If you’re having a civil wedding, you can make the ceremony more personal to you by penning, planning and delivering your own wedding vows.
You’ll find lots of inspiring ideas to help you get started f. Before you begin, there are a few rules to take into consideration. Legally, a civil ceremony cannot contain vows, readings, or music that have any religious references. You’ll also need to include the statutory declarations. That is to:
“…Solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, (name), may not be joined in matrimony to (name)”
However, apart from this, and calling upon those present to witness your vows, you can work with your registrar to customise your ceremony. Perhaps you want to include a favourite love poem or a special quotation – or even write something yourselves.
If you need a helping hand to get you started, you could consider one of these options:
The words you say during your wedding vows will be said in a moment you won’t ever experience again. There’s no set time limit on how long your vows can and cannot be, and it’s important that you share your true thoughts, promises, and feelings.
We recommend that your wedding vows be between 45 seconds to a minute. Have them written out on a piece of paper or a lovely card that you can then keep in the future as a memory. Maybe even frame the words at home so that you can look at them for years to come. If you are worried about emotions or sharing your true feelings in front of your entire guest list, you may be better off saying traditional wedding vows, following the lead of the registrar – and then sharing your personal vows to your partner in a card or letter either before or after your wedding.
