To contact me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phone: 03 9772 2326

Mob:    0419 315 933

E-mail: peterh@affordablecelebrant.com.au

Vows

The wedding vows are probably the most important part of the ceremony. It is where couples publicly express their commitment, and ask family and friends to witness their taking of each other as their legally married spouse.

 

The Marriage Act allows almost unlimited use of one’s imagination in all areas of the ceremony, and the vows are no exception. You may write your own vows, subject to one legally required sentence. Vows may be short or long; traditional or modern; poetic and flowery or simply the legally required sentence. Often the legally required sentence is incorporated into a longer one.

 

I will supply resource material to help you decide the general style of vow/s that suit/s you. You may find ideas for their wording or even find a vow that, with little or no change, says just want you want. Or you may ask me to write something to more accurately reflect your individualism.

 

The mandatory wording is:

 

“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, .. A B ..., take thee, .. C D .., to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.”

 

Minor changes such as the following are permitted, eg: “thee” to “you”, “call upon” to “ask”, “persons” to “people”, “husband/wife” to “spouse”. The Act specifies the use of two names for each party. (To make it more natural we can use the couple’s full names earlier in the ceremony, and you can use one name, or diminutive, in the vows.)

 

The Marriage Act is very specific on the mandatory wording. If a celebrant does not include wording as per the Act, ask yourself what else she/he is doing wrong! Whether it is due to ignorance, sloppiness or arrogance—due you really want that person officiating at your wedding?