Choosing Your Wedding Vows

Just like anything else in your wedding, your vows can reflect on who you are. You may choose a traditional, a religious, a customized, an interfaith, a multilingual, the possibilities are endless. A “wedding vow” is a set of promises you and your groom make to each other during the wedding ceremony. In Western culture, the wedding vows customarily included the notions of unselfishness such as –love-, faithfulness -forsaking others-, unconditionality -in sickness and in health-, and permanence -until death do us part.

During your vows at the very least you must have an officiant and witnesses present. Traditionally, the groom pronounces his vows first, followed by the bride. The order can be changed; there is no law that sets the order in which the vows said. It is possible for the bride and groom to say the vows in unison to each other. Usually the couple will face each other and join hands for their vows.

Almost all wedding officiants allow you to customize your vows, and it should be discussed prior to the ceremony. If you are unsure about the wordage of your vows, ask your friends, family, and the officiant for some examples they’ve used in the past.

Sample Vows:

I, (your name), take you, (your name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my faithful friend, and partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

I, (your name), take you, (your name), to be my friend, my lover, the (mother/father) of my children and my (husband/wife). I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.

Remember that you and your groom can say different vows.

An Introduction To Wedding Cakes

A wedding is one of the sweetest moments in one’s life, and to compliment the great occasion, it is only natural to serve sweets. Cakes, like sweets, are an integral part of a Western wedding.

Once the wedding ceremony is over, the traditional wedding cake is served to the guests. For this, even the knife, the container, and the table are decorated beautifully.

The wedding cake should go well with the wedding. The taste and style of the couple is clearly reflected in the design, shape, and decoration of the wedding cake. There are some prerequisites to choosing the most suitable wedding cake. The proposed budget is the prime factor. After deciding the budget, a good baker, caterer, or expert chef should be selected. The correct selection of the wedding cake remains a stiff challenge due to the wide range of options available regarding flavors, colors and decorations for the cake.

Usually, the wedding cake is massive in size, and multi-layered or tiered. It should complement the wedding dress, the place of reception, the weather conditions, etc.

Tradition demands that the bride and the groom share the first piece of the cake, after which other guests partake of it. Sometimes, a portion is preserved so that the couple can share it either on their first wedding anniversary or on the birth of their first child.

The wedding cake can be made in various flavors and colors. Some opt for the traditional ones, while others prefer new designs and tastes too. A single flavor can be used. But it would be nice if it could cater to the different tastes of the guests. To achieve this, each layer can have a different flavor. The topping or the icing can also be done in many ways, the traditional being the white cream icing. Even the shape is undergoing changes, and miniature cakes are becoming a common sight.

Some of the preferred flavors are cheesecakes, mousse-filled cakes, chocolate, orange mud, and fruitcakes. Fillings can be picked from the list of chocolate, coconut, custard, almond, vanilla, etc. At the top of the cake, the figures of the bride and the groom can be seen. The cake can be decorated using many colors or design themes.

The basic idea or tradition of the wedding cake is to make the occasion memorable, to be cherished by the couple as well as their friends and loved ones.

The tradition of serving cakes is laudable, as it symbolizes the sweetness, prosperity, fertility, and love fostered through marriage.

4 Tips to Help Write Personal Wedding Vows

A person’s wedding is one of the most memorable, important, and high points in an individual’s life.  At a time when a man and a woman want to make the ultimate commitment to spend the rest of their lives together, the desire to have personalized vows is certainly understandable.  This is one of the most unique and special days in a person’s life, so if you want to speak your own personal wedding vows, than by all means, you should go for it!

Writing your own vows can be intimidating.  Wedding days always add pressure to even the most mundane of tasks, and certainly writing the vows you want to say to your significant other in front of all your friends and family is no small matter!  Still, don’t let fear cause you to go along with some basic commonly used wedding vows if you really want that personalized touch.  Just follow a few basic tips, and this will help you be on your way to writing the tips your future spouse deserves!

1. Write from the heart.  Your wedding day represents the epitome of love between you and your future spouse.  The two of you are together for a reason.  Anything you write should be honest and from your heart, because that is what will really make your words special.
2. You don’t have to be Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson.  If you are a poet, great.  Keep in mind, though, that in the end words are just words.  Your wedding vows do not have to be an amazing classic piece of literature—they need to be an honest display of your feelings for the other person.  Don’t use long poetical words if all it does is put distance between your words and your feelings.
3. It’s okay to brainstorm.  Before you set down to write everything, make a list of the things about your spouse that you absolutely love about your spouse, then make a list of the commitments you want to make.  Figure out what parts of those lists you really want to include (keep in mind the vows are read in front of families and friends) and keep those.
4. Short and Sweet.  It doesn’t take many words or a lot of time to make your heart known to everyone present.  A lot can be said in a really short time, so don’t feel like you have to make the vows any longer than they naturally come out.

Follow these four tips, and you’ll find yourself getting over your worries to write some great wedding vows that your spouse will love!