What are wedding vows?

There are legal vows in the Marriage Act you must make to each other. However most couples add other words to enhance their committment. You write these yourself or choose from my over 30 selections of words that you will not see on the internet.

The law says you must talk to each other on the day !  lol  and rules are that you say a vow to each other, I tell my couples that it is like a promise to each other. I make it legal by ensuring the first sentence follows the rules and then the rest is the promise that ech person makes to the other,

Wedding vows, are the legal wording according to the amended Marriage Act 1961 including equality, that must be said loudly and clearly at all ceremonies.

Then come the personal vows, that the bride and groom say, that is clearly from their heart and mind 

It's interesting to see, that most brides have it ready in their heads, what they are going to say, and when I speak to the groom, he says, iI'm not t sure yet!

Cheers,

Angela.

But on that special day, when I get there and check all is OK, the groom with shiny eyes says to me

YEP, I know exactly what I will be say to her, today!

And, I know,it's going to be something that will probably move me and more importantly make the bride and everyone else cry, there you have it!

Wedding vows, are the moment when the two of you have the opportunity to declare in front of your family and friends, what you feel for your partner.

Your celebrant can send suggestions to you, or you can, of course, write your own.  This is a special moment in your ceremony and should be taken slowly and well thought out, so as to be able to capture the moment.

I hope this helps you.  Incidently, I usually send three to four examples to my couples, which at least gives them ideas to get started on.

Jan 

Mary Odgers marriage celebrant

The most important part of a wedding ceremony is when the couple say their wedding vows to one another....

Of all the fundamental parts of the wedding planning process .....this is the most special moment of all!

There are the legal vows that must be said by law and then you can add your own personal vow .

A wedding vow is like the best conversation you may have with your partner.....

You can have the same vow (or promise) as each other or they can be different to the other....

You may choode to work on them together.... or.... Be secret so that neither person knows what will be said until the day!

Hello - I hope the following is of assistance to you.

Wedding vows are a time honoured tradition & lifelong promise you give to each other on your wedding day - they are a defining part of your ceremony. Vows express the intent, promises & potential of marriage built on love, faithfulness & the depth of commitment to one another.

There is a legal sentence which is required to be said (as laid down by the Marriage Act 1961) followed by your personal choice or selection of words. Your Celebrant should guide you every step of the way with this - you have the choice of repeating them after the Celebrant, reading off a cue card or memorising what you wish to say. 

Warm wishes,  Janine Gilland, CMC

Hi, your wedding vows are such a special, important and memorable part of your ceremony.

There are two types of vows, one being the legal vows which must be stated by each of you as part of your ceremony as a requirement under the Marriage Act. 

In addition you have the option to include personal vows which are special promises you make publicly to each other.  Your vows can be whatever means the most to each of you and your celebrant will guide you through the process.  There are so many choices to make with your vows and it helps to have some guidance so I provide couples with a booklet of ideas and suggestions.

At the end of the day you should aim for your personal vows to be something to treasure.  You can have "matching" vows or write them for each other and keep as a suprise till the ceremony...which often results in tears of happiness!

I always have vows printed up on cards and encourage my couples to try to read them to each other but of course am always there for back up if nerves take over and you need to repeat after me!

Thank you for raising this question and very best wishes with your wedding planning - relax and enjoy the process... it's all part of the fun!

kind regards

Robyn

Abby's Way Celebrations

That's a great question and many people do not quite understand just what Vows are.  The vows are the promises that you make to each other, they are the heart felt words that you wish to convey.  In a wedding ceremony there are two parts to your vows. 

The first part are the legal words, as per the Marriage Act 1961 that must be said word for word after which you can then add your personal vows to your partner.  The personal vows can be anything you wish to say, they can be serious or they can be funny or even a mix of both.  

I hope everything goes well for your wedding planning and if there is anything that I may be able to help you with, please get in touch.

Ray Curran

Beyond Celebrations

As a National Marriage Celebrant Trainer approved by the Attorney General, (and a marriage celebrant for 15 years) this is one of the most important questions couples ask. It is equally important that the correct answer is provided.

In order to be validly married in Australia, party 1 and party 2 must, individually, recite the following words.These words cannot be put in any form of “Asking a question by the Celebrant” - they are required to be recited by the individuals being married.

The correct Vows are:

“I call upon the persons here present, to witness that, I (name) take you (name) as my lawful (or) wedded wife/husband/or partner in marriage”. These legal words can be softened a little and made more modern by using the following:

“I ask everyone present, to witness that, I (name) take you (name) as my lawful or wedded “wife/husband/or partner in marriage”.

These are the minimum Vows which must be said by the two parties.

It should also be noted that once in every wedding ceremony, it is mandatory for the celebrant (or parties 1 and 2) to say their full names – again early in the ceremony. This can be done in either “The Asking” which usually precedes the vows but which is not a mandatory legal component – or in the “Vows” which is a mandatory component.

I always suggest to my couples that they can insert these Vows (the mandatory sentence above) into their personal vows by placing them either at the beginning, in the middle or at the end. So they have the legally binding wording followed or intertwined with the lovely romantic personal words designed and written by the individuals (often with a lot of assistance from their celebrant).

It is an important task to get these Vows to be both legal and beautiful. Make sure you engage the services of a true professional who will give you a wide variety of vows to choose from in order to assist you to make your selection.

Important to note: Vows must be recited early in the ceremony and must follow the other legal mandatory requirement of the “Monitum”. The celebrant recites the Monitum, always PRIOR to the Vows. The couple can either memorise their Vows (which is usually too nerve wrackingJ), or they can ask the celebrant to do a “repeat after me” or they can ask their celebrant to prepare palm cards so they can read the Vows to one another.

Also important to note: A marriage is not legal in Australia if it is not witnessed by a minimum of three people: the authorised Marriage Celebrant and two witnesses over the age of 18 years.

Hope this helps explain the marriage Vows and how important they.

Cheers

Ann Dally

Hello! Marriage vows are the promises two people make to each other during their wedding ceremony. According to law in Australia, here are legal requirements which much be included, word for word, in order for the marriage to be legal, however, the couple may decide to include their own special promises to each other. These vows can be written solely by themselves or with the help of the celebrant. They can be serious in nature, funny, heartwarming and include anything and everything the couple desires - whatever is pertinent and special to them as individuals and as a couple. 

Thank you for this great question. I love to participate in each couple's special marriage vows.