Don'ts for writing your wedding vows

Look, writing vows doesn’t come easily for everyone. A lot of people aren’t great at putting down their emotions onto paper and that’s okay, but this is the one day you kind of need to or you risk upsetting your spouse to be! Here are 4 don’ts for writing your wedding vows:

Don’t wing it

I went to a wedding once where the groom, instead of saying vows, stumbled over the fact that he wasn’t good at talking about emotions, and then proceeded to thank everyone for coming to the wedding… he essentially did a wedding speech and not his vows. It was funny to me at the time, although I was a bit shocked that no one told him what vows were! They’re meant to be promises for the future with your spouse! For example: “I promise to be there when you need me, to make you smile when all you want to do is cry”.

Don’t turn it into a stand-up routine:

A couple of jokes peppered in to ease all of the feels going on in your vows is perfectly okay, but don’t roast your significant other. You’re not on comedy central. Remember to be romantic and focus on the love you share.

Don’t bore your guests to tears:

Stick to shorter and sweet vows rather than a novel written for your spouse. Vows are cute and all, but think of it like an Oscars acceptance speech, you get your couple of minutes and then it’s time for the formalities to carry on. If you go on and on, there’s no one to play that music that hints that you need to leave the stage…

Don’t forget to keep it PG:

Don’t overshare details that your nana, boss or nephews would not want to hear. Remember that this is a family event and no one needs to know the juicy details of your private lives. Speak from the heart but keep the R rated stuff to yourself this time around.

If you still need help with your wedding vows, don’t be afraid to ask your celebrant for some tips! They’ve been to quite a few weddings and have heard it all.