Printable Wedding Vows: Writing Guide & Examples

Okay so printable wedding vows are basically a lifesaver

Look, I’ve been doing this wedding planning thing for years now and lemme tell you, the number of couples who wing their vows on the actual day is… concerning. Like you spent months picking out napkin colors but you’re gonna freestyle the most important words of your relationship? Nah. Print those vows out.

The whole printable vows thing started getting really popular around 2019 or so, but it was during this wedding in summer 2021 when I realized how crucial they actually are. The groom literally forgot everything he wanted to say. Just stood there. Sweating. His bride was trying not to cry and I’m standing there with my clipboard thinking “this is why I tell people to WRITE IT DOWN.” They eventually got through it but man, it was rough to watch.

Why you actually need to print your vows

First off, your brain is gonna be mush on your wedding day. You think you’ll remember that beautiful metaphor about growing old together like two trees with intertwined roots? You won’t. You’ll be thinking about whether your mascara is running and if Uncle Bob is already drunk.

Printed vows give you something to hold onto, literally. They ground you. Plus they look good in photos when you’re reading them, very romantic and official-looking.

The practical stuff nobody tells you

Use cardstock. Regular printer paper is gonna shake in your hands and everyone will see you’re nervous. Cardstock stays still, feels substantial. I usually recommend 110lb weight, nothing too thick because you don’t want it to feel like you’re reading off a restaurant menu.

Size matters here too. Don’t print on full 8.5×11 sheets, that’s ridiculous. Cut them down to like 5×7 or even 4×6. Something you can hold comfortably in one hand because your other hand might be holding your partner’s hand or wiping away tears or whatever.

Font size needs to be at LEAST 14pt, preferably 16pt. You’re gonna be emotional and possibly crying and you need to actually read the words. I’ve seen people print in like 10pt font because it “looks prettier” and then they can’t read anything and just start making stuff up.

Actually writing the vows part

So here’s where people get weird and stressed. They think vows need to be like Shakespeare meets Nicholas Sparks meets their therapist’s best advice. They don’t.

Start with the easy stuff – what do you love about this person? Not the deep philosophical stuff, just… what makes you happy when you think about them. Do they make you coffee every morning? Do they laugh at your terrible jokes? Write that down.

The structure that actually works

I’m gonna give you a formula because formulas make this less scary:

• Start with acknowledging the moment (we’re standing here today, I can’t believe we’re finally here, etc.)
• Say what you love about them – 2 or 3 specific things
• Tell a short story or moment that captures your relationship
• Make your actual promises – the “I vow to” part
• End with something about the future

That’s it. You don’t need to reinvent vows, they’ve been around for like thousands of years.

What annoys me about vow writing

Okay so the thing that drives me absolutely crazy is when people try to make their vows “match” too perfectly with their partner’s. Like they coordinate every single line and it becomes this scripted performance instead of two people actually expressing their feelings. I had this couple in spring 2023 who literally wrote their vows together, line by line, and they were essentially identical. It was… boring? Like I wanted to hear what SHE thought about HIM and what HE thought about HER, not this unified statement they could’ve just said in unison.

Your vows should complement each other, not mirror each other. It’s okay if one person is funny and the other is serious. That’s probably how your relationship actually is anyway.

Examples that don’t suck

Here’s a simple one that works:

Sarah, standing here with you feels like the most natural thing in the world, even though I’m shaking like crazy. I love how you always know when I need to talk and when I just need to sit in silence. I love that you laugh at my dad jokes even though they’re terrible. I remember the night we stayed up until 3am talking about our dreams, and I realized all of mine included you. I vow to be your partner in all things. I vow to support your goals even when they scare me. I vow to always make you coffee in the morning, even on days when we’ve argued. I promise to grow with you, to change with you, and to love every version of you that I get to meet along the way.

See? Not fancy, just honest.

Here’s another one:

Mike, I didn’t believe in soulmates until I met you. Actually, that’s not true, I still don’t really believe in soulmates, but I believe in us. I believe in the way we figure things out together. I love your stubbornness, even when it drives me crazy. I love that you cry during dog movies. I love that you’re standing here in front of all these people even though you hate being the center of attention. I promise to choose you every single day. I promise to listen, really listen, even when I think I already know what you’re gonna say. I promise to adventure with you, to build a life with you, and to never stop trying to make you laugh.

Both of these are under 150 words, which is perfect. You want your vows to be around 1-2 minutes when read aloud.

The promises part is where people freeze up

So you got the feelings stuff down, but then you gotta make actual promises and suddenly everyone’s like “umm what do I promise??”

Think about what your partner actually needs from you. Not generic stuff like “I promise to love you forever” because like, yeah, that’s assumed. What does YOUR person need?

Some promise ideas that are specific:

• I promise to tell you when I’m upset instead of shutting down
• I promise to support your career, even when it means sacrifice
• I promise to keep dating you, even after we’re married
• I promise to be honest with you, even when the truth is hard
• I promise to make our family a priority
• I promise to laugh with you every single day
• I promise to grow alongside you instead of apart from you
• I promise to choose forgiveness over resentment

Pick 3-5 promises that actually mean something to your relationship. If you never fight about household chores, don’t promise to always do the dishes or whatever. Promise things that matter to YOUR specific situation.

Formatting your printable vows

Alright so you’ve written them, now you gotta make them look good because they’re gonna be in photos forever.

