nonreligious wedding vows

Love the significance of wedding vows but not particularly religious? Meet secular wedding vows, also known as nonreligious wedding vows, which are perfectly appropriate and meaningful ways to enter into matrimony. Below are some nontraditional wedding vow samples that keep it simple and secular for your ceremony, whether you want to use them verbatim or take inspiration from them to write your own vows. And because love knows no bounds—in language or otherwise—we’ve also included some popular secular vows in Spanish.

Sit down with your partner and read the vow samples below together. Choose the one that resonates with you both the most and use the words as is, or add your own words and sentiments to personalize the vows and make them your own. During the ceremony, one option would be to choose the same passage to recite to each other during the vow exchange—you could either do that in a call-and-response format with the officiant guiding you line by line, or you could skip the officiant and simply recite the vows to each other, reading from a printout (or even from a phone or tablet). Another idea would be to choose different passages to read aloud to each other during the vow exchange—truly, anything goes with these nontraditional wedding vows as long as the words feel meaningful to you.

For more advice on how to plan and create your own wedding ceremony, be sure to reference Minted's ceremony planning guides:

• Ceremony Script Samples: Includes inspiring ceremony script examples you might want to borrow.
• Traditional Wedding Ceremony Order of Events: A step-by-step outline of the order of events during a wedding ceremony.
• Wedding Processional Order: A guide to help you figure out who walks down the aisle and when.
• Guide to Wedding Vows: Everything you need to know about wedding vows, from whether or not you should write your own, to inspiring examples of funny vows, traditional vows, romantic vows, and so much more!
• 52 Romantic Wedding Quotes: To inspire your own vows, ceremony readings, or quotes used on stationery and signage.

VOWS SAMPLE 1

Officiant (each person to repeat):
“[Partner 1's Name], do you take [Partner 2's Name] to be your wedded [wife/husband], to live together in marriage?
Do you pledge to love [him/her], comfort [him/her], honor and keep [him/her] for better or worse for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to [him/her], for as long as you both shall live?”

Bride/Groom:
“I do.”

VOWS SAMPLE 2

Officiant (each person to repeat):
“Do you, [Partner 1's Name], take [Partner 2's Name] to be your [husband/wife], to cherish in friendship and love today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you live, to trust and honor [him/her], to love [him/her] faithfully, through the best and the worst, whatever may come, and if you should ever doubt, to remember your love for each other and the reason why you came together with [him/her] this day?”

Groom/Bride:
“I do.”

VOWS SAMPLE 3

Officiant (each person to repeat):
“Do you, [Partner 1's Name], take [Partner 2's Name] to be your wedded [husband/wife], to cherish in love and in friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, and vow to love [him/her] faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?”

Bride/Groom:
“I do.”

VOWS SAMPLE 4

Each partner to repeat:
“[Partner's Name], you are my best friend, the one I want to share my life with.
I will love you forever.
I will always support you.
I will stick by your side in sickness and health.
I will encourage you in everything you do.
I will support you during your personal growth.
I will strive every day to make our marriage stronger.
I will be your friend, your love, and your partner.
All the days of our lives.”

VOWS SAMPLE 5

Each partner to repeat:
“From this day forward I promise you these things:
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.
I will help you when you need it and step aside when you don’t.
I will remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and health.
You are my best friend and I will love and respect you, always.”

VOWS SAMPLE 6

Each partner to repeat:
“[Partner's name], I take you to be my partner for life, my constant friend, and my true love.
I will work to create a bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us.
I vow to honor and respect you for all that you are and will become, taking pride in who we are, both separately and together.
I promise to challenge you and to accept challenges from you.
I will join with you and our community in an ongoing adventure to create a world we all want to live in, where love and friendship will be recognized and celebrated in all their many forms.
Our home will be a sanctuary and a respite for us and for those whom we cherish. Above all, I will give you my love freely and unconditionally.
I pledge this to you from the bottom of my heart, for all the days of our lives.”

VOWS SAMPLE 7

“I could stand here and tell you how much I love you, but those words are meaningless unless they are shown through my actions. These are my promises.
I vow to stay silly and never take ourselves too seriously.
I vow to trust and value your opinions.
I vow to travel beside you through all of life’s adventures.
I vow to always keep fighting for us, because I know we can overcome any uphill battles we might face.
And lastly, I vow that I will choose you every day—not because I have to, but because I want to.”

VOWS SAMPLE 8

“Today, I want to make promises to you that I will always keep.
I promise to never stop holding your hand.
I promise to make sure I’m not just hungry when I get upset.
I promise to share my food with you.
I promise to never go to bed angry.
I promise to stand by your side while you face the world.
I promise to listen to you when you speak.
I promise to join your laughter with my own. And when you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.
I promise to grow alongside you, but also to never grow up.
I promise to love, respect, protect, and trust you.
I promise to give you the best of myself, because I know that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone.
I choose you. I’ll choose you over and over and over again, and I’ll keep choosing you.”

VOWS SAMPLE 9

“The day I met you, I became a true believer that you do not find true love, but true love finds you.
Everything in me recognizes your heart as my home and your arms, my shelter. You are my better half and my best friend.
I will love you, honor you, respect and cherish you in sickness and health, through sorrows and success, for all the days of my life.
I am forever yours.”

