Not everyone's love story fits into traditional religious frameworks—and that's completely valid. Maybe you're atheist, agnostic, spiritual-but-not-religious, or just planning a ceremony that's about you two, not about institutions. Modern secular vows focus on what actually matters to you: your partnership, your values, your choice to build a life together. They can be just as meaningful, just as moving, and just as binding as any traditional ceremony. This is about YOUR truth.
“I choose you today—not because I was destined to, not because some higher power decided it, but because I looked at everything life could offer, and you were the thing I wanted most. I promise to be your partner in every sense: to grow alongside you rather than away from you, to face challenges with you rather than despite you, and to build a life that reflects everything we value. I choose you, and I'll keep choosing you.”
“I take you as my partner in this one wild and precious life. I promise to be honest with you even when it's hard, to listen to you with my whole attention, and to support you in becoming whoever you're meant to be. Together we'll create meaning, seek adventure, and build something that matters. This is my commitment—to you and to the future we're making together.”
“Marriage is the most intentional thing I've ever done. I'm not here because of tradition or obligation. I'm here because I woke up this morning and chose you, just like I've chosen you every day since we met. I promise to keep choosing you—to respect your autonomy while building our life together, to celebrate your wins as my wins, and to be your person through whatever comes. I love you because I want to, not because I have to. And that makes it everything.”
Make any of these yours: generate personalized vows with AI in about a minute.
Modern wedding vows trade solemnity for specificity. Where traditional vows promise in general terms ("in sickness and in health"), modern wedding vows promise in concrete ones: "I promise to take your side in every argument we have about the thermostat." The structure is freer too — many modern couples skip the vow-response format entirely and speak directly to each other, or answer a question together. Personal wedding vows work best when they carry three things: one specific memory, one honest promise about ordinary life, and one line that only your partner could understand. Personalized wedding vows fail when they could be read by any couple at any wedding — if your vows contain no detail that names your actual relationship, rewrite them.
Two examples of personalized wedding vows in the modern register. Personal wedding vows to husband style: "I promise to never pretend I slept fine, to always save you the last dumpling, and to keep choosing you — on the good Tuesdays and the terrible Fridays. You are my favorite notification." Modern mutual vows (spoken together): "We promise to argue well and make up faster, to travel as far as our budget allows and as often as our dog permits, and to be each other's emergency contact for all of it." Notice what makes these work: concrete nouns, real rhythm, zero borrowed poetry. Write yours the same way — start from a private list of specific things you promise, cut every generic adjective, keep the promises that made you smile when you wrote them.
Every style page below includes full sample wedding vows you can read, borrow, and personalize — not just snippets. Here's a taste of what you'll find, plus where the complete wedding vows examples live.
"I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my wedded [husband/wife], to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
See the full wording and variations: traditional vows for him · traditional vows for her.
"I promise to love you not only on our best days, but on the hard ones too. You are my favorite conversation, my safest place, and my greatest adventure. I choose you — today, tomorrow, and always."
More: romantic vows for him · romantic vows for her.
"I promise you this: I will laugh with you, stand by you, and love you — every single day. You are my person, and I am yours. Forever."
More: short vows for him · short vows for her.
Want vows written from your actual love story instead of a sample? Generate personalized wedding vows with AI — takes about a minute.
Looking for vows from a specific side of the aisle? Start from a complete hub, then narrow by tone:
Choosing wedding vows starts with understanding what kind of ceremony you're having and what feels authentic to you as a couple. Here's a framework.
Need help getting started? Our AI Wedding Vow Generator creates personalized vows. Read our complete guide to writing wedding vows.
Pair your vows with our ceremony script generator, or prepare a best man speech or father of the bride speech.
Simple wedding vows prove that plain words carry the most weight. A generic wedding vows base you can say as-is: "I take you as you are, and I choose you as you are, all the days of my life." Simple vows for a wedding ceremony work best when both partners match register — if one reads scripture, the other shouldn't do stand-up. Contemporary wedding vows in the simple register trade poetry for precision: "I promise to be your partner in everything — the big adventures and the ordinary Tuesdays." Basic wedding ceremony vows for nervous speakers can be as short as three lines; the bride and groom wedding vows exchange needs no symmetrical length — say what's true, stop when it's said.
Ready-made options: simple vows for him · simple vows for her · standard traditional wording.
Beach wedding ceremony vows lean sensory — reference the horizon, the tide, the sand between your shoes: "Like the tide, my love will return to you every single day." Courthouse wedding vows fit a two-minute civil ceremony — keep them short and skip props entirely; many couples simply repeat the standard civil wording and save personal vows for the reception. Private wedding vows (spoken just to each other, no audience) are the fastest-growing format — no performance pressure means the words can be completely unguarded. Court wedding vows and elopement vows share one rule: nobody's watching, so say the real thing.
Planning the moment around the words? Our AI vow generator drafts from your actual story — free to try, no sign-up wall before you see your vows.