Confused about wedding vows Options

[cocobean]

Looking at the sample ceremony our celebrant has given us I've noticed that it goes in this order:

Introduction

Marriage declaration (legal requirement?)

The Asking/Question of intention:
i.e. Do you John take Sarah to be your lawful wife...

The Vows

I thought this was stock standard but then on a website that I was looking at for ideas some brides commented that they would just be saying 'I Do' to the questions of intention instead of having vows. My question is, is it normal to have both questions of intention and vows? I'm confused

[Miss_Lisa]

The most wonderful thing about wedding ceremonies is that anything goes really.. The monitum by the Celebrant (I am duly authorised to marry blah blah blah) is the only legal requirement, otherwise you can have whatever you want

We had an intro, the legal requirement bit, a pledge, the vows, the ring ceremony, then the signing and the declaration of marriage.. I can copy and paste my ceremony if you want but beware, it's long!

[cocobean]

The most wonderful thing about wedding ceremonies is that anything goes really.. The monitum by the Celebrant (I am duly authorised to marry blah blah blah) is the only legal requirement, otherwise you can have whatever you want

We had an intro, the legal requirement bit, a pledge, the vows, the ring ceremony, then the signing and the declaration of marriage.. I can copy and paste my ceremony if you want but beware, it's long!

Yes please I would love some more ideas! Or you can PM me if you want

[Miss_Lisa]

Here you go m'dear! I did warn you that it's long

Introduction

We are here to celebrate the marriage of two special friends. More than a ceremony, this is a significant moment of celebration and personal commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in their entirety, as a companion and a friend. Every experience you have ever had, everything you have ever done, everything you have learned has brought you to this moment as you stand before these witnesses to take each other as husband and wife. New experiences lie before you, with opportunities to grow deeper in love with each other. As you walk hand in hand into the future, cherish each moment as a gift to strengthen the bond between you.


Monitum (legal bit, according to my celebrant.. I didn't like the wording, but a lot of celebrants will change it around a little)

I, ______ , am duly authorized to solemnize marriages according to law in Australia. Anthony and Lisa, before you are married in my presence and in the presence of witnesses, I now have to remind you of the solemn and legally binding nature of the relationship you are about to enter.

Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the voluntary and full commitment of a man to a woman and a woman to a man. It is made in the deepest sense, to the exclusion of all others and entered into with the desire, hope and firm intention that it will last for life.

With this in mind, are you now prepared to commit yourselves to one another in marriage? (We are).

The Pledge

(Anthony repeats after Celebrant) Whatever lies ahead, good or bad, we will face together.
Distance may test us for time, and time may tire us.
But if we look to each other first, we will always see a friend.
Lisa, look to me for all the days to come,
Today as I take place as your husband.

(Lisa repeats after Celebrant) Anthony, I marry you with my eyes wide open.
I pledge to share my life with you
Whether the days that come are happy or sad, I will live them with you.
Anthony, I give myself to you as your wife.

Vows

I call upon the people here present to witness that I, Anthony ________, take you, Lisa _______, to be my lawful wedded wife.

I call upon the people here present to witness that I, Lisa _________, take you, Anthony _______, to be my lawful wedded husband.

(Celebrant) Do you, Anthony, take Lisa, to be your wife, your partner in life. Do you promise to encourage and inspire her, to laugh with her, to comfort her in times of sorrow and struggle, and to tolerate some complaints about doing your ironing. Do you give her these things today, and will you give her these things for the rest of your days? (I do)

(Celebrant) Do you, Lisa, take Anthony, to be your husband, your partner in life. Do you promise to encourage and inspire him, to laugh with him, to comfort him in times of sorrow and struggle, and to not complain about doing his ironing too often. Do you give him these things today, and will you give him these things for the rest of your days? (I do)

Ring Ceremony – Anthony (Read by Celebrant)

Anthony, please hold Lisa’s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times

These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.

These are that hands that will unconditionally love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Anthony, repeat after me - Lisa, with this ring,
I marry you.
Take and wear it
As a pledge of my love and as a symbol
Of all we share.

