{"id":25,"date":"2019-02-07T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/?p=25"},"modified":"2022-04-04T20:01:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T20:01:03","slug":"4-tips-for-writing-your-personal-vows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/?p=25","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Writing Your Personal Vows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In my mind, personal vows are the most sacred and unique aspect of any wedding. It\u2019s the part of the ceremony when the couple pronounce to each other, their guests, and the universe, why everyone is gathered here today. It\u2019s their love story told in promises. It\u2019s a duet that only they can sing to a tune that only they can hear. It\u2019s a beautiful tradition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also intimidating as hell. Writing personal vows is an exercise in plumbing the depths of your heart and soul. Whether you\u2019re a gifted writer with divine sensitivity, or an illiterate robot incapable of showing emotion, vow writing will always be an overwhelming experience. Some couples choose traditional pre-written vows for this exact reason. (Seinfeld Voice) <\/em>Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that\u2026 but from the perspective of wedding videos, personal vows are solid gold for crafting stories. We utilize their voices to shape the narrative of the day and tell the couple\u2019s journey getting there. Oftentimes the vows are what make films feel unique and special, connecting the viewer to the couple emotionally. As editors, we at BDLB always get especially excited when couples write particularly beautiful vows, knowing they\u2019ve made our job easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Without further ado, here are my 4 pieces of advice for writing personal wedding vows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Don\u2019t Do It All At Once <\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Like I said before, writing personal vows is an overwhelming experience. So don\u2019t make it harder on yourself by trying to do it all last minute. Think of it like a college essay – it\u2019s much easier to write a little at a time than wait for the night before it\u2019s due. During the year between my engagement and wedding day, I jotted down vow ideas in my journal. Some were simple, like \u201ctalk about the value of family\u201d. Other notes were very in depth, little love poems I\u2019d compose while searching for the right words to express my feelings. I didn\u2019t actually start composing my vows until a few weeks before the wedding. But when I did, I had a full journal of notes and ideas to utilize. It was a godsend. It also served as a really nice reminder of my journey over the past year planning the wedding. So heed this first bit of advice. Take notes before writing. Brainstorm the feelings that are in your heart. See what comes out. I promise, you\u2019ll thank yourself later.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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       2. Read Them Out Loud To Someone Before The Big Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For me, it was my brother (the Best Man) the night before the wedding. I read him my vows before we went to bed. I recommend doing this for two reasons. One, it\u2019s always good to practice something aloud. You\u2019ve probably only been reading it to yourself. Rehearsing your vows for someone you trust will allow you to hear how the words sound coming out of your mouth. You\u2019ll be able to feel where the natural pauses for breath are. You\u2019ll be able to anticipate laughter and your own tear ducts. You\u2019ll also (if you\u2019re anything like me) have your listener tell you something extremely important. SLOW DOWN. SLOW WAAAAY DOWN. This brings me to reason #2. You\u2019re naturally going to be nervous on your wedding day. Nervous people tend to talk fast. This dress rehearsal run will remind you to keep your pace at a level human ears can understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    3. Write The Way You Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oftentimes people who don\u2019t trust their own writing will search for inspiration online and steal phrases from well known vow standards (\u201cFor better or for worse\u201d etc.) While once again *Seinfeld Voice* <\/em>not there\u2019s anything wrong with that, but usually this strategy will lead to personal vows that feel hollow and rehearsed. My advice is to stay true to your own originality. Write words that embody who you are and the love that you feel. If you\u2019re funny, be funny. If you\u2019re serious, be serious. As long as your words come from a place of emotional integrity, it doesn\u2019t matter how you express them. We\u2019ll feel them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    4. Bring a Handkerchief <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re anything like me you\u2019re going to cry at your wedding. In fact, if you\u2019re anything like me you\u2019re going to cry through the entire day and night (Note: Don\u2019t be like me). So my final piece of advice is the most basic. Bring a handkerchief (Kleenex is fine too but way less classy). The last thing you want is to be reciting your vows through sniffles and tears with a big snot bubble bursting out of your nose (Note: once again, don\u2019t be like me). A hand-dandy handkerchief will solve this problem. I personally used my grandfather\u2019s old one. Even though he passed away when I was nineteen, I felt like I had him up there with me, wiping away my joyous tears. It\u2019s a moment I\u2019ll never forget and a keepsake I will always cherish. So, bring a handkerchief. The tears will fade but the memories inside that cloth will last forever. Also\u2026 no snot bubbles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    written by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Janice Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Owner, Storyteller, & Chief Dog Lover<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In my mind, personal vows are the most sacred and unique aspect of any wedding. It\u2019s the part of the ceremony when the couple pronounce to each other, their guests, and the universe, why everyone is gathered here today. It\u2019s their love story told in promises. It\u2019s a duet that only they can sing to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weddings"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-04-at-3.53.58-PM-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Screen-Shot-2022-04-04-at-3.53.58-PM-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Janice Smith","author_link":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/?author=3"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigdoglittlebed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}