Many couples decide either not to write their own wedding vows or to use pre-written vows and their own personal wedding vows.

We all know the traditional wedding vows:

Alex, do you take Sam to be your lawfully wedded wife/husband, 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 cherish for as long as you both shall live?

...which are beautiful, by the way. But not everyone feels drawn to these vows and want something a little more meaningful to their relationship.

Because couples are encouraged to find ways to make their wedding ceremony meaningful, here is a list of 13 wedding vows that you probably haven’t heard.

13 Unique Wedding Vows

Do you, Alex, promise to be Sam’s friend; to comfort him/her; and to listen to him/her; to celebrate his/her successes; and to support his/her struggles; to love him/her, respect him/her and tenderly care for him/her, through all the days of your life.

I pledge to you, Alex, that my love and my loyalty will weather the storms of life. I will always seek counsel when I make life decisions and will respect your needs and concerns. No matter what course we set, we will do it together.

I, Alex, take you, Sam, to be my husband/wife, and in so doing, I commit my life to you, encompassing all sorrows and joys, all hardships and triumphs, all the experiences of life. A commitment made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.

Alex, I give myself to you to be your husband/wife, I pledge to share my life openly with you, to speak truth to you in love. I promise to honor and tenderly care for you, to cherish and encourage your own fulfillment as an individual through all the changes of our lives.

Do you promise to be a good and faithful partner to Sam and to also be a patient, loving mother/father to [names of children], caring for and providing for them as your own? Will you strive to fill your home with love, laughter and joy, for not only the well-being of your life partner, but also for the beautiful children that will look to you for advice and guidance?  

I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become. I promise to listen to you and learn from you, to support you and accept your support. I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses as though they were my own. I will love you and have faith in your love, through all our years and all that life may bring.

I love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my husband/wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life’s adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life.

Today, I promise you this: I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding and speak to you with encouragement. Together, let us build a home filled with learning, laughter and light, shared freely with all who may live there. Let us be partners, friends and lovers, today and all of the days that follow.

Today I love you completely, as I did yesterday and will tomorrow. I will be there for you always. I will share in your dreams, delight in your joys, and comfort you in your sorrows. I will be your confidant, your counsel and your friend. When you are not within my sight, you will be within my thoughts. You are my life, my joy, and today, you become my husband/wife.

I, Sam take you Alex to be my partner/husband/wife/spouse for life. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I give you my hand and my heart, as a sanctuary of warmth and peace. And I pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor, as I join my life to yours.

I, Alex, take you Sam, my friend, my love and my lifelong companion. I promise to share my life with yours, to build our dreams together, to support you through times of trouble, and to rejoice with you in times of happiness. I promise to treat you with respect, love and loyalty, through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together.

Alex, you are my best friend. I promise to laugh with you, cry with you, and grow with you. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart. I promise to support your dreams and to respect our differences, and to love you and be by your side through all the days and nights of our lives.

I love you, Sam, and as such these are my unbreakable vows to you. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. What's coming will come, and we'll meet it when it does. Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure. With you it's going to be one hell of an adventure! [These are direct quotes from Harry Potter books]