Vows Mini Series - Just say "I Do"

What exactly are you promising when you say "I do"? Wedding vows represent the heart of any marriage ceremony, yet many couples don't fully consider their options beyond tradition. 

In this first installment of our special mini-series on wedding vows, we explore question vows – those traditional promises where the officiant asks and the couple responds with "I do" or "I will." As a professional wedding officiant, I break down why these remain the most popular format and what makes them legally binding. We examine the classic promises: "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health," exploring their timeless meaning while acknowledging how they've evolved.

Did you know the phrase "to obey" has largely disappeared from modern ceremonies? I share how I've adapted traditional vows for today's couples, adding meaningful elements like "through laughter and tears" that acknowledge the importance of humor in marriage. For pop culture enthusiasts, I even offer Harry Potter-inspired alternatives like "until the very end, and always" – because vows should reflect who you truly are as a couple.

Whether you're planning your own ceremony or simply fascinated by how wedding traditions evolve, this episode provides valuable insights into crafting promises that honor both tradition and personal values. Subscribe now for the full six-week series where we'll continue exploring different vow options to help make your ceremony uniquely meaningful.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Vow Mini-Series
• 0:46 Traditional Question Vows Explained
• 1:36 Modern Vow Modifications

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Vow mini-series on the WeddingWare, with Officiating by Amanda. We are doing a little six-week, just a little deep dive into vows and some of the different vow options you might want for your wedding ceremony. If you're new and joining us in, my name is Amanda. I'm a wedding officiant and I started this podcast in January to tell some stories, share some insights, advice, just laugh and preserve the memories. And after our first 25 episodes, with some added in bonuses, I'm taking a little midsummer hiatus and just going over some vows.

Speaker 1: 0:46

So most commonly is the question vows. So that is where the officiant, the minister, the pastor, the priest, whoever asks you a question or a series of questions wherein the answer is either I do, I will, yes, I vow. Anything in the positive affirmative is what we need legally in order to count it for a marriage. So I'm just going to read off to you kind of the most traditional one that I have in my arsenal and yeah, that I have in my arsenal and yeah, coming weeks will be some different variations and please know that all vows you could turn them into questions. If they're just written narratives or repeat after me's, you could then take anything that's a traditional, just answer the word I do and turn it into a repeat after me or let the couple read it out for themselves.

Speaker 1: 1:46

So the very traditional Do you name of one person take name of second person to be your husband or wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse word for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through laughter and tears, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, holding only them, him or her, unto you, until death. Do you part? And some variations I do on that at the very end is until the very end, and always. If they're a Harry Potter fan, a lot of times in this vow you would see to love, to honor, to cherish, to obey Obey has really fallen out of favor, so I've cut that out in a way, and similarly I've added in through laughter and tears, because I think you really just you gotta laugh it out in marriage. So that is today's snippet of vows. Thank you so much for joining in and listening. No-transcript.