Marriage Vows and Movie Vows – Are You Living What You Promised?

 

We watched the movie, “The Vow” this weekend. I cried multiple times and it was the subject of an ongoing conversation in my house. We found that the conversation the movie sparked was so rich it had to spill over into the Magical Blog Land that is ModernMarried.

I am moved to share a very personal sets of vows today (you can thank Channing Tatum later).

I have received permission from The Hubs to re-print our wedding vows.

But before we get to those, here are the positively lovely vows from the movie:

 

As we were discussing “The Vow” all weekend, I found that I couldn’t remember what we vowed.

I could not remember. The biggest promise I ever made in my life. The one I am living into every day I come home from work and every weekend when we do groceries.

My mind was blank.

To my life-coaching-relationship-specialist-brain this did not seem like a good thing.

Should I know them by memory? Should I print them and put them on the wall somewhere we see them every day? Or is the act of living devoted to my husband enough to bring them alive regardless of the actual words used.

I do not know the answer. I only know that I find it to be a very compelling question.

So far, we have been depositing acts of love into our emotional bank accounts every day we have been married. We have been very happily, goofily married for over 5 years. What we are doing seems to be working. But what did we promise? Are we living that?

A quick search on my computer for “wedding ceremony” brought back a flood of memories of when we were planning our wedding and writing our vows.

I believe deeply in affirmations and knew instinctively what Joel Osteen now teaches, “whatever you say after I AM will come looking for you.”

So when we wrote our vows, we very intentionally included the states of BEING, DOING and INTENDING. I am. I do. I will.

Here they are…

OUR WEDDING VOWS

Hubby, are you here today as a full expression of your best self, offering all that you are to this sacred union?  Are you willing to make the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for Maggie, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come?

If so, answer, I AM.

Maggie, are you here today as a full expression of your best self, offering all that you are this sacred union?  Are you willing to make the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for The Hubs, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come?

If so, answer, I AM

Dear Husband, do you commit your life to a God-centered marriage?   Do you vow to create a sanctuary in your heart and home where God’s love is your guiding light and your life is your prayer?

If so, answer, I DO

Maggie, do you commit to your life to a God-centered marriage? Do you vow to create a sanctuary in your heart and home where God’s love is your guiding light and your life is your prayer?

If so, answer, I DO

Dear Husband, will you have Maggie to be your wife?  Will you love her and communicate this love with your words, your actions, your thoughts and your touch?  Will you forgive her when needed; will you allow her to grow, both as your wife and as a person?

If so, answer I will.

Maggie, will you have The Hubs to be your husband?  Will you love him and communicate this love with your words, your actions, your thoughts and your touch?  Will you forgive him when needed; will you allow him to grow, both as your husband and as a person?

If so, answer I will.

 

I must say, reading them after all these years, they still bring a warm feeling to my heart. The love and intention we put into them is truly alive in our marriage today.

 

Do you remember your vows? Do you want to keep them? Do you want to write new ones? Would you like to share a vow or two? Should I print them and put them on the wall? Would love your advice on that one! Please share in the comments.

 

I am deeply honored to have been interviewed by best-selling Author Janet Conner regarding another kind of vows, Soul Vows. She is teaching a class on sacred vows you make to yourself that you could never break. Her teaching and this class was the seed of a HUGE SHIFT in my life that eventually propelled me into becoming the Life Coach and Blogger you know today. To read the interview on how it all started, click here.