Traditional Wedding Vows: The Full Scripts and What the Words Mean
Anglican, Catholic, civil, and Protestant wording, plus the ring exchange, written out in full.
Traditional vows have one advantage no personal vow can match: they are not about you. Millions of people have said these exact words, which is precisely why they hold when you are too emotional to improvise.
Below are the scripts in full, what the older phrases actually mean, and the standard way to add something personal without losing the form.
Anglican, from the Book of Common Prayer
"I, [name], take thee, [name], to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."
"I, [name], take you, [name], to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."
Catholic
"I, [name], take you, [name], to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."
In a Catholic ceremony the consent itself is fixed. Personal vows are generally not permitted in place of it, though many parishes allow personal words elsewhere in the service. Ask your priest early rather than at the rehearsal.
Protestant and general Christian
"I, [name], take you, [name], to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."
Civil ceremony (no religious content)
"I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, [name], do take thee, [name], to be my lawful wedded wife."
"I, [name], take you, [name], to be my wife, to share my life with yours, to build our dreams together, to support you through times of trouble and rejoice with you in times of happiness."
The ring exchange
Standard ring wording
Anglican
"I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Catholic
"[Name], take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Protestant
"This ring I give you, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love."
Civil
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my promise, and of everything I have said today."
What the old phrases actually mean
- "To have and to hold": to receive and then to keep. The pairing is deliberate. Getting married is the easy half.
- "For better for worse": the promise is unconditional on circumstances. This is the clause that does the heavy lifting in a real marriage.
- "To love and to cherish": love is the feeling, cherish is the treatment. You are promising both, and only one of them is under your control on any given day.
- "Plight thee my troth": I pledge you my faithfulness. "Troth" is the same root as "truth", which is the whole idea.
- "Till death us do part": originally "till death us depart", meaning until death separates us. The modern phrasing is a mishearing that stuck.
Adding something personal without breaking the form
Ask what is fixed
In most religious ceremonies some words are legally or doctrinally required. Find out exactly which, in writing, before you draft anything.
Add, do not replace
The reliable move is traditional vows in full, then one or two sentences of your own before the ring exchange. The form carries the weight; your line carries the specificity.
Keep the addition to two sentences
Against centuries-old cadence, a long personal passage sounds like a different document. Two sentences read as intentional.
Match the register
Your added line should be plain and unhurried, not chatty. "You are the person I trust most in the world" sits beside the traditional text. A joke does not.
Reading about it is the easy part
The Vow Writer asks you six questions about your actual relationship, then drafts vows in your own words. Free preview, no signup.
Write my vowsQuestions people actually ask
- Do I have to say "obey" in traditional wedding vows?
- No. In the Church of England it has been optional for decades and most couples omit it. The modern Common Worship service offers forms without it as standard.
- Can we write our own vows in a Catholic wedding?
- Generally no, not in place of the consent, which has approved wording. Many parishes allow personal words at another point in the ceremony. Ask your priest well in advance.
- What is the legal wording in a civil ceremony?
- It varies by country and sometimes by state or region. In England and Wales the declaratory and contracting words are prescribed by law. Your registrar will give you the exact text, and you can usually add personal vows around it.
- Are traditional vows the same everywhere?
- No. The Anglican, Catholic, and Protestant forms differ in wording and theology, and civil ceremonies differ again by jurisdiction. Use the script for your specific ceremony rather than a generic version.
Go deeper
Wedding Vows: the full guide