Writing Vows

This is the outline I used while drafting mine:

1) impression of him when you first met

2) what about him made you fall in love with him

3) promises

4) closing and "I love you"

Vows really dont have to be long, maybe a minute at most and in each of these three parts you can sprinkle in inside jokes and anecdotes. The promises can also be a mix of funny and serious.

From this outline just start with bullet points under each section of things you want to include then start working on the flow and how it comes together as a narrative. If it makes sense to shuffle some stuff around then do so. And then read them over and over and over and over again, out loud and in your head, to make sure it sounds how you want it to. If you have issues formulating a certain sentence, just cut it out until you get the rest done and then work on trying to fit that point back in when the rest of the vows already sound nice.

Also, try not to put pressure on yourself about how they'll sound to other people. Your vows are meant to be between you and your spouse, its not a public performance even if other people get to hear them. If you speak from the heart and your partner knows and believes what you say to be true, then you've done what you set out to do.

Also, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want an editing eye.

I am a writer who has taught speechwriting. One piece of advice I give is instead of sitting down with a blank piece of paper, consider asking someone else to take notes while you just talk to them about what you want to say (in this case, what you want to promise or your responses to the other prompts above). That way you get the ideas down without the pressure of making sure the wording is perfect. It's a lot easier to edit something than it is to start from scratch. You can also use a voice to text program and do the same thing. The idea is that a blank document is intimidating and sometimes speaking is easier than writing.