Chaplain Debby

Traditional Wedding Vows

(Groom) I call upon all present to witness that I take you to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live.

(Bride) I call upon all present to witness that I take you to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live.

Minister: (Groom) will you take (Bride) to be your lawful wife, will you love her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others keep only unto her so long as you both shall live. Response: I will.

I (Groom) take you, (Bride) to be my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live.

Minister: (Groom) will you take (Bride) to be your lawful wife, will you love her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others keep only unto her so long as you both shall live.

Response: I will.

I (Bride) take you, (Groom) to be my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live.

Rose vow

NOTE: The Groom will need to have a rose and the Bride will need a vase with water in it. Before the ceremony, the vase and rose should be placed in an easily accessible spot generally behind a lectern, for example. The best man, the Maid of Honor, or the Minister should get the rose and the vase just prior to this part of the service.

Minister: This is a day steeped in tradition, a time when we are surrounded by symbols: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Today, (Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name) begin a new tradition, a custom which now becomes uniquely their own.

Groom: (Bride Name) I give you this rose. Because it grew from a tiny seed, becoming stronger and larger until it burst into flower, it symbolizes the way my love for you has grown. (Groom gives Bride the rose.) Each year on our wedding anniversary, I will give you another rose. In so doing, I'll remember this day and renew the vows we've made.

Bride: (Groom's name), I give to you this vase of water. (Groom takes and holds it.) Because water is the one element without which we would perish, it symbolizes the importance of your love in my life. Each year on our anniversary, I will refill this vase, offering it to you as a symbol of my ever renewing love. (Bride puts the rose in the vase and they hold the vase together.)

Groom: Without water, the rose would die.

Bride: Without the rose, the vase of water would not be beautiful.

Groom: My gift is enhanced by yours, just as my life is enhanced by ours.

Bride: My gift is lovely because of yours, just as my life is better because of you. ( They hand the rose and vase to the Minister.)

Minister: On each anniversary, as you give and receive the rose and the water, remember with joy this day when you pledged your love and your lives to each other. May this be only the first of many cherished traditions in a home filled with happiness.

"From This Moment"
From this moment, I, Name, take you, Name, as my best friend for life. I pledge to honor, encourage, and support you through our walk together. When our way becomes difficult, I promise to stand by you and uplift you, so that through our union we can accomplish more than we could alone. I promise to work at our love and always make you a priority in my life. With every beat of my heart, I will love you. This is my solemn vow.

"1 Corinthians 13"
I, ______, take you, ______, as the love of my life. I vow to be patient with you and the circumstances in our lives. I vow to be kind to all people we come across. I vow not to be boastful of our love or about our accomplishments. I promise to be proud of you, but not proud in love for though I will strive for perfection, I know I can never reach it. I promise not to be quick to anger, but to think before I speak and act. I vow not to keep a record of wrongs, but to always keep the happy memories alive. Through God, our love will never fail.

"Could Not Ask for More"
I, ______, choose you, ______, as my everything. I vow to love you through sickness and health, through the good and the bad, through richer and poorer. You are everything I need, and at this moment I know that all my prayers have been answered and that all of my dreams have come true. This is the moment I have waited my whole life for. I promise to give you my all and I know that I could not ask for more from you. I love you and always will. This is my solemn vow.

6)  (name), take you (name) to be my (husband/wife), my partner in life and my one true love. 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, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles 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.

7)  In the presence of God and these our friends I take thee to be my husband/wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live.

8)  I, (name), take you, (name), to be my friend, my lover, the (mother/father) of my children and my (husband/wife). I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.

9)  I, [name], choose you [name] to be my [husband/wife], to respect you in your successes and in your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.

10)  I, (name), take you, (name), to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (man/woman) you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us.

11)  In the name of Jesus, I ___ take you, ___, to be my (husband/wife), 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, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.

12)  I, ___, take you ___, to be my wedded (husband/wife), 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, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness.

13)  I love you ___ as I love no other

All that I am I share with you. I take you to be my (husband/wife) through health and sickness, through plenty and want, through joy and sorrow, now and forever.

14)  I take you ___, to be my (husband/wife), loving you now and as you grow and develop into all that God intends. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart; when our lives are at peace and when they are in turmoil; when I am proud of you and when I am disappointed in you; in times of rest and in times of work. I will honor your goals and dreams and help you to fulfill them. From the depth of my being, I will seek to be open and honest with you. I say these things believing that God is in the midst of them all.

15)  I, ________, take you ________, to be my wedded (husband/wife), 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, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my faith.

16)  In the presence of God and these our friends, I take you ________ to be my (husband/wife) promising with Divine assistance to be unto you a loving and faithful (husband/wife) as long as we both shall live.

17)  I, ________, pledge to you ________ the rest of my life, as your (husband/wife), your lover and your friend.

18)  I, ________, take you ________, to be my (husband/wife), and in doing so, commit my life to you, encompassing all sorrows and joys, all hardships and triumphs, all the experiences of life; a commitment made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.

19)  I love you ________ as I love no other. All that I am I share with you. I take you to be my (husband/wife) through health and sickness, through plenty and want, through joy and sorrow, now and forever.

20)  I take you ________, to be my (wife/husband), loving you now and in your growing and becoming. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart; when life is peaceful and when it is in disorder; when I am proud of you and when I am disappointed in you; in times of leisure and in times of work. I will honor your goals and dreams and help you to fulfill them. From the depth of my 21)  being, I will seek to be open and honest with you. I say these things believing that God is in the midst of them all.

22)  I, ________, give myself to you ________ completely as your (wife/husband). I accept you as, my (wife/husband) to live and to understand, to stay by your side in sickness and in health, at all times, for all the days of my life.

