Great examples of wedding vows

Amber,

My bride. My best friend. My companion. My beautiful Little Pond.

Here we are. Finally, and already. Our relationship of contradictions culminates in the greatest contradiction of all: An end, and a beginning.

I’ve written and rewritten these vows times innumerable and I’ve come to a conclusion: No note, ballad, or poem; no word, sentence, or novel could ever capture my love for you.

But that’s okay, because I promise you this: I will never stop searching.

My love for you will never be expressed in endings or destinations. My love for you will be a search. A journey. An act of wild, reckless, and endless pursuit of the unattainable … And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

• I wish I could stand up here and promise you the world, but the world isn’t mine to give. What I do promise is my world, and all it entails. My love, support, passion, compassion, and enthusiasm.

• I wish I could promise smooth sailing, but the winds aren’t mine to control. What I do promise is a ship built to carry you to safely, and sails to weather any storm.

• I wish I could promise you forever, but someone infinitely great than I already has. What I do promise is every second of this time sliver of eternity I’ve been blessed with.

• I wish I could promise you riches, but every vault has it’s end. What I do promise you is a life of abundance—And abundance of love and support, of strength and vulnerability, of sharing and drive, of passion, and of adventure.

• I wish I could promise to always be as roguishly handsome as I am today, but, well … On second thought, have you seen my dad? Maybe that’s a promise I cankeep.

• I can’t even promise I’ll never hurt you, because even the best of intentions sometimes fall short. What I do promise is to always reach for you over my pride; to hold you, to heal you, and to seek forgiveness.

God lit a fire in me the day I was born, knowing that you would be the oxygen that brought it to life. And I promise to burn. I promise to burn every day. For you, for us, for who we were, who we are, and who we will be. I promise to be a light in the dark, and a warmth in the cold.

But I promise too, to be the oxygen to your fire; that same flame I saw the firs time I looked into your eyes and convinced you to hold some random stranger’s iguana. I vow never to extinguish that fire.

And I vow never to tame you … As if I even could. You are wild, playful, feisty, fiery, and strong. Maybe even a little impossible, my Impossible Girl. You’re a mystery I’ll never solve and I promise to honor that; to uplift and celebrate the wonderful and wild woman God made you to be.

I promise not only to honor it; I’ll fight to protect and preserve it. I’ll be your warrior and your defender. Not because you’re a damsel in distress—you aren’t. But because you are who I’ve pledged my love and loyalty to. Because you cannot love fiercely without also fighting fiercely.

But a true warrior is more than his weapon and armor; more than a fighter. As Jesus has shown, a true warrior is a servant above all else. And so I promise to serve you, pridelessly and unashamedly.

I will be your support and your respite. I’ll be your shelter, and your shot of tequila when times get hard. I’ll listen more than I speak. I’ll seek to understand before being understood.

I’ll hold you when words fail, and carry you when you can’t go on. I’ll lead you when you’re lost, and follow you when you’re found.

And I promise never to stop pursuing the man God made me to be. I promise to grow, but to never grow up. I promise to always be your optimist, your hoper, and your dreamer of far-flung dreams. And I will never lose my sense of wonder in the world, in others, or in you.

And finally, I promise to never forget family as we become a family ourselves. I will love your parents, your sisters, and your friends, and everyone else in your life as my own. After all, after today, they will be.

I am yours, Amber. Today, tomorrow, and every day to come. In good times and bad. In sickness and in health. No matter what may come. And I will spend every day of my life proving that, giving life to my words through action.

I vow all of this before you, before God, and before everyone here today. And I ask anyone here who has heard these vows to hold me to them.

I love you, Little Pond. This is just the beginning. In the end, we may all just be stories. But ours? Ours will be the best.