Probably coming in second of importance after saying, “I do,” wedding vows should be made a priority to create the perfect beginning of a life together with your partner. They should be personal, yet easily understood. Sophisticated, yet light-hearted. Realistic, yet present the dream you’re willing to offer to your love. Wedding vows should be a balanced proclamation of your uniting love and forever future, but if you need a little nudge to help get you on track, here are a few tips to get your William Shakespeare on.

• Punctuality

  • Start early, and don’t wait till the last minute. Vows are meant to be personal and created with care.

• Talk to your partner

  • Establish a tone, structure, and word limit so that no one is being taken too seriously or not seriously enough and so that they don’t last for more than a couple of minutes.

• Reminisce

  • Think back on memories you have with your partner, the good and bad, to appreciate where you came from and how you have evolved into who you are now.

  • Look back at old pictures, trinkets, and experiences to become inspired and possibly include in the anecdotal portion of your vows.

  • Avoid anything too personal, embarrassing, or cryptic. Your vows should be unique, but they should also be understandable to your audience.

• Unsure of where to start or how to get out of writer’s block?

  • Make a list. This way you’ll be able to stream-of-consciousness write, convert those words into sentences, and then simplify and edit out anything unnecessary.

  • Look at other couple’s vows to get ideas and to reignite your inspiration.

  • Simply take a break. Sometimes we overthink too much and don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the experience of celebrating our partners through our vows. Take a step back, breathe, and resume when you feel the time is right.

• Promises

  • Come up with several you can make to your spouse that you know you can keep and our realistic.

  • Avoid anything too cliché.

• Editing

  • Have someone you trust to read over your vows to make sure that they make sense and are easily listened to.

  • Simplify. We all want our vows to be perfect, but perfect does not equate to longwinded. Save intense proclamations for a private time to make it more personal.

  • Practice makes perfect. Practicing out loud will help you avoid any slip-ups and helps you understand how the audience will process your words.

  • Make a clean copy for yourself.

Photo by: Arden Photography

Photo by: Arden Photography

Photo by: Arden Photography

Photo by: Arden Photography

Photo by: Arden Photography