Wedding Vows - Queensland Marriage Celebrant Marlee Bruinsma

Heart2heart Ceremonies...for your heart and soul

Can we write our own vows?

	Yes, definitely!
	For a commitment or renewal of vows ceremony, there are no restrictions on the vows you can use.
	With a wedding, there are a couple of requirements to keep in mind when writing your vows. Vows are the part of the ceremony that formalizes the wedding and the Marriage Act requires that you include some minimum requirements in a civil ceremony. First - you must use your full names, unless these have been used earlier on in the ceremony. Second - you must use the words "spouse" or "husband" and "wife" in the vows. "Partner" and other terms are not allowed under the Marriage Act 1961. Third - you must ask the people present at your ceremony to witness that you are asking your partner to be your husband or wife or spouse, eg. I (full name) call upon all persons here present to witness that I take you, (full name), to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.
	However, you can use the term "partner" or "life partner" in conjunction with "spouse" or "husband" and "wife". For example, "I, full name, take you, full name, to be my spouse and life partner, and I promise to love, honour and cherish you...".
	Or, you can make promises or pledges to one another and the celebrant can also ask you questions eg. "Will you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?".
	If writing your own vows, there are plenty of resources on the internet and in books to help you with this. Your celebrant can also give you a wide variety of vows and information to help you write your vows. Click here for websites with vows.
	If you don't want to write your vows, I will provide you with a wide choice of vows to select from.