Wedding vows are some of the most important words you’ll ever recite in your life. They’re a promise between the both of you to care for each other “as long as you both shall live.”
Marriage is a big commitment and “I do” is forever. Your vows can be short and simple or long and flowing. Either way, they’re powerful.
But not everyone is content with the stock verbiage we’ve all come to know from countless weddings.
Couples often write their own wedding vows, sometimes they enlist help from robots or, if they happen to be TV or movie characters, they just recite whatever the talented writers put in the script!
If you’re more apt to be inspired by onscreen vows from your favorite show or movie, than by what’s written in the Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer, we say go for it!
We wholly encourage superfans to use pop culture favorites to help define their love.
We’ve got a few of our own favorite TV/movie vows that you may decide to use word for word, or use them as a jumping off point as you build your own Hollywood story.
As we rewatch old content this summer, we’re reminded of some of our favorite TV/movie weddings.
Here are some of the best themed vows for couples planning their own themed wedding might want to lift or use for inspo.
Star Trek
The Klingon wedding from Deep Space 9 might be appropriate for those of you who consider yourself Trekkies. It’s full of theatrics and imagery and might strike all the right cords for you.
Lady of House: With fire and steel did the gods form the Klingon Heart. So fiercely did it beat. So loud was the sound that the Gods cried out…
“On this day we have brought forth the strongest heart in all the heavens. None can stand before it without trembling at its strength.”
But then the Klingon heart weakened, its steady rhythm faltered, and the gods said…
“Why have you weakened so? We have made you the strongest in all of creation.” And the Heart spoke.
Groom walks in and says: I am Alone.
Lady of House: And the gods knew that they had erred, so they went back to their forge and brought forth a second heart.
(In walks Bride.)
(Sword bearer walks towards Groom holding swords out.)
(Bride and Groom take swords.)
Lady of House: But the second heart beat stronger than the first, and the first was jealous of its power.
(Groom strikes center of Bride’s blade.)
(Bride blocks, and parries to Groom’s throat — gently resting.)
Lady of House: Fortunately, the second heart was tempered by wisdom.
Bride: If we join together, no force can stop us.
(Swords are given back to sword bearer.)
Lady of House: And when the two hearts began to beat together…
(Bride and Groom embrace with both arms.)
Lady of House: They filled the Heavens with a terrible sound. For the First time the gods knew fear. They tried to flee, but it was too late…
The Klingon Hearts destroyed the gods who created them and turned the heavens to ashes. And to this day No-one can oppose the beating of two Klingon Hearts… Not even me.
Lady of House: (Groom’s name), son of (Groom’s father’s name), does your heart beat only for this woman?
Groom: Yes.
Lady of House: And will you swear to join with her and stand with her against All who would oppose you?
Groom: I swear.
Lady of House: (Bride’s name,) daughter of (Bride’s mother’s name), does your heart beat only for this man?
Bride: Yes.
Lady of House: And will you swear to join with him and stand with him against All who would oppose you?
Bride: I swear.
Lady of House: Then let all present here today know that this man and this woman are married!
Game of Thrones
A GoT couple could easily adapt the words spoken during the Khal Drogo and Khaleesi wedding into vows. Many couples have used it as a reading but we’ve adapted it into vows for you that might look something like this:
Officiant: As you are the Moon of their life, they shall be your Sun and Stars. Do you promise that your love shall be as ever present as those two celestial bodies…even though they are sometimes hidden from one another’s sight.
Bride/Groom: I do.
Officiant: And do you promise that tour love will be the guiding force that charts the course of your tomorrows, holds your world together in difficult times, and will make life itself shine bolder and brighter than we human beings have a right to dream of?
Bride/Groom: I do.
Star Wars
If you speak fluent Madalorian, (we don’t, so please don’t send us hate mail if we get these wrong) then these vows from the Star Wars universe will work well for you.
A Mandalorian marriage contract:
Marriage is a mere set of four short lines, spoken together.
Mhi solus tome. We are one together.
Mhi solus dhar’tome. We are one when parted.
Mhi me’dinui an. We share all.
Mhi ba’juri verde. We will raise warriors.
And before you seal it with a kiss, seal it with the Mandalorian pact.
Pacts are sealed with a mere three words. Haat, ijaa, haa’it. (Truth, honor, vision.)
Lord of the Rings
LotR is not for people with short attention spans. The book trilogy runs upwards of 1,200 pages, approximately 400 per book.
And the total run time of all the movies (extended versions) is almost 12 hours.
So it should come as no surprise that these fan fiction vows we found deep in the Middle Earth part of the internet tops out at a whopping 949 words.
Here they are in all their glory, adapt as you see fit for you and your betrothed:
Glenn, do you freely come here today, without reservation, to unite with Alyssa as your lawfully wedded wife and to begin your new life together within the bonds of holy matrimony?
Do you promise to always love her? Do you promise to always comfort her? Do you promise to always honor and keep her and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only unto Alyssa, and no other, for all of eternity?
And Alyssa, do you freely come here today, without reservation, to unite with Glendon as your lawfully wedded husband and to begin your life together within the bonds of holy matrimony?
Do you promise to always love him? Do you promise to always comfort him? Do you promise to always honor and keep him and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only unto Glenn, and no other, for all of eternity?
May you both always remember that “Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.”
And in binding yourselves to one another: may it be that Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for the other.
That Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other. That Now there will be no loneliness: for each of you will be the companion of the other.
That Now although you are two persons, there is but one life before you.
May love and kindness surround you both in the journey that lies ahead of you; and through all the years to come: May happiness be your daily companion.
May your days together be many upon this earth and may each be better than the last. may you find each other again and resume that journey of love once you have both left this earthly life.
Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your union requires and deserves.