23)  ________, I promise with God's help to be your faithful (husband/wife), to love and serve as Christ commands as long as we both shall live.

24)  ________, I have freely chosen you to be my (wife/husband). I pledge my love to you as long as we both live. I give you this ring as a reminder of this day and our covenant of love.

25)  ________, I have chosen you alone from all the world 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 'til death do us part.

26)  I ________ take you ________ to be my (wife/husband), and these things I promise you: I will be faithful to you and honest with you. I will respect, trust, and help and care for you. I will share my life with you. I will forgive you as we have been forgiven; and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God; through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we live.

27)  I will be your (husband/wife). I give you all my love without reservation. We have so many joyful times ahead of us--many decisions and many possibilities. I promise to place our personal growth and the continuous growth of our love above all other considerations. I will be honest with you. I will accept you as an equal and as a unique individual. I will be open with my affection and support. Together I know that we can build a life filled with satisfactions. I'm happy we found each. I love you.

28)  Minister: ________ and ________, having felt the joy which accompanies your love for one another, and firmly believing in the fulfillment of a lifetime together, do you take each other to be husband and wife? Groom: I, ________, take you ________, as my wife.
Bride: I, ________, take you ________, as my husband.
Minister: Do you promise to bring faith, hope, and joy to your marriage.
Groom: I promise to bring faith, hope and joy to our marriage.
Bride: I promise to bring faith, hope and joy to our marriage.
Minister: Will you both be consoling, understanding, and forgiving.
Groom: I will be consoling, understanding, and forgiving.
Bride: I will be consoling, understanding, and forgiving.
Minister: Will you love each other and give yourselves full to each other as husband and wife?
Groom: ________, I will love you and give myself fully to you as your husband.
Bride: ________, I will love you and give myself fully to you as your wife.

29)  I, ________ take you ________, to be my (wife/husband); and I promise in the midst of our families and friends and God, to stand beside you and with you always; in times of celebration and times of sadness; in times of pleasure and times of anger; in times of pain and times of health; I will live with you and love you as long as we live.

30)  ________, I promise to share my whole life with you. I pledge to celebrate with you all the joyful memories we create, the comfortable silences we will have, the confused and depressing times we may come to know, but also the refreshing laughter and deepening closeness we hope the coming years will bring. I will always be honest with you and respect what you are now and what we will become together. I will honor those decisions we make together and will work to establish a home where peace, joy and prayer reign and where Christ is the center of our lives.

31)  ________, do you take ________ to be your (wife/husband), to live together in the holy bond of married life? Do you promise to honor and uphold (her/him), and to join with (her/him) in making a home that shall endure in love and peace? Do you affirm your purpose of a deeper union with (her/him) whereby you both shall know joy and the fulfillment of love? Do you pledge to (her/him) your complete faithfulness through all the changing experiences of life? And, of your own free volition, do you now give yourself to (her/him) completely--body, mind, and soul--that from this day forth and will be (his/hers) alone so long as you both live? Reply: "Yes, I do."

32)  ________, I take you to be my (wife/husband).
                to laugh with you in joy,
                to grieve with you in sorrow,
                to grow with you in love,
                to be faithful to you alone, serving mankind together in peace and hope
                        as long as we both shall live.

33)  ________, I take you to be my (wife/husband), to be faithful to you alone, to share all that is to come, encompassing all sorrows and joys, all hardships and triumphs, all the experiences of life; a permanent commitment made in love, kept in faith, lives in hope, and eternally made new.

34)  ________, with joy I make this vow to be your (wife/husband). I have chosen you as the one I want to be my life's partner. I covenant to love you in the midst of the everydayness and the special ness of life; in times of sorrow and times of joy. I want to share the responsibility of building a Christian home together with you. I want to accept and affirm your personhood and your uniqueness. I want to join with you to seek the meaning and fulfillment of our lives under God. I love you ________, and before God, our family, and our friends, and by God's grace, I commit myself and my life to you in marriage relationship, now and forever.

35)  I ________, as you ________, to be the (wife/husband) of my days.... to share with me all that life brings to each of us, alone and together. I seek in this marriage to be my own person. I need your help in my becoming. I wish for you in this marriage to be your own person. I offer my help in your becoming. With the help of God and persons who care I want to make our commitment to each other, not a duty but a gift....giving unconditionally as Christ gave unto us.
When I am worse-
-help me become better.
 When I am sick-
 locate my disease and help me to recover my health if you can.
When I am poor or rich in spirit or goods-
-help me to accept my poverty or my wealth as a gift to be used.
I will not forsake all others, for I am called to care....But I do offer you "that special place" in my life that has been reserved for my most significant other.
I love you ________. Amen!

36)  In the presence of God and these our friends, I take thee ________ to be my (wife/husband) promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful (wife/husband) so long as we both shall live. (a Tradition Quaker Vow)

Another Promise

You may wish to add another vow to your covenant, one to say together. This vow is a pledge to establish a Christian home.
                    For example:

We have received our love from each other as a gift from you, our God. We want you to be at the center of our marriage and our home. We want our home to be a vortex of love not only for ourselves, but also for others. We want our home to be a place where your love is shared. We pledge ourselves to making Christ the Head of our homes.

B.    ________ and ________, you have recognized that your love for each other is a gift from God. will you now ask God to be at the center of your marriage and your home? Will you pledge that you will try to make your home a vortex of love not only for yourselves but also for others; a place where Christian love is shared? Will you pledge yourselves to making Christ the Head of your home?
                Answer: "We do" or "We so promise."