Should you write your own vows?

Three reasons to write your own wedding vows

• Committing your life to the person you love in your own words adds a personal touch to the ceremony
• Writing about the love and commitment you have for one another is bound to lead to new discoveries about your relationship
• Writing will help clarify your vision of marriage

Three reasons not to write your own wedding vows

• Finding the right words can be nerve-racking. Do you want the added stress?
• If your fiance is not as excited about the project as you are, problems are bound to arise
• There are lots of beautifully written wedding vows available that have withstood the test of time. Vows do not have to be original in order to be personal.

Let me add my two cents to this. If your vows aren't original and is a plagiarized version of something else more eloquent, then what's the point, just use theirs?

There's a lot to vows being written in your own voice and coming from you but that doesn't mean that it can't go through a few versions and some editing, especially by someone who has some experience in this area.

And practice. Practice a lot, to the point you don't need the card any more, to the point that it comes naturally and with meaning, even to the point of considering not marrying because you'd have to utter them one more time. The general rule for pubic speaking is that you'll spend about an hour preparing and practicing for every minute you're speaking.

It's one of the most important days in your life and the start of a new life - do it right. It might be on video, too! :)

- k