Ring Ceremony – Lisa (Read by Celebrant)

Lisa, please face Anthony, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind.

These are that hands that will unconditionally love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

Lisa, repeat after me - Anthony, with this ring,
I marry you.
Take and wear it
As a pledge of my love and as a symbol
Of all we share.


May these hands always be held by one another. May they always have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May these hands always continue building a relationship full of love, and rich in caring, devotion and trust.

Declaration of Marriage

Friends and family, Anthony and Lisa have declared in front of us their enduring love and support for each other. They have made special promises to each other and symbolized this with the exchange of rings.

So by the powers vested in me as an authorized marriage celebrant, I now declare Anthony ______ and Lisa ________ to be husband and wife.

Anthony, you may now kiss your bride!

Family and friends, if you could please be patient and enjoy the beauty of these surrounds for 10 minutes whilst the signing of the marriage register takes place. Please make sure you charge your glasses ready to toast the newlyweds at the conclusion of the signing. (signing took about 15 mins)

It is now my pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to present Anthony and Lisa as husband and wife.
Please raise your glasses to Mr and Mrs F

[cocobean]

15 minutes, yikes!! I don't have time for that, lol. The sun sets early on our wedding day How come it takes so long?

Lisa I love your ceremony! Especially the pledge and the ring ceremony, thanks for sharing, its given me quite a few more ideas now.

[Miss_Lisa]

15 minutes, yikes!! I don't have time for that, lol. The sun sets early on our wedding day How come it takes so long?

Mine took so long because we were faffing around.. it was a surprise wedding so people kept coming up to us and congratulating us, hugging us, I was all excited and couldn't focus, we hadn't thought about which witnesses we wanted to sign our certificate... I didn't have 15 mins either, you can hear me in the video asking the photographer how's the light, is it too dark, we have to get to the beach, I want my beach photos, oh no the sun's going down It was a bit crazy and chaotic, but my whole day was I suppose LOL!

If you've got everything timelined and roughly stick to it you should be fine.. just bear in mind that family photos and congratulations after the ceremony take longer than you think they will..

[cocobean]

Mine took so long because we were faffing around.. it was a surprise wedding so people kept coming up to us and congratulating us, hugging us, I was all excited and couldn't focus, we hadn't thought about which witnesses we wanted to sign our certificate... I didn't have 15 mins either, you can hear me in the video asking the photographer how's the light, is it too dark, we have to get to the beach, I want my beach photos, oh no the sun's going down It was a bit crazy and chaotic, but my whole day was I suppose LOL!

If you've got everything timelined and roughly stick to it you should be fine.. just bear in mind that family photos and congratulations after the ceremony take longer than you think they will..

We're going to get our celebrant to tell everyone that we only have limited time for photos so we won't be around for long after the ceremony. In lieu of this we are going to be mingling with guests during the pre dinner drinks and have a receiving line as people enter the reception. I hope people don't mind! We're only going to have 30 minutes for photos at our location as it is. It makes me stress!

[arohanui]

Here you go m'dear! I did warn you that it's long

Introduction

We are here to celebrate the marriage of two special friends. More than a ceremony, this is a significant moment of celebration and personal commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in their entirety, as a companion and a friend. Every experience you have ever had, everything you have ever done, everything you have learned has brought you to this moment as you stand before these witnesses to take each other as husband and wife. New experiences lie before you, with opportunities to grow deeper in love with each other. As you walk hand in hand into the future, cherish each moment as a gift to strengthen the bond between you.
Monitum (legal bit, according to my celebrant.. I didn't like the wording, but a lot of celebrants will change it around a little)

I, ______ , am duly authorized to solemnize marriages according to law in Australia. Anthony and Lisa, before you are married in my presence and in the presence of witnesses, I now have to remind you of the solemn and legally binding nature of the relationship you are about to enter.

Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the voluntary and full commitment of a man to a woman and a woman to a man. It is made in the deepest sense, to the exclusion of all others and entered into with the desire, hope and firm intention that it will last for life.

