In a lot of recent Arizona weddings I have attended, many chose to right personalized vows to each other. This personalized touch is usually extremely emotional. However, when I began to think about it more in depth, I realized tradition vows varied depending on religion and geographical location of the wedding. With this in mind, I compiled a comprehensive list of traditional wedding vows. If you are thinking of your own vows and have writer’s block, you can simply pick and choose from some of these traditional vows.

The original wedding vows, as printed in The Book of Common Prayer used in the Church of England (1549), are:

Groom: I,____, take thee,_____, to my wedded Wife, 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 to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.

Bride: I,_____, take thee,_____, to my wedded 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, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.

Then, as the groom places the ring on the bride’s finger, he says the following:

With this Ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. (Wikipedia).
Protestant:

“I, ______, take thee, ______, to be my 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 to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith [or] pledge myself to you [or] plight thee my troth.”

Episcopal:

“______, wilt thou have this woman/man to be thy wedded wife/husband to live together after God’s ordinance in the Holy Estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her/him? Comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other keep thee only unto her/him as long as you both shall live?”

“In the name of God, I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”
Jewish: No actual words are exchanged as the ritual itself serves as the covenant

Lutheran:

“______, wilt thou have this woman/man to be thy wedded wife/husband to live together after God’s ordinance in the Holy Estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her/him? Comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other keep thee only unto her/him as long as you both shall live?”

“In the name of God, I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

Roman Catholic:

“I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

Or:

“I, ______, take you, ______, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”

As you can see all of these vows contain verbiage in regard to commitment, honoring and protecting your significant other. If you are using your own vows or modifying one of these, you really can’t go wrong with those 3 necessities of a solid set of wedding vows

Terry / Autumn Wedding at Arizona Renaissance Festival. Photography by Michael Chansley Photography. www.michaelchansley.com (520) 241-5746

Should you wear a white wedding dress? It’s a question that a lot of brides and mothers-of-the-brides grapple with, especially when planning your Arizona wedding. Courtship has changed over the years, relationships have changed, and yet so many aspects of a wedding remain strictly traditional. Of course, at least we’re not wearing our mother’s wedding dresses anymore.

So, why do we still wear white on that big day? Throughout history, the wedding dress wasn’t always white. In fact, the rich were able to afford expensive dyes for bold colors on their wedding day. Wearing white was not considered a thing of beauty. Women of history even wore silk and furs if they could afford it. If not, the bride would wear linen or a fine wool.

But the color of the gown was considered a factor of luck throughout the bride and groom’s lives together. Pink was good for a May wedding, so if you were conducting a wedding of history during this hot May month you’d be wearing a pink wedding dress. Blue was the color of purity and eternal love. This was the color that bride’s splashed throughout their ceremony and wedding dresses. There was a time in history when yellow was the trend as well.

White didn’t become a popular color for wedding dresses until the 1800′s when Queen Victoria wore a white silk bridal gown on her wedding day. She set the trend for women to wear white on their wedding day, and since then white has taken on an entirely new meaning for brides.

A white wedding dress symbolizes that you have chosen the right life partner for yourself. It has come to represent purity of the heart and innocence, much as blue represented throughout history. But a white wedding dress is work. There’s making sure no one steps on your train and gets it dirty. There’s making sure that you spill absolutely nothing on your dress. It’s a beautiful curse to wear a white wedding dress.

The important thing to remember about your wedding day is that it’s your wedding day. There are many shades of white to choose from these days. But times have changed, and wedding dresses and tradition can change too. If you want to add some passion and boldness to your wedding, take a risk and go with a different color. It’s your wedding, do what you want.

Can you imagine a better place to get married than Arizona? If you like sunshine and warm weather, this is the place for you, no matter what time of year it is. If you like all of that combined with a dramatic landscape, then this is by far the best state for you to get married in. Let’s talk about a few of the wedding venue, visit VillaSiena.cc where your wedding dreams will come true.”>wedding venues throughout Arizona that might appeal to your love of the desert, love of the city, or even love of mountains.

There are so many choices. We’re here to help you narrow them all down. The goal is for you to find a place that fits in with your idea of the perfect wedding. From city life to cowboy life, there is literally a landscape or cityscape to serve as the backdrop for your wedding day.

Culture, the arts, museums and galleries all thrive in Phoenix, AZ. This is the cosmopolitan center of Arizona. Beyond the art scene, there is beautiful architecture, which could perfectly compliment your big day. Imagine a Tuscan Villa for your wedding venue where every detail reminds you of life in Europe. Gardens, including those filled with ponds, cactus, grasses and more can be had for outdoor weddings. Even hardscapes are available where fountains cascade and arches hold court for a stolen kiss.

If you’re looking for a more rugged landscape that includes towering mountains, then Flagstaff is worth considering. The highest point in Arizona is only a few miles out of town. Other massive peaks fill the landscape. Flagstaff is also home to one of the largest pine forests in the country.

Feeling a little country? Put on your spurs and cowboy hat and head to Prescott. It’s a world of times gone past mingled with a new culture, a climbing culture. Prescott has some of the best bouldering in Arizona. With options like this, you could be married after a challenging climb, or you could have a huge bonfire where people have a drink and tell stories about your past.

If the mystical and spiritual are more your style, then Sedona is a perfect match for you. People who visit always talk about the good energy that comes from there. Artists flock there for creativity and expression. Set against glowing red rocks, it’s a world of beauty and of extremes. The dryness of the desert mingles with snow, with shapes carved out of the rocks.

If you like descending into the earth, or standing above a world of mazes and canyons, then the Grand Canyon is a natural fit. Give tourists that warm feeling of possibilities as you walk to the edge of the world in a beautiful gown that’s blowing in the breeze.

Talking about Arizona wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Tucson. Tucson is an epicenter of mountain ranges. No matter which direction you look, there are mountains surrounding you.

If you want to have a December wedding without the snow, head to Arizona. If you want spring blossoms and blooming cacti, then Arizona is the wedding venue for you. Take some time to visit and imagine yourself tying the knot here.

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