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Wedding vows
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Wedding vows examples: 20 originals across five tones
The broad collection: twenty originals across funny, short, traditional, emotional and modern, each with a word count and a time.
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Wedding vows for him: examples to say to your groom or husband
Written to be said to a husband or groom, with a prompt list for the one specific memory that makes it his.
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Wedding vows for her: examples to say to your bride or wife
Written to be said to a wife or bride, with sentence starters for the memory and for a promise she would notice.
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Wedding vows traditional: the classic wording and its variants
Gives the classic text with its public-domain source and a line-by-line modern rewording, including options for the word obey.
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Funny wedding vows that still sound sincere
Shows where the joke goes and where the sincere promise lands, so the vow ends warm, not as a roast.
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Non traditional wedding vows: unique and modern ideas
Replaces classic lines with promises about everyday life, for secular and unconventional ceremonies.
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Wedding vows from the Bible and Christian vows
Pairs each vow with the verse behind it, quoted from a public-domain translation with a link to the source.
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Wedding vows in sickness and in health: wording and rewrites
Takes one famous phrase apart and offers rewrites for couples who want the promise in plainer language.
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How to write your own wedding vows in 30 minutes
Prompts first, draft second: answer six questions and the page assembles a rough vow in your words.
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Wedding vows script for the officiant, line by line
Officiant view: repeat-after-me phrases split into short lines, then the ring exchange, with names filled in as you type.
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Wedding vows format: order, length and structure
Anatomy page: the four parts of a vow with the share of words each one takes, and a length calculator.
Printable games
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Wedding vows booklet: write, print and fold your own
The print-it-yourself route to a vow book, with a live vow builder for the text and a page order table for folding a small booklet from one sheet.
Here are three complete wedding vows you can read aloud now, each with its length. Pick the tone that sounds like you, open its page for more, and swap in your own memory. Every vow page shows a word count and a speaking time, so you know it fits before the ceremony.
Three vows to read right now
Each vow below is original to this site, and each comes from the page it links to. Word counts are plain counts of the words shown. Seconds are our estimate at 130 words per minute.
A funny one, 33 words, about 15 seconds
I practiced this in the mirror, and the mirror asked me to start over. So here it is without polish. I love you, I trust you, and I am glad it is you.
More like it on the funny vows page.
A practical one, 47 words, about 22 seconds
I promise to do the dishes, hold your hand in hard rooms, and tell you the truth kindly. I promise to say thank you for small things and sorry for big ones. I promise to keep our table open to the people we love. I love you.
More like it on the short vows page.
An emotional one, 73 words, about 34 seconds
The first thing I noticed about you was how you thanked the bus driver by name. Every day. I thought, that person is kind when nobody is keeping score. I have watched you do it with waiters, neighbors, and strangers ever since. Today I promise to be that kind to you when I am tired, when I am wrong, and when you are not looking. I choose you. I will keep learning you.
More like it on the emotional vows page.
If none of these sounds like you, read twenty original vows in five tones, the widest set on the site.
Your length, as a word target
Enter how many seconds each of you wants to speak. The picker turns seconds into words and lists the vow pages whose vows are near that length. Seconds and words use our 130 words per minute assumption, so treat the result as an estimate and time yourself once.
Grouped list of vow pages by tone and job
Every vow page is in the table, with the shortest and longest vow on it. The numbers are counted from the pages themselves, not set by us.
Table: each vow page with the shortest and longest vow on it, counted from the pages on 5 November 2026 (seconds are our estimate at 130 words per minute)
| Group | Page | Vows on it | Words, shortest to longest | Seconds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By tone | Funny vows | 12 | 33 to 68 | 15 to 31 |
| By tone | Short vows | 15 | 12 to 89 | 6 to 41 |
| By tone | Emotional vows | 12 | 66 to 78 | 30 to 36 |
| By tone | Non-traditional vows | 12 | 19 to 33 | 9 to 15 |
| Classic | Traditional vows | 1 classic text with rewrites | 54 for the classic text | 25 |
| Classic | Vows from the Bible | 10 | 52 to 61 | 24 to 28 |
| Classic | In sickness and in health | 10 rewrites of one promise | see the page | see the page |
| By who hears it | Vows for him | 15 | 26 to 152 | 12 to 70 |
| By who hears it | Vows for her | 15 | 46 to 156 | 21 to 72 |
| By who hears it | Vow renewal examples | 12 | 41 to 80 | 19 to 37 |
| The broad pick | Twenty examples | 20 | 26 to 126 | 12 to 58 |
| Tools and guides | Fill-in template, how to write, format, officiant script, booklet to print | not a list of vows | your own draft | your own time |
The search box and type chips filter the list of vow pages by word or by page type. Type a word like “short” or “script” to narrow it.
