Below you'll find 8 ready-to-adapt examples — 3 vows (traditional, modern, humorous), 3 toasts (maid of honor, best man, parent), and 2 short lines from the couple — each 60–250 words and built to be spoken aloud in 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Direct answer
Wedding vows typically run 30 seconds to 2 minutes per partner (roughly 75–300 words). Wedding speeches run 2 to 5 minutes (roughly 300–750 words). Use the examples below as scaffolding: keep the structure, swap in your own names, memories, and one specific line that only you would say.
Vow examples
Traditional vow (about 75 words)
"I, [Name], take you, [Partner], to be my [wife/husband/spouse]. I promise to stand by you in good times and hard ones, in health and in sickness, in abundance and in lean years. I will be honest with you, patient with you, and loyal to you. I will choose you today, and I will choose you again tomorrow. From this day forward, for as long as we both shall live."
Modern personal vow (about 150 words)
"[Partner], before I met you, I thought I knew what I wanted my life to look like. You rearranged every one of those plans, and I've never been more grateful. I promise to be your teammate — in the grocery aisle, on the highway at midnight, across the table when we disagree. I promise to keep learning you. I promise to tell you the truth, even when it's the harder sentence. I promise to make you laugh at least once a day, usually badly. I promise that when life gets heavy, I will carry my share and then some. And I promise that the version of me you meet ten, thirty, fifty years from now will still be choosing you on purpose. I love you. I'm yours."
Humorous-but-sincere vow (about 110 words)
"[Partner], I vow to always let you have the last slice of pizza, even when we both know I want it more. I vow to pretend I don't hear the dishwasher beeping so you'll unload it. I vow to keep laughing at your jokes, which are genuinely 80% great. But under all of that — I vow the real things too. I'll show up. I'll be kind when it's hard. I'll tell you what I'm actually thinking. I'll build a life with you that feels like ours, not like a performance. You're my favorite person. Let's do this for a very long time."
Toast examples
Maid of honor (about 300 words, ~2 min)
"Hi everyone — for those who don't know me, I'm [Name], and [Bride] has been my best friend since [year/age]. When she first told me about [Partner], she called me from her car and said one sentence: 'I think this one is different.' She was right. I've watched her in a lot of relationships — and this is the first one where she just seems like herself. Lighter. Funnier. More her. [Partner], thank you for that. You didn't change her; you gave her room. To the two of you — I love you, I'm rooting for you, and I'll always answer the phone. Please raise your glass."
Best man (about 280 words)
"I've known [Groom] for [X] years, and in that time he's been my roommate, my road trip driver, my emergency contact, and the worst fantasy football opponent I've ever had. What I can tell you about him is this: he is exactly the same person in private as he is in public. That's rare. [Bride], you're marrying someone who is who he says he is. And [Groom] — I've never seen you happier than you've been since [Bride] walked into your life. To a marriage that looks like the way you two looked at each other during the ceremony. Cheers."
Parent of the couple (about 250 words)
"[Child], your mother/father and I have been watching you become this person your whole life. Tonight is the first night we get to stop being your main people — and honestly, we're okay with that, because [Partner], we see how you love them. A marriage is really just a thousand small, daily decisions to keep choosing each other. Be patient. Be kind on the ordinary Tuesdays. Welcome [Partner] — you're ours now too. To the couple."
Short lines the couple can steal
- "I don't have a poem. I have a promise: I'm in."
- "You are my easiest yes."
Use these as a starting point, not a script
Strong vows and speeches almost always include four beats:
- A specific memory — one scene, not a highlight reel.
- What that memory taught you about the person or the couple.
- A concrete promise or wish — something observable, not abstract.
- A clean closing line — 6–12 words, easy to land.
If an example above feels close but not quite you, keep its structure and rewrite the nouns.
Generate your own in under 5 minutes
If you want a draft built around your actual relationship — how you met, inside jokes, the tone you want — use our generator. It takes 8–10 inputs and returns a full draft you can edit.
Related pages
- Wedding Vows and Speeches Guide
- Vows and Speeches Templates
- How to Write Wedding Vows and Speeches
- Formal Wedding Vows and Speeches
- Wedding Budget Guide
FAQ
How long should wedding vows be?
Aim for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per partner, which is roughly 75 to 300 words when read aloud at a natural pace. Couples often agree on a target length in advance so the two sets of vows feel balanced. Anything past 2 minutes tends to lose the room.
How long should a wedding speech be?
2 to 5 minutes is the standard, or 300 to 750 words. The maid of honor and best man typically land around 3 minutes; parent toasts can run slightly longer. If you're writing more than 750 words, cut — a tight 3-minute speech is remembered, a rambling 7-minute one is not.
Can I use an example word-for-word?
You can, but your vows and speech will land better if you change at least one specific detail — a name, a memory, a place, an inside joke. Guests can tell the difference between a borrowed vow and one written for this person. Treat examples as scaffolding, not scripts.
What should I not say in a wedding speech?
Avoid exes, past relationships, bachelor/bachelorette party stories, inside jokes no one else understands, and any story where the punchline embarrasses the couple. A good rule: if the couple's grandparents would wince, cut it. Drinks in hand, emotions high — assume the room will laugh harder than you expect, so don't push jokes too far.
Should the couple write vows together or separately?
Agree on the frame, write separately. Together, decide on length (e.g., 90 seconds each), tone (funny, serious, mixed), and whether you'll include formal promises. Then write alone so your vows surprise each other on the day. Swap only if you're nervous about tone mismatch.
How do I memorize or deliver my vows and speech?
Don't memorize — read from a printed card or small notebook. Nerves erase memory, and reading is completely acceptable at modern weddings. Practice out loud 3–5 times, time yourself, and mark pauses on the page. Look up at the couple on your closing line.
What if I get emotional and can't speak?
Pause, breathe, and drink water — the room will wait, and the pause often becomes the most memorable moment. Keep a tissue tucked into your notes. If you truly can't continue, it's fine to say "I'll come back to this" and hand the mic to your officiant or partner for 30 seconds.
Get started
Turn any of these examples into a draft that sounds like you — in your words, about your relationship, in the length your ceremony needs. create_free_account