Church of England Wedding Vows

Church of England weddings involve hymns and prayers before the vow exchanging ceremony begins. The vows also traditionally begin with the minister asking both the congregation and the couple a question.

“First, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.

“The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.

“[Name], will you take [Name] to be your husband/wife? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honour and protect him/her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her as long as you both shall live?

“Will you, the families and friends of [Name] and [Name], support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?”

More prayers are said, along with your chosen hymns and readings, before the exchanging of the vows below take place.

“I [Name] take you [Name] 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, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.”

The minister will then say a prayer about the wedding rings and what they symbolise ahead of the exchanging.

“[Name] I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

2. Catholic Wedding Vows

In the Roman Catholic Church, a wedding is one of the seven holy sacraments, and includes the declaration, exchanging of consent, the wedding blessing and the exchanging of rings.

Ahead of exchanging vows, couples usually answer three questions from the priest marrying them, all to do with consent, commitment and children.

“[Name] and [Name], have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in this marriage?

“Will you honour each other as man/wife and man/wife for the rest of your lives?

“Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?”

Once those questions are all answered with a ‘yes’ from each person in the couple, the exchanging of vows can then take place.

“I [Name] take you [Name] to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take and wear this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

3. Hindu Traditional Wedding Vows Examples

Hindu weddings are often representative of not just the coming together of two individuals, but two families within a community. Traditionally, Hindu ceremonies are represented by the exchanging of floral garlands during a ceremony called Jai Mala. 

Exchanging vows at a Hindu wedding is known as ‘Saptapadi’, which translates to the ‘seven steps’, also known as the ‘seven vows’. Today, some couples choose to fuse together tradition with modernities, by exchanging both rings and garlands. 

Below are the seven steps of the Hindu wedding ceremony vows that you will hear at traditional celebrations.

“Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living.

“Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental, and spiritual powers.

“Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use.

“Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love and trust.

“Let us take the fifth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous, and heroic children.

“Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity.

“Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock.”

4. Muslim Traditional Wedding Vows Examples

Traditionally, Muslim wedding ceremonies, known as Nikkah, don’t include an exchanging of wedding vows. As an alternative, the Imam usually hosts a short sermon and blessing where they give their consent to marry.

However, with many Muslim weddings varying from culture to culture, and some couples opting for fusion ceremonies, some do include vows. Muslim wedding ceremonies which do include an exchanging of wedding vows typically follow the below format.

“I, [Name], offer you myself in marriage in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. I pledge, in honesty and with sincerity, to be for you an obedient and faithful wife.

“I , [Name] pledge, in honesty and sincerity, to be for you a faithful and helpful husband.”

In weddings where a bride and groom are marrying, the bride recites the first vow, and the groom responds with the second, but for LGBTQ+ couples, and those who want to change the order, there’s no reason why you can’t add your own spin or adapt the vows to suit you.

5. Jewish Traditional Wedding Vows Examples

Couples who want to host a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony will learn that they often don’t include a spoken exchanging of wedding vows. Instead, the key component to the ceremony is when the rings are exchanged and the seven blessings are recited – often in Hebrew.

As couples exchange their wedding rings in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, it’s likely they will exchange the below words. 

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”

When spoken in Hebrew, this term translates directly to, “Behold, thou art consecrated unto me with this ring according to the law of Moses and of Israel.”

6. Civil Ceremony Wedding Vows

For couples who want to have a nonreligious wedding ceremony that is still considered a legal wedding, civil ceremonies are the most popular choice. They are conducted by a legal officiant and the traditional structure of civil ceremony wedding vows are below. 

They refer mostly to the legal aspect of the wedding, but you can always adapt them to be more personalised. 

“I call upon these persons here present, to witness that I [Name] do take thee [Name] to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.”

These may be slightly extended, eg: “I call upon these persons here present, to witness that I [Name] do take thee [Name] to be my lawful wedded wife/husband, to be loving, faithful and loyal to thee in living our married life together.”

“I give you this ring as a symbol of our love. All that I am I give to you. All that I have I share with you. I promise to love you, to be faithful and loyal, in good times and bad. May this ring remind you always of the words we have spoken today.”

7. Non-Denominational Wedding Vows

For those who want to veer off from the traditional script, some registrars will have alternative traditional wedding vows for you to choose from. The below is a particular example from Oxfordshire County Council.

“I promise that I will respect you as an individual, support you through difficult times, rejoice with you through happy times, be loyal to you always and, above all, love you as my wife/husband and friend. I promise to love and respect you, helping our love grow, always being there to listen, comfort and support you, whatever our lives may bring.

“I give you this ring as a sign of our love, trust and marriage. I promise to care for you above all others, to give you my love, friendship and support, and to respect and cherish you throughout our life together.”