Vows Mini Series - Just say "I Do"

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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.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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 differentvow options you might want for
your wedding ceremony.

(00:20):
If you're new and joining us in, my name is Amanda.
I'm a wedding officiant and Istarted this podcast in January
to tell some stories, share someinsights, advice, just laugh
and preserve the memories.
And after our first 25 episodes, with some added in bonuses,
I'm taking a little midsummerhiatus and just going over some

(00:45):
vows.
So most commonly is the questionvows.
So that is where the officiant,the minister, the pastor, the
priest, whoever asks you aquestion or a series of
questions wherein the answer iseither I do, I will, yes, I vow.

(01:07):
Anything in the positiveaffirmative is what we need
legally in order to count it fora marriage.
So I'm just going to read offto you kind of the most
traditional one that I have inmy arsenal and yeah, that I have

(01:27):
in my arsenal and yeah, comingweeks will be some different
variations and please know thatall vows you could turn them
into questions.
If they're just writtennarratives or repeat after me's,
you could then take anythingthat's a traditional, just
answer the word I do and turn itinto a repeat after me or let
the couple read it out forthemselves.
So the very traditional Do youname of one person take name of

(01:52):
second person to be your husbandor wife, to have and to hold
from this day forward, forbetter or worse word for better
or worse, for richer or poorer,through laughter and tears, in
sickness and in health, to loveand to cherish, holding only
them, him or her, unto you,until death.

(02:16):
Do you part?
And some variations I do onthat 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, tocherish, to obey Obey has really
fallen out of favor, so I'vecut that out in a way, and

(02:40):
similarly I've added in throughlaughter and tears, because I
think you really just you gottalaugh it out in marriage.
So that is today's snippet ofvows.
Thank you so much for joiningin and listening.
No-transcript.