What are the point of wedding vows if you can simply choose to leave the person later?

So true, but, this is not thought of at the time of the marriage.  You read your vows in front of all the people you love and care for and this will also include them in always supporting you through bad times.  I believe if you have written your own vows, they have meaning and as I always gift my couples with a copy of the vows on a keepsake card, they will always have them to refer to.

You generally promise to stand by each other, through bad times and good, through tears of joy and tears of sorrow.  

Marriage vows are an important part of the ceremony as it shows that there is a commitment to each other.  Unfortunately in today's society many people do not work on difficult problems that may occur and tend to leave the marriage....which is unfortunate to say the least. They probably did not have good values in the first place.

The vow is a legal term. What you need to consider is to look at them as a promise. A promise to one another on a very special day when you commit yourselves to each other exclusively.  I dont think people choose to leave another person later unless circumstances affect the relationship, it is up the both of the couple to constantly work at their marriage and to keep each other happy.

When I discuss the vows with my couples, I explain there are the legal words which must be said.

Then any additional words should reflect what you would like to say to your partner that represents your intentions for the future.

I have pages of examples I provide my couples to help them decide how they would like to express their love to each other.

Some are straight from the heart, other styles are fun and light hearted, some choose to reflect of the journey they have had over the years, and others make promises for their forever.

Sadly not all marriages last, but being in love, and creating meaningful vows to commit yourself to that person who has captured your heart, and saying them to each other on your wedding day hopefully creates a loving forever.

Wedding vows are meant to be a life long marriage commitment at that point of time when they are made, and make  new legal status; however noone can see the future and what serious challenges it may hold.

The first part of your vows is NOT necessarily the legally required statement. That information is inaccurate. The legal statement can fall anywhere in the vows, including the middle or the end. Now, getting back to the question. The vows are a clear and unequivocal promise of intent, taken at that moment in time. As circumstances change, as do people, those words of intent, though they were whole-heartedly meant on the day, may seem to have lost some of their power. That is not unlike any other promise we make during our lives. We do not usually go about making commitment for life will-nilly with no intention of keeping our word, but when things reach a point where there is no way of continuing in a relationship then you do have the recourse to remove oneself from it. All contracts, and a marriage is contract, has clauses that allow one or both parties to exit under certain circumstances. Of course, there are those who hold true to their promises of devotion and uphold their wedding vows for a lifetime and beyond. Marriage vows are words of devotion spoken with intent and like love itself they are not irrevocable. All we can do is try to uphold our words of promise and do our best to maintain a relationship worthy of the vows we uttered.  Regards, Ron.  

Having vows at the wedding ceremony  can be looked at like a beautiful rainbow coloured cake you are about to eat. So many layers and you cannot wait to eat every bit of it. All taste fantastic and they help to make the cake a wonderful experience.

You can look at your wedding vows as a similar experience. The Wedding Ceremony has many components to it and each and every part is as important. However what you say at your wedding is totally up to you. You have to say some legal vows (ie I call upon..... etc...) and the celebrant will coach you through this but you can also say some other personal vows to each other. This is not for everyone and I personally find only about a third of my couples opt for this. Having extra vows won't make or break your ceremony but it may help you express some of those feelings about each other that you want to portray in front of everyone.

Your wedding ceremony can be anything you want it to be, just ask the celebrant how they can make it truly yours with or without anything extra added in.  Check out some ideas for vows on my website blog under vows.

Making a commitment, before friends and family and to each other is a significant act and one that reflects the importat decision that the couple has made. The formal/legal vows confirm the importance of the commitment that the couple is making, with the full intention of honouring. Of course the next 50 or more years can throw up all sorts of challenges, and maybe some can't be overcome. But couples never set out with the expectation that they will break up, so the commitment through the vows is genuine. I like to include a time for personal vows written by the couple, and said directly to one another, and I also ask the guests to pleadge their support to the couple in their marriage, to provide assistance and celebrate successes with them over the coming years. 

I agree with Rhyan, the first sentence of your vows is part of the legal requirement. I encourage my couples to make up a secret vow to be said to each other on the day. This creates a beautiful warmth to the occasion. And maybe more meaningful than the standard phrases. 

Wedding vows are a legal statement of your relationship and commitment. They can also be a statement of love, fun and joy of finding each other. You are right that a couple can choose to split or leave their partner. Hopefully a couple will feel committed to the step of marriage. It's a big cost and making your vows in front of friends and family so they can support the couple in this commitment.

There are programmes, such as Prepare / Enrich that a couple can do together as an online assessment to work on skills of having a wonderful shared life. It looks at goals (having a family, buying a house, etc) and skills of communication and resolving conflict.

I wouldn't want to go back to the bad ol' days when couples were forced to be together even when they were unhappy or unsafe. So we say our vows hoping and trying for the best!