Worked example: two partners, two tones
One partner picks the funny vow above at 33 words. The other picks the emotional vow at 73 words. At 130 words per minute:
- First vow: 33 words, about 15 seconds.
- Second vow: 73 words, about 34 seconds.
- Together: 106 words, about 49 seconds, which is roughly 3% to 4% of a 20 to 30 minute ceremony (WithJoy’s range for a non-religious ceremony).
- The gap is 40 words, about 18 seconds. A gap that size is easy to hear, so our rule of thumb is to trim the longer one by a sentence or add a line to the shorter one.
Where to go first
Pick by what you are stuck on. The table above links every page, so this is only the short route.
- No words yet: the widest set is the twenty originals linked above, with every tone side by side.
- Writing your own: the fill-in vows template gives blanks and a live word count, and write your own in 30 minutes gives six prompts. Either one can print a card.
- Wanting the classic words: the classic wording has the old text and modern rewrites, and the officiant script shows how it is read in phrases.
- Years together already: vow renewal examples has the words, and planning a renewal ceremony covers the day around them.
- Speaking at someone else’s wedding: the speech guides for every role cover best man, maid of honor and parents.
Start with the feeling
Try starting with the feeling rather than the wording. Do you want the room to laugh, cry, or nod? Agree on that with your partner first, then open the matching page. If one of you writes a joke and the other writes a poem, say so now and decide together.
How we time every vow
Seconds on this site are words divided by 130 words per minute, our own slower pace than the roughly 150 words per minute Baruch College gives for average speech. Read yours aloud once with a timer, because your own pace decides the real number.
Share this page with your partner
Send this page to your partner before either of you writes. Something like: “Here are wedding vows grouped by tone. Pick two you like and tell me which one sounds like us.” Then compare picks and write from there. The picker above also builds a link that reopens your two lengths.
Save for later
Pin it now and find it when you are ready to plan.
Questions people ask
How long should wedding vows be?
Sources disagree. Zola says 30 seconds to 3 minutes, WithJoy says 1 to 2 minutes per person, and Bridebook gives a range of 1 to 4 minutes and calls 2 to 3 ideal. None of them gives one number, so the 90 seconds we suggest as a starting point is our own pick, not a sourced figure. At our 130 words per minute assumption that is about 195 words, and the picker above does the same sum for any length you enter.
Should we write our own vows or use traditional ones?
Both work, and you can mix them. Traditional vows are usually said by each partner in turn, repeating the officiant's lines in short phrases. Many couples keep that frame and add a personal line or two. Open the traditional page for the classic wording, the script page for how the officiant leads it, and keep whatever feels true.
Do we have to memorize our vows?
No rule says you must. Many officiants lead the couple through short phrases to repeat, so nothing needs memorizing. If you write your own, a printed card in a large font is a safe backup, and a short vow is easier to say from memory. Ask your officiant what they expect.
Sources
- tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu/speaking-rate (opens in a new tab) : Average English speaking rate of about 150 words per minute, with a suggested target near 140. Our 130 words per minute for vows is our own slower assumption.
- www.zola.com/expert-advice/average-wedding-vow-length (opens in a new tab) : Personal vows are typically said in 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
- bridebook.com/uk/article/how-long-should-wedding-vows-be (opens in a new tab) : Vows per person run from 1 to 4 minutes, with 2 to 3 minutes called ideal.
- withjoy.com/blog/wedding-ceremony-order-of-events (opens in a new tab) : WithJoy says a non-religious ceremony runs 20 to 30 minutes, with 1 to 2 minutes of vows per person.
Updated by bigdaydesk editorial
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