RECITING WEDDING VOWS

TIPS FOR SAYING YOUR WEDDING VOWS

Also see romantic wedding vows, help writing wedding vows, and wedding vow samples

When your wedding day finally comes, you will probably be feeling excited and nervous at the same time.  This will be especially true during your wedding ceremony when you go to start reciting your wedding vows. Because your wedding vows are so important, you want to make sure you say them just right.  To help you in say your vows the way you want to, we've put together the top tips for saying wedding vows.
 

Adjust Your Volume

Your wedding vows are meant for your future spouse, but it's likely that there are other people present when you say them.   If you whisper your wedding vows, your friends and family will be missing out on one of the most special parts of the ceremony. Speak up so that everyone can hear the wonderful things that you'll say.

Look for Your Fiancé

When saying wedding vows, instead of looking at the officiant, at your friends and family or at your toes, look into the eyes of your fiancé.  Imagine that your wedding vows are a conversation between the two of you.  When you are staring deep into your sweetheart's eyes, you will have a special connection to each other.  Gazing into his/her eyes will not only put you at ease, but it will also make your vows more heartfelt.


Practice Makes Perfect

If you've taken careful time and consideration in creating your wedding vows, you certainly don't want to look as if you are saying them for the first time when you need to recite your vows in public. Practice reciting your wedding vows many times before you actually have to say them.  Practice them whenever you can; while you're brushing your teeth, when you're in the car, while you're getting dressed in the morning.  If you don't have much time to practice, that's okay too.  Practicing for just ten or fifteen minutes will be a huge help in making you familiar and comfortable with saying your vows.


Pay Attention to What You're Saying

Think about what your wedding vows mean as you're saying them. Pause where appropriate.  Think of your vows as complete thoughts and say them that way.  It's okay if you become emotional while saying your wedding vows; they should be emotional to you.  If you really feel connected to what you're saying, your fiancé and everyone else will pick up on it.  So please, make sure you mean your wedding vows and you believe in what you're saying.  Sincerity and genuine emotion cannot be faked.

Speak Slowly and Clearly

This seems like a no-brainer, but because very few people speak in public on a regular basis, it's important to mention that you need to speak your wedding vows slowly and clearly.  Many people speak faster when they are nervous, if you do this, take special notice and try to speak very slowly.  Enunciate your words and say them at a slow pace.  You want to be sure that your fiancé clearly hears everything that you're saying and you also want to make sure that the other people present can understand you.

Put Your Vows in Safekeeping

Whether or not you choose to memorize your wedding vows, write down a few copies of your vows and make them available on your wedding day.  Keep a copy of your wedding vows with you, with one of your attendants and give a copy to the officiant.  Even if you've committed your vows to memory, you may get tongue-tied when it's time for you to say them.  It would be a shame not to say the vows you've carefully created just because you didn't think to have a copy on hand.


Visualize Your Vows

Go over the activity of saying your wedding vows in your head several times and picture a successful outcome.  Imagine saying your vows perfectly and looking into your partners eyes.  Think about your family and friends coming up to you after the ceremony and congratulating you on your beautiful words.  Visualizing your success will give you confidence and will prepare you for the big day.  So when you are actually saying your wedding vows, it will be just another rehearsal of what you've already done many times in your own mind.


Hear it Out Loud

Once your wedding vows are written, rehearse them out loud several times. Going over your wedding vows by actually saying them out loud will help with the flow of your vows.  This process will also alert you to any words or phrases that don't quite fit.  Because these wedding vows are written by you, they should sound natural coming from you.  If any of the words don't sound like something you would say, take them out and replace them with words that better fit your vocabulary. Once you're happy with how your wedding vows sound, repeat them a few times in front of a close friend or family member.  Doing so will give you more confidence about reciting your vows in front of a crowd.


Do it Line by Line

If you want to memorize your wedding vows, it's easier if you do it line by line. Take the first line of your wedding vows, read over it several times out loud and commit it to memory. Do this line by line, and then go back and do the first line, then the first and the second line, then the first, second and third line, and so on until every line is memorized. Because most wedding vows have several lines with a similar structure (for example, to have and to hold, to honor and to comfort) you may also find it helpful to use the main points of those lines to jog your memory. If you know the general structure of your wedding vows, you can just memorize the main points (for example, have, hold, honor and comfort.) Either way, committing your wedding vows to memory makes them seem more meaningful and sincere when you say them, and that is something that everyone will notice.


Take a Deep Breath and Relax

If you are nervous or have wedding jitters, take a deep breath and calm your mind.  Yes, you are saying these words in front of a group of people, but the main person that you're saying them to loves you and is not judging you in any way.  And, if you say something a little different than your actual written vows or if you skip over part of what you planned to say, don't worry.  Remember, nobody knows what you're going to say except you!
 

Wedding Vows Writing Help

We highly recommend using the Wedding Vows Writing System found in the book Perfect Wedding Vows in Minutes.  You'll be able to save hours of frustration and avoid writer's block with this easy to use way to create personal and unique wedding vows.