Keep it simple. A nice script font for the header (your names or “Our Vows” or whatever) and then a clean readable font for the actual text. I like Garamond or Georgia for the body text. Looks classic without being stuffy.

Leave margins. Don’t cram text to the edges. You want at least half an inch on all sides, more if you’re using a decorative border.

Design elements that work

A simple border is nice. Nothing too elaborate because you want the focus on the words. Maybe a thin gold line or a subtle floral element in the corners.

Your wedding colors can be incorporated but don’t go overboard. If your wedding colors are navy and blush, maybe use navy text on cream cardstock with a blush accent. That’s enough.

Some people like to add a small meaningful symbol – an infinity sign, a heart, your wedding date. Fine, but keep it small and not distracting.

Printing tips from someone who’s seen it all go wrong

Print a test copy first. Read it out loud. Time yourself. Make sure you can actually read it comfortably at arm’s length because that’s how you’ll be holding it.

Print at least two copies of each person’s vows. Keep one in your getting-ready space and give one to your officiant or wedding planner (hi, that’s me) as backup. I’ve had vows get champagne spilled on them, blown away by wind, dropped in puddles… just have a backup.

If you’re doing an outdoor ceremony, consider laminating them or at least using water-resistant spray. Spring weddings especially – you never know when it’s gonna rain and regular ink will run.

My cat actually knocked over a full glass of water onto a couple’s vows the night before their wedding last year while I was doing final prep at my home office. Thank god I always print backups. Also maybe don’t have open beverages near important wedding documents, lesson learned.

Common mistakes I see constantly

Making them too long. Nobody wants to stand there for five minutes listening to you read an essay. Keep it to 1-2 minutes max, which is like 150-250 words.

Using inside jokes that nobody else understands. One or two references to your relationship are sweet, but if your entire vow is references to things only you two get, your guests are gonna be confused and bored.

Trying to be funny the whole time when that’s not your personality. Humor is great but if you’re not naturally a comedian, don’t force it. Same goes for being super serious and poetic if that’s not you.

Writing them the night before. I know, I know, some people work well under pressure. But vows are not the place to procrastinate. Give yourself at least two weeks before the wedding to write them, then put them away for a few days and come back to edit.

Not reading them out loud before the wedding day. What looks good on paper might sound awkward when spoken. Read them out loud multiple times. Practice in front of a mirror or… actually this sounds silly but I practice everything in front of my mirror and it helps you get comfortable with the words.

What if you’re not a writer

Then don’t try to write like a writer? Just talk like yourself. Imagine you’re explaining to your best friend why you’re marrying this person. What would you say? Write that down. Clean it up a little bit, add some structure, and you’re done.

You can also pull inspiration from poems, songs, quotes, whatever. Just don’t copy them word for word. Use them as jumping-off points. Like if there’s a line from a song that captures how you feel, you can reference it: “There’s this line in that John Legend song about loving all of someone’s perfect imperfections, and that’s exactly how I feel about you” and then go into specifics about what you love.

The technical printing stuff

If you’re printing at home, use the highest quality setting on your printer. This isn’t the time to save ink.

If you’re using a print shop (which I recommend if you want them to look really professional), upload your file as a PDF to preserve formatting. Bring your cardstock with you if you bought special paper, or ask them what weights they have available.

Vistaprint, Minted, and Etsy sellers all do custom vow printing if you want someone else to handle the design. You just provide the text and pick a template. Usually costs like $15-30 for a set which is honestly worth it if design isn’t your thing.

Storing them after the wedding

People always ask me what to do with their printed vows afterward. Frame them! Get a double frame and put both sets of vows in it. Hang it in your bedroom or home office. It’s a nice reminder on hard days of what you promised each other.

Or keep them in a special box with other wedding memorabilia. Just don’t shove them in a drawer and forget about them. You put work into writing them, they should be preserved somehow.

Religious vs secular vows

If you’re having a religious ceremony, check with your officiant about what’s required vs what’s optional. Some religious traditions have specific vow wording that must be included. You might be able to add personal vows in addition to the traditional ones, or you might need to stick to the script entirely.

For secular ceremonies, you have complete freedom. You can write whatever you want, structure them however you want. Just make sure you’re both on the same page about tone and length so one person doesn’t show up with a paragraph and the other has a three-page essay.

I worked with an interfaith couple once who blended elements from both traditions in their vows and it was actually really beautiful. They took the structure from one tradition and personalized the content to reflect both of their backgrounds. It can be done, just takes some thoughtful planning.

Final random tips

Bring tissues and clip them to your vow card or tuck them in your pocket. You’re probably gonna cry.

If you’re worried about your hands shaking, hold the vow card with both hands or rest it on top of your bouquet or… actually I’ve seen people hand their vows to the officiant who holds them steady at reading height. That works too.

Consider writing a private vow to exchange later, separate from your ceremony vows. Some couples do shorter public vows and then longer, more intimate private vows to read to each other during portraits or at the end of the night. Gives you space to say really personal stuff without an audience.

Don’t stress about making them perfect because perfect doesn’t exist and also your partner is gonna love them anyway because they’re from you. That sounded cheesy but it’s true, I’ve literally never seen someone disappointed by their partner’s vows even when they were kinda awkwardly written.

And honestly? The stumbles and voice cracks and moments where you have to pause because you’re crying too hard to keep reading – those are the moments people remember. Not whether your metaphor was perfectly crafted or if you used exactly the right word. They remember the emotion, the realness of it.