When frustration, difficulties, and fear assail your life together; as they threaten all relationships at one time or another: remember to focus on what is right between you, and never on the part which seems wrong at that particular moment.
May you always remember “It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit” and may each of you be a true representation of the pure spiritual and physical strength that the other requires during each time you are in need or feeling stress.
In this way, together, you can ride out any storms that bring clouds to hide the face of the sun from each of you; and remind each other that even if ones loses sight of the sun for a moment: it is still there, shining just as brightly as ever.
And remember that if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, then it will be marked by abundance and delight. “May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.”
Vows
I give you my home, that you may know where you belong; I give you my hands, to pick you up every time you fall; and I give you my heart, that you may always know that each of you is loved.
And “if by my life or death I can protect you, I will.”
May God bless our lives together so that they are filled with togetherness, hope, joy, and peace because “Where there’s life there’s hope” and you brought joy and hope to our lives from the moment you came into this world.
I, Glenn, give you Alyssa, my life and my love, my honesty and my faithfulness, my laughter and my tears. I promise to encourage and to inspire you, to cherish and to care for you, to respect and to honor you, with all my heart every day and every night for for the rest of our lives.
I promise to comfort you during any darkness in our lives because One “can only come to the morning through the shadows” of night and I want to be your partner, friend, lover, and supporter through every bright day and each dark night that our future life together will bring.
And today, in front of our family and friends: I, Glendon, take you Alyssa, to be my lawfully wedded wife: to have and to hold from this day forward: for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for all eternity.
This is my solemn and eternal vow to you.
I, Alyssa, give you Glenn, my life and my love, my honesty and my faithfulness, my laughter and my tears. I promise to encourage and to inspire you, to cherish and to care for you, to respect and to honor you, with all my heart every day and every night for the rest of our lives.
I promise to comfort you during any darkness in our lives because One “can only come to the morning through the shadows” of night and I want to be your partner, friend, lover, and supporter through every bright day and each dark night that our future life together will bring.
And today, in front of our family and friends: I, Alyssa, take you Glendon -to be my lawfully wedded husband: to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for all eternity.
This is my solemn and eternal vow to you.
Parks & Rec
Leslie originally wrote vows that went on for 70 pages, guess that comes with being a detailed oriented public servant. Ultimately she decided to speak from the heart, and that’s where the good stuff usually comes from.
Use her and Ben’s vows if you can relate but don’t want to speak from your heart.
Ben: In my time working for the state government, my job sent me to 46 cities in 11 years. I lived in villages with eight people, rural farming communities, college towns… I was sent to every corner of Indiana. And then I came here, and I realized that this whole time I was just wandering around everywhere, just looking for you.
Leslie: The things that you have done for me, to help me, support me, surprise me, to make me happy, go above and beyond what any person deserves. You’re all I need. I love you and I like you.
Ben: I love you and I like you.
Bonus Vows
Here’s another set of vows from Parks & Rec, this time from April and Andy. Maybe you can incorporate both!
April: I guess I kind of hate most things but I never really seem to hate you. So I want to spend the rest of my life with you, is that cool?
Andy: April, you are the most awesome person I have ever known in my entire life. I vow to protect you from danger. I don’t care if I have to fight an ultimate fighter, or a bear, or him [points at the female wedding officiant]. Your mom. I would take ’em down. I’m getting mad right now even thinking about it, I’m telling you. I want to spend the rest of my life, every minute, with you, and I’m the luckiest man in the galaxy.
Boy Meets World
Do you remember the TGIF lineup on ABC?
Back in the day, it was the equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons, but for tweens.
The “thank goodness it’s funny” programming block lasted 11 years and gave us shows like Full House, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Sister Sister, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Boy Meets World.
If you’re a sucker for nostalgia and remember sitting around the TV on Friday nights in the ’90s watching these shows, then maybe Cory and Topanga’s vows would fit.
We’ll hold onto our childhood while you hang on to your loved one with these Boy Meets World vows:
Topanga: I wasn’t sure this day would ever come, but you were. I wasn’t sure love could survive everything we put it through, but you were. You were always strong and always sure. And now I know I want you to stand beside me for the rest of my life. That’s what I’m sure of.
Cory: Ever since I was young, I never understood anything about the world, and I never understood anything that happened in my life. The only thing that ever made sense to me was you, and how I felt about you. That’s all I’ve ever known, and that’s enough, that’s enough for me, for the rest of my life.
90210
You may not have been able to choose between Dylan and Brandon, but you eventually did find the love of your real life.
If the both of you are big fans of the Beverly Hills drama why not take a cue from David and Donna’s wedding vows:
David: When was it that we fell in love, when we were 18 or 16, maybe 10? I don’t know ’cause the truth is, I can’t picture a time that I wasn’t in love with you. I always knew you were the one that could look into my eyes and see my soul.
I don’t question your commitment to us, and I know there’s nothing we can’t work through. And I accept you as my partner and as my best friend above all others.
It’s a miracle to find the kind of peace and happiness that you’ve given me and in honor of that miracle, I pledge before our family and friends to love and to cherish you forever.
Donna: I look at you and I see my best friend. Your energy and your passion inspire me in ways I never thought possible. Your inner beauty is so strong, that I no longer fear being myself. I no longer fear at all.
I never thought that I could find someone that I could love that would love me back unconditionally. Then I realize that, although we were often apart, you were always with me and you were my soulmate.
You give me purpose when I feel I have none. Without you my soul would be empty, my heart broken, my being incomplete. I thank God every day that you were brought into my life, and I thank you for loving me.
If you need more alternative vows for your themed wedding, check out our recent post with examples for mold breaking couples. And if you’d like help putting together your themed wedding, reach out to our team of experts at Electric Sugar Elopements.
