What's in a Wedding Vow?
Every great ceremony, like every great novel & love story, has a beginning, middle & end. The peak of emotion in the middle of a wedding ceremony is most frequently “the vows”.
I work with couples together & individually to create their personal & beautiful vows to each other. Vows can be traditional or bespoke & individually written to match your individual personalities & values.
Many couples choosing personalised vows like to keep them secret from each other until their wedding day. They can be written on a card to be read out or read by the officiant conducting the ceremony and repeated.
When co-creating secret vows, I work to ensure that each set of vows have balance but still reflect individuality. Sometimes, whilst one member of the couple may be skilled at writing their personal expressions of love & their promises & dreams for their married life together, the other person might need more guidance. I give as much or as little help as requested.
In the legal marriage ceremony just two sentences each are required:
1) a declaration that each person is legally free to marry;
2) a contracting sentence to say you agree to marry the other person.
In England & Wales, the law currently restricts these vows to clergy or council registrars. The law should be changing in 2022/3 but until then, couples either have to pay for Registrars to attend a “licensed/approved” venue or they do the “legal sentences” separately at a registry office before or after their Celebrant-led wedding.
The “statutory marriage ceremony” with just 2 witnesses & registrars costs just £46 + £11 for the legal marriage certificate. Many councils don’t advertise this option & restrict its availability so I can always advise couples as they can use any registry office in England.
Doing “the legal bit” before or after your wedding day, allows more time, flexibility & personalisation with your wedding vows as well as having more options available for your whole wedding ceremony & the timings of your wedding day.
Feel free to get in touch or see my website for more details.
www.acorn2oakceremonies.co.uk
📸 @bwigglerweddings