Writing Your Own Vows (Part 3)

Now, we’re at the final section, how to polish your vows until they sparkle and you are confident at performing them in public.

Writing them is a lot to do so don’t feel bad if you don’t get it all down in one go and, even if you do, if it isn’t perfect that’s OK. Remember I said time is your friend? Well, this is where you put your vows to one side and don’t look at them for a week.

When you come back to them, you’ll find spelling mistakes, no big deal because you’re reading them, not projecting them on the wall. But in the time you’ve had space, you may have remembered a different story that is more apt or a vow you’ve missed off. Aim for at least three drafts before you have a final product.

However, it goes the other way. You may come to a point where all you’re doing is changing the odd word. When that happens, step away. Don’t obsess over it. This is meant to be meaningful and heartfelt, not Oscar-worthy.

This is where you need to share with someone. As we’re not sharing it with your beloved, I’d recommend your best friend or bridesmaid or sister. Someone you can trust to tell you whether you’ve managed to cover every cliché going or if you’ve nailed it. And once you’re satisfied you can move on to the final bit, which may be hard to do in lock-down if you’re living together, practice.

This bit is super-important. When you wrote it, you could probably hear yourself saying it in your head. You want to get those nuances across, so you need to practice. Work out where the pauses are so you remember to breathe, the inflections to convey meaning (romantic or humorous) and projection to make sure everyone hears you.

Hopefully this series of blogs has helped breakdown how to write your own wedding vows, while understanding your relationship better and it gives you something bright to look forward to.

If you are looking to have a civil ceremony the lovely people at Cheshire East Registration Services are always happy to talk to you about your special day and how to personalise it.

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