and Jane have consented together to be married and have witnessed the same before this company. By the authority vested in me, but most of all by the power of your own love, I pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may seal your promise with a kiss.

2. John and Jane, we have witnessed today the joining of your two lives in marriage. You have exchanged your vows, and given and received these rings in token of your love and commitment to each other. And so, I no pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.

3. John and Jane, now that you have shared with each other these words of love and commitment, and we have witnessed the expression of your love as you have given each other these rings, it is with great joy and happiness that I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal your promise with a kiss.

4. John and Jane, having witnessed your vows of marriage with all who are assembled here with you, I announce with great joy that you are, from this time on, husband and wife. You may kiss.

5. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other, the love for which all men and women long. May they grown in understanding and in compassion. May the home that they establish be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a friend. And may these two rings symbolize the spirit of undying love in the hearts of both of them. John and Jane, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.

Announcement

The ceremony can end with the kiss, or I can introduce you as Mr. & Mrs.

ADDITIONAL CEREMONY OPTIONS

You can add to your ceremony by including Readings and/or Joining Ceremonies.

Click here for READINGS.

Click here for JOINING CEREMONIES.

INCLUDING CHILDREN

Click here for ideas on how to INCLUDE YOUR CHILDREN in the ceremony wording.