Wedding Ceremony Center .com  

 Free resources and information related to the wedding ceremony  
 

Personalized and Non Traditional Wedding Vows

Personal Input into your marriage promises

Who in the world would like a personalized or non traditional wedding vows?  Many couples nowadays!  Both, personalized and non traditional vows are meant here as synonyms even though in practical approach to the wedding ceremony this is not always the case.  Because of the unique character of their wedding event many couples like to have a personal touch that would be reflected in the wedding texts prepared for their big day.  Non traditional wedding vows mean that you either bypass or elaborate on the texts that have been used for decades by thousands of other couples to express their mutual commitment to married life.  Can you do that and why would you do it? 

Whether you can skip or personalize traditional vows greatly depends where your wedding ceremony will be taking place.  If it is in a traditional and conservative church or temple setting then most likely your priest, minister or other religious officiant would like you to use their customary rather than personalized wedding vows.  If your wedding is taking place outdoors, at a hotel, in a wedding chapel, or other non religious venues then the chances that your wedding officiant would object to non traditional vows are close to none. 

Why would you personalize your vows?  Mostly because you want the text of your marriage promises to express something and in a way that speaks for your own situation, your personal traits, the uniqueness of your dating relationship, the experience that you both have had, or the feelings you’re holding for each other.  In other words you want the personalized wording of your marriage promises either to say something that is absent in the traditional vows or even if the traditional vows already mention a particular element, for example “in good time and in bad” you want to say this in a more descriptive, perhaps more emphasized and more dramatic way because the issue of “good and bad times” is really critical for the both of you. 

Avoid personalizing your vows just for the sake of being different – having non traditional wedding vows.  If you choose to give a personal touch to your vows have a good reason for it.  Try to look at these vows from the perspective of twenty years later.  Time provides a good test for the meaning of things we do now.  If your personalized wedding vows would still hold a great meaning and solemnity for you two decades later then do it by all means but if your personalization attempt would look later cheesy, shallow or immature better stick with what has been honored by a long tradition.

|| Home ||