Wedding traditions are timeless. While practices have evolved, one thing remains and that is the sanctity of wedding vows. You and your future spouse’s traditional wedding vows will ultimately depend on both your religious views and faith. However, if you both have different religions, choose the traditional vows in which you both agree upon to be recited at the wedding.
These word-for-word traditional wedding vows can be recited by you and your spouse to the word, or they can help inspire you both to write your own vows in the format you desire. Some couples speak their vows in traditional sentences while others may write and recite a poem.
Here are 8 traditional wedding vows that can motivate you to find those special words that will unite you and your spouse as husband and wife.
1. Until Death Do Us Part
“I take you, (significant other’s name), to be my wife/husband from this day on. I pledge to be faithful to you until death do us part.”
2. Lawfully Wedded Husband (Wife)
This is like the “until death do us part vow”, but you include additional vows in the sentence.
“I, (insert your name), take you, (insert your significant other’s name), for my lawfully wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death does us part.”
3. Love, Honor, and Respect
“I, (your name), take you, (your significant other’s name), as my wedded wife/husband and I promise to love, honor, and respect you, and not to forsake you until death parts us. So help me God.”
4. Covenant Before God
“I, (your name), take you, (your significant other’s name), to be my wife/husband, and I do promise as a covenant before God and before all that are witnessing our marriage, to be loving and loyal when in abundance and need, in happiness and sadness, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.”
5. Pledge Your Faith
This is much like the lawfully wedded husband (wife) vow, but pledges faith to your spouse at the end of the vow.
“I, (your name), take, (your significant other), to be my wedded wife/husband, 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, till death do us part. I pledge my faith to you before God until death do us part.”
6. All the Days of My Life
“I, (your name), take you, (your significant other’s name), as my wife (or husband). I promise to love you and be faithful to you in the good and the bad, in sickness and in health. I will honor you all the days of my life.”
7. Marriage is a Lifelong Union
“I, (your name), vow to be your faithful husband (or wife), understanding that marriage is a lifelong union and not to be taken half-heartedly. The purpose of our marriage is companionship, uplifting one another, understanding each other, and to bear children of physical nature and spiritual nature. I hereby give myself to you before God.”
8. Through the Best and the Worst
“I, (your name), take you, (your significant other’s name), to be my wife (or husband) and I promise to be loyal to you and honest with you; I promise to help, respect, and trust you; I promise to share my life with only you; I will forgive you like we have been forgiven by God. I promise to do this through the best and worst that is to come throughout the rest of our lives.”
How to Make the Final Decision
The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer when choosing your wedding vows because it is ultimately your wedding day and your final decision. Consider the beauty in becoming husband and wife. Think about what this union means to you and what core values you plan to bring into your marriage. Work together to create a ceremony with wedding vows that will reignite the love you have for each other and light a fire for many, many years to come.