‘Vows’ of the day
In an Australian wedding, there is a requirement by law that you say a legal vow to each other. Along with this vow, you can add anything by way of a personal vow.
Under our Marriage Act – Section 45 (2) of the Marriage Act under the Section ‘Form of Ceremony’.
Vows must be said by each party to the wedding:
“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, (NAME), take the (NAME) to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”.
Along with that, encourage every couple to write their own personal vows. Vows are very personal – I encourage every couple to write their own vows or promise to each other. I am more than happy to help you do this. However, sometimes they call for something a little different.
Here are some options:
Contemporary personal Vows – said in addition to the legal vow.
- I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life. I am yours, always ready to share your hopes, dreams and secrets. I promise to always hold you in the highest regard, to love, trust and respect you whatever may come. With you, I will walk my path from this day forward.
- Bree, I promise to share your dreams and encourage your passions, support you through times of need, grow with you through challenging times, celebrate with you through glorious times, speak the truth to you with love, cherish your love, and do everything in my power to love you with the whole of my heart. I ask everyone here today to witness that I John, take you Bree to be my lawful wedded life.
- 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, Be Loving you faithfully Through good times and bad, Regardless of the obstacle 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.
- I promise to be your friend always and forever, sharing the adventures of our lives, together with laughter and joy. I promise to be faithful, to listen to your needs, to support you in your dreams and comfort you when life is touch. I promise to build you up when you are down and remind you of just how wonderful you are, when you seem to have forgotten. I promise to honour your love of the Simpsons and respect the intense sounds of Meshuggah even though it hurts my ears. I promise to appreciate you and never take you for granted. I will be open and honest with you even when it is difficult. And I promise that when things are challenging I will nurture our relationship and I will never give up on us. I promise to love you for who you are, with everything that I have, with everything that I am, and with everything that I will be. Nothing would make my happier than to become your wife today.
- I love you, Matthew. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in the highest regard. These things I give to you today and all the days of our life.
- I still cannot believe that this moment has come. As I reflect on our relationship I am reminded of how much I love about you. I love that you always tell me that you love me in the morning even though you are asleep. I love that when im having a bad day thinking of you makes all of those feelings disappear. I love that you support me and have only my best interests in mind. I love your laugh and your smile because when I see it I am automatically happy. I love your organisational skills. Without them our adventures would be no where near as great and most of all I love that you are my best friend. I can tell you anything and you listen. You give me different points of view and you open my mind. I enjoy every moment of our time together and it is with this that I promise To hold you in my arms as you fall asleep To give you massages when your back is sore because you have been studying or hard at work To give you pats because you need attention To stop in the street when we are walking and talking so that you can pat everyone’s dog. To look at you the same way I do every morning as I leave to go to work wishing that I wasn’t leaving you but having the relief to know that you will be there when I return. To make sure that I remind you everyday how important you are to me. How you make me happy every time I see you look at me. I want you to know that I am here for you to cry on, to lean on and to laugh with. I am here to hold you tight and make you feel nothing can hurt you. I am going to be your husband now. It is from this moment I will promise to our friends and families to make sure everyday I will do what I can to protect you, love you and care for you more. I love you.
- I ask everyone here today to witness that I Daniel take you Jessica to be my lawful wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever.
For a Mature Couple – something like:
- Today’s vows are not about the quantity but the quality. A few years of wonderful togetherness are better than a lifetime of second best. Two lives already richly lived, one road still to travel. A love worth anything is worth waiting for. Today I pledge my love to you as I ask everyone here today to witness that I Jenny take you Robert to be my wedded husband – YOU were worth waiting for.
- I ask everyone here today to witness that I, Kevin, take you Sara to be my wife. Today, Sara, I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward.