We’ve planned a lot of weddings in our years, so we know what to prepare for. We plan wedding days from the morning makeup session to the late night getaway limo. Yet one crucial detail of every wedding is off limits to us planners. Never have we ever prepared for possibly the most crucial detail, and arguably the main purpose of the entire day.
That’s right! No pressure, but we’re talking about those classic “in sickness and in health,” “for poorer or for richer,” none other than the most nerve-wracking, tear-jerking moment of every ceremony…the vows.
In the midst of bouquets and pink tulle and the future in-laws, the vows bring us back to the heart of the matter. The vows represent the years of commitment after the wedding day. Let’s face it. Without the vows, it wouldn’t be a wedding!
Our Vision in White vow to our couples is that we will always take the extra step to make your wedding day as unforgettable and effortless as possible. In light of our commitment to you, we have prepared some of cinema’s best wedding vows to spark your writer’s block. Along the way, we’ve added some advice learned from years of experience in the wedding biz.
So pop some popcorn and dim the lights because we have some Hollywood hits and helpful hints for your bridal debut! Whether you’re writing your vows on a sticky note like Grey’s Anatomy or reciting lines written by Nicholas Sparks, the vows can be the most intimate part of any wedding ceremony. Whatever your love language, these poetic promises can take you from vow to wow!
Intimate Insiders
What better inspiration to kick off our movie-worthy wedding vows than a favorite that says it all, The Vow. Bride and groom Paige and Leo set the stage for one of Hollywood’s most memorable wedding scenes. What girl doesn’t want Channing Tatum to profess his love to her in an art museum?! The central element of the entire movie, these vows are the perfect model for the adorable hipster couple.
Bride, Paige: “I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not, to agree to disagree on red velvet cake, and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.”
Groom, Leo: “I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other.”
Helpful Hint #1: Like red velvet cake in The Vow, an inside joke, nickname, or memory can be just what you need to say exactly how you feel. These little secrets between the two of you can create a language of your own, making the statement even more exclusive and affectionate.
The Love Story
Fitting an entire love story in a paragraph seem like an impossible task. Perhaps you just started out as Friends, like Monica and Chandler.
“Three years ago, at another wedding, I turned to a friend for comfort. And instead, I found everything that I’d ever been looking for my whole life. And now here we are with our future before us, and I only want to spend it with you, my prince, my soul mate, my friend.”
Helpful Hint #2: Let the aisle take you back down memory lane. Remember the moment you first met, a first kiss, or a first date. Who would have known then that you’d be promising to spend the rest of your lives together! Take your love story back to the beginning as you start another chapter together.
Keep it Classic
From the traditional to most unconventional wedding, the classics are the foolproof go-to for a purely genuine declaration of love. Other couples have chosen to recite their parent’s wedding vows in honor of the examples of marriage set before them, or have simply followed the precedent of the “for better and for worse” model. Classic vows for a classic film, Father of the Bride keeps it simple and certain.
“I, Bryan MacKenzie, take thee, Annie Banks, to be my wedded wife. To love and to comfort from this day forward.”
Helpful Hint #3: Just because the conventional vows have been said before doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful. The honestly simple promise may just be the earnest pledge that could last a lifetime.
The Traditional Twist
Or if the oldie’s aren’t your thing, try a twist on tradition like Preston Burke in Grey’s Anatomy:
“Christina, I could promise to hold you and to cherish you. I can promise to be there in sickness and in health. I could say ’til death do us part, but I won’t. Those vows are for optimistic couples, the ones full of hope, and I do not stand here on my wedding day optimistic or full of hope. I am not optimistic. I am not hopeful. I am sure. I am steady. And I know that I am a heart man. I take them apart. I put them back together. I hold them in my hands. I am a heart man. So this I am sure. You are my partner, my lover my very best friend. My heart beats for you and on this day, the day of our wedding, I promise you this. I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hands. I promise you me.”
Helpful Hint #4: Groom (and cardio-thoracic surgeon) Dr. Burke, related his love to something he could easily explain, open heart surgery. Try finding a metaphor or analogy to illustrate your vow to not only your hubby or wife to be, but also to the friends and family listening. Demonstrate your love with a clear and personal example.
The Poetic Promise
Perhaps poetry is the way to your lover’s heart. Sex and the City says it all with three clean lines, “Ever thine, Ever Mine, Ever Ours.” Or add the lyrical touch with a rhyme as in The Corpse Bride:
“With this hand, I will lift your sorrows
Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine
With this candle, I will light your way into darkness
With this ring, I ask you to be mine”
Helpful Hint #5: A little rhyme or alliteration can go a long way! If your style is action over words, speak louder with the less words say, and more love to show!
The Honorably Honest
Sometimes you just gotta tell it like it is! The straightforward vows can match even the most gushy couples. A real life love calls for real life moments, like when the Grey’s Anatomy star couple, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepard became lawfully wedded on a sticky note that read,
“To love each other, even when we hate each other. No running ever; nobody walks out no matter what happens. Take care when old, senile, smelly. This is forever.”
Helpful Hint #6: A promise is a promise, and sometimes that’s all you need to say!
Hopefully your writer’s block has found a muse in some of Hollywood’s best love stories. Whatever you decide to say, Vision in White promises to set the perfect scene for your movie-worthy wedding vows. When in doubt, just say those three little words that can carry any couple to a happily ever after!