VOWS SAMPLE 10

Each partner to repeat:
“With all my heart, I [Partner 1's Name] take you [Partner 2's Name] to be my [wife/husband].
I promise to be your lover, companion, and friend.
Your partner in parenthood.
Your ally in conflict.
Your greatest fan.
I will be your comrade in adventure.
Your comfort in disappointment.
Your accomplice in mischief.
Your strength in times of need.
I will listen with understanding and trust you completely.
All the days of my life.”

VOWS SAMPLE 11

Each partner to repeat:
“Today we move from ‘I’ to ‘we.’
[Partner's Name], take this ring as a symbol of my decision to join my life with yours until death should part us.
I walked to this place by myself to meet you today; and we shall walk from it together.”

VOWS SAMPLE 12

Partner 1:
“In your eyes, I have found my home.
In your heart, I have found my love.
In your soul, I have found my mate.
With you, I am whole, full, alive.
You make me laugh.
You let me cry.
You are my breath, my every heartbeat.

I am yours.
You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart.
The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.”

Partner 2:
“You are my inspiration and my soul’s fire.
You are the magic of my days.
You help me laugh, you teach me love.
You provide a safe place for me, unlike I’ve ever known.
You free me to sing my own song.
You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you.
You are my greatest boon.

I am yours.
You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart.
The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.”

(By Frau Ava, translated by Willis Barnstone)

VOWS SAMPLE 13

“With our beloved friends and family members as witnesses,
I, [Partner 1's Name], take you, [Partner 2's Name], to be my wedded [wife/husband].
In doing so, I vow to do my utmost to make our lives together a true partnership.
I commit to loving who you are now, and promise to trust and love the person you will become.
I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, falling in love a little more every day.
I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us”.

VOWS SAMPLE 14

“I take you to be my partner 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 pledge my love, devotion, faith, and honor
As I join my life to yours.”

VOWS SAMPLE 15

“I choose you.
To stand by your side and sleep in your arms.
To be joy to your heart and food for your soul.
To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both.
I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times.
I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other.
May we have many adventures and grow old together.”

VOWS SAMPLE 16

Each partner to repeat:

“I, [Partner 1's Name] give to you, [Partner 2's Name] my vow of sacred matrimony.
I acknowledge our individuality and respect the natural space that will reside comfortably between us.
I promise to bridge that space with open communication, silent understanding, and heartfelt compassion.
I promise to act loving so as to be loving.
I promise to love passionately, argue fairly and support you unfailingly.
I gladly accept the responsibilities that come with our relationship.
I love you and pledge my fidelity all the days of our lives.”

VOWS SAMPLE 17

“With this ring, I give you my promise
That from this day forward you shall not walk alone.
May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home.”

VOWS SAMPLE 18

“I promise to respect, admire, and appreciate you for who you are, as well as for the person you wish to become.
I promise to support and protect your freedom; because although our lives are intertwined, your choices are still yours alone.
I promise to seek a deep understanding of your wishes, your desires, your fears, and your dreams.
I promise to always strive to meet your needs—not out of obligation, but because it delights me to see you happy.
I promise to be there for you when you need me, whenever you need me.
I promise to nurture your goals and ambitions; to support you through misfortune and celebrate your triumphs.
I promise to keep our lives exciting, adventurous, and full of passion.
I promise to persevere when times get tough, knowing that any challenges we might face, we will conquer them together.
I promise to treat you with compassion over fairness, because we are a team, now and for always.
I promise to show you, every day, that I know exactly how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

VOWS SAMPLE 19

“I give you all of my love from this day forward and assure you that you will never walk alone.
Your love is my anchor and your trust is my strength.
This ring has no beginning or end and neither does my love for you.
Today I give you all that I am and all that I shall become.”

VOWS SAMPLE 20

“I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you, with all my faults and strengths.
I will help you when you need support, and turn to you when I need help.
You are not perfect, but you are perfect for me.
I choose you as my person—the one I want to spend my life.”

NONRELIGIOUS WEDDING VOWS IN SPANISH

VOWS SAMPLE 1

Each Partner to Repeat:
“Yo, ________, te quiero a ti, _______, como esposa, y me entrego a ti, y prometo serte fiel en las alegrías y en las penas, en la salud y en la enfermedad, todos los días de mi vida.”

VOWS SAMPLE 2

“Hoy, “nombre del novio o la novia”, uno mi vida a la tuya, no solo como tu marido/mujer, sino como tu amigo/a, tu amante y tu confidente.
Déjame ser el hombro en el que te apoyas, la roca sobre la que descansas, el/la compañero/a de tu vida.
Desde este día caminaré junto a tí.”

VOWS SAMPLE 3

“Yo, _________, prometo amarte, honrarte y apreciarte siempre.
Prometo permanecer junto a ti en lo bueno y en lo malo.
Prometo ser un esposo/a fiel y amante.
Prometo ser el/la más comprensivo/a en la enfermedad y la tristeza.
Prometo entregarte mi alma.
Prometo ser tu compañero/a y tu mejor amigo/a.
Y prometo amarte con toda mi alma y mi corazón por toda la eternidad.
Por favor, acepta este anillo como símbolo de nuestro amor y de nuestra amistad.
Te quiero _____________.”