When I got married, my bride-to-be and I decided we'd like to keep the ceremony as simple as can be. The decorations were elegant but not overstated, the invitations were attractive, but not too ornate... you get the picture. Simple was fine with me, because no matter how small and intimate a wedding is, it's still a complex event to put together.
There was one thing she did want that scared me, however. She wasn't fussy about fine china and four course meals, but she did have one special request that panicked me down to my very soul. My bride, the princess of simplicity, wanted us to write our own vows.
You'd think that would be a piece of cake for a guy who's dedicated his life to writing, but our vows were such a significant factor in what at the time was the biggest day of our lives. These were the words which we'd share with each other that would ultimately bind our live together through thick and thin, whew... talk about heavy.
Luckily, I was marrying the most practical woman in the world, and while she wanted the sentiments to be mine, she didn't mind giving me a little help. She knew how stressed out I was, because I wanted the words to be perfect. So, she picked up a copy of The Everything Wedding Vows Book by Janet Anastasio and Michelle Bevilacqua.
It was a lifesaver! There were so many pointers and even fully written vows to reference, I had no problem crafting the perfect wedding vows. The book has beautiful, heartwarming, tear-jerking and traditional vows for any type of wedding. If you want to write your own vows, but don't know where to start, you should definitely read this book.
