Vows

My advice is to start a timer and read it out loud then see how long it is TIME wise not how many words and if you think that it is a good length of time then go for it.

Good idea! Thanks!!!

We wrote our own but they were pretty standard "to have and hold, for richer for poorer" kinda stuff. We did read them through several times, timing it. Be sure to speak slowly! Best wishes! I would not concentrate on word count.

I love written vows. I would def agree with PPs.. read it out loud. If I were doing it, I would practice a ton. I do not want to trip up and want to make sure it sounds smooth.

Agreed! That's definitely my plan! We have been together for a very long time so writing vows seemed befitting!

231 words sounds like a lot.

Keep it short and sweet.

It sounds like more than it actually is. On paper it's like a short paragraph.

Read it out loud. There are a lot of things that sound great on paper, but end up being tongue twisters when you try to say it.

Yeah I have definitely read it ouloud several times just never timed it.

To be honest, I struggled with this too. How short is too short, are they too long, etc. But nobody can answer this except for you.

You can't limit how you feel and your promises for the future to a specific time frame. When it sounds good to you, you've had the opportunity to express what you want, and feel comfortable saying it out loud, that's when you have the perfect amount.

Good point! Appreciate that!

Yeah, actually, there is an answer. A minute or less; more than that? Put it in a private letter to each other,

It's not about how many words. It's about words that say what you're going to promise to each other; that's what vows are. They are your promises to your partner; not the story of how you met (your officiant should have done this already) not every single thing you love about them, not funny stories. Yes, they should be humorous, but short and on point.

Keep in mind that when you get to the vows, your guests know the end is near. As much as they love you, they don't want two minutes of rambling.

Try this; there are a lot of vows and a Mad Lib vow generator that makes it really, really easy.

https://www.pinterest.com/Celiamilton/wedding-vows-and-readings/

It's FINE, and I completely agree with MrsRies.

Mine was 246. I loved them, my husband loved them, and so did the officiant. She asked that we send her our vows in advance so she could look them over, make sure one wasn't too long and the other wasn't too short. His was shorter than mine (but she said not by much), and at the altar he laughed when he saw she had to print them on both sides of the parchment paper she provided.

If it feels right to you, then you keep those vows at 231 words.

I agree with PP's that counting by time instead of words is better. If you want short and sweet, read it out loud and time yourself, (maybe even record it) so you can be the judge of whether it was too long and if it was exactly what you wanted. maybe even ask someone else to listen to it and give opinions!

If pure having an entire ceremony of 10 minutes, yes, your vows can be longer because they become the bulk of the ceremony and probably what YOU are saying hasn't been said already.

If you have a more typical amount of ceremony, 20 ish minutes? Shorter is better. Honestly.

I think 300 words or less is perfect. Tell hubby also around 300 or less. So they're in equal time frame

I agree with Celia, but this also depends on you guys and your guests. If you have more to say that's personal to you and know your guests aren't going to be bored by it, then go for it. I went to a wedding for my FH's coworker a few years ago and they both wrote poems to each other as their vows. Each poem was probably a good 3-4 minutes long. They were so well-written though and expressed all they wanted to say, so I don't think anyone minded.

I'm not religious, so I personally get more annoyed at religious ceremonies that go on and on for an hour or more. I'd rather listen to the couple say longer vows any day.

We're trying to keep our vows to no more than two minutes long. And I'm probably going to take a good 30secs off of that. But as everybody else has said read it out loud. Time it. I know vows are supposed to seem natural and from the heart but with all the emotion that's going to be happening that day, I'd suggest practice makes perfect

Mine were about 30 seconds.

A minute at most I'd say.