With this in mind, are you now prepared to commit yourselves to one another in marriage? (We are).

The Pledge

(Anthony repeats after Celebrant) Whatever lies ahead, good or bad, we will face together.
Distance may test us for time, and time may tire us.
But if we look to each other first, we will always see a friend.
Lisa, look to me for all the days to come,
Today as I take place as your husband.

(Lisa repeats after Celebrant) Anthony, I marry you with my eyes wide open.
I pledge to share my life with you
Whether the days that come are happy or sad, I will live them with you.
Anthony, I give myself to you as your wife.

Vows

I call upon the people here present to witness that I, Anthony ________, take you, Lisa _______, to be my lawful wedded wife.

I call upon the people here present to witness that I, Lisa _________, take you, Anthony _______, to be my lawful wedded husband.

(Celebrant) Do you, Anthony, take Lisa, to be your wife, your partner in life. Do you promise to encourage and inspire her, to laugh with her, to comfort her in times of sorrow and struggle, and to tolerate some complaints about doing your ironing. Do you give her these things today, and will you give her these things for the rest of your days? (I do)

(Celebrant) Do you, Lisa, take Anthony, to be your husband, your partner in life. Do you promise to encourage and inspire him, to laugh with him, to comfort him in times of sorrow and struggle, and to not complain about doing his ironing too often. Do you give him these things today, and will you give him these things for the rest of your days? (I do)

Ring Ceremony – Anthony (Read by Celebrant)

Anthony, please hold Lisa’s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times

These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.

These are that hands that will unconditionally love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Anthony, repeat after me - Lisa, with this ring,
I marry you.
Take and wear it
As a pledge of my love and as a symbol
Of all we share.

Ring Ceremony – Lisa (Read by Celebrant)

Lisa, please face Anthony, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind.

These are that hands that will unconditionally love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

Lisa, repeat after me - Anthony, with this ring,
I marry you.
Take and wear it
As a pledge of my love and as a symbol
Of all we share.
May these hands always be held by one another. May they always have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May these hands always continue building a relationship full of love, and rich in caring, devotion and trust.

Declaration of Marriage

Friends and family, Anthony and Lisa have declared in front of us their enduring love and support for each other. They have made special promises to each other and symbolized this with the exchange of rings.

So by the powers vested in me as an authorized marriage celebrant, I now declare Anthony ______ and Lisa ________ to be husband and wife.

Anthony, you may now kiss your bride!

Family and friends, if you could please be patient and enjoy the beauty of these surrounds for 10 minutes whilst the signing of the marriage register takes place. Please make sure you charge your glasses ready to toast the newlyweds at the conclusion of the signing. (signing took about 15 mins)

It is now my pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to present Anthony and Lisa as husband and wife.
Please raise your glasses to Mr and Mrs F

This is so similar to the draft I have been working on with my celebrant. how long did this take? she said about 40 minutes? I was wondering if this was too long.

I really only want the Hand ceremony and only what is necessary as the law permits (sorry Coco for hijacking)

[Queang]

Looking at the sample ceremony our celebrant has given us I've noticed that it goes in this order:

Introduction

Marriage declaration (legal requirement?)

The Asking/Question of intention:
i.e. Do you John take Sarah to be your lawful wife...

The Vows

I thought this was stock standard but then on a website that I was looking at for ideas some brides commented that they would just be saying 'I Do' to the questions of intention instead of having vows. My question is, is it normal to have both questions of intention and vows? I'm confused

I could be wrong but my understanding is that legally you do have to have both question of intention and vows. I believe you have to have to have the question of intention so that you are declaring that you are there of your own free will and then in the vows you legally have to ask everyone to witness that you (your full name) take (your partner's full name) and that you're taking them as your spouse (in whatever wording you like).

[cocobean]

Arohanui- That's ok! I can't imagine that would take 40 minutes, but then again I have probably underestimated that time as well.

I am hoping ours will be fairly short and sweet i.e. 15-20 minutes not including the signing of the registry.