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� A wedding is a once- in-a-lifetime event for many couples, so brides and grooms wish for the event to be momentous and memorable. As such, couples are increasingly integrating personal nu- ances into their ceremo- nies and receptions to tailor weddings to their unique visions. The desire to include personalized wedding vows continues to be a popular trend. If you are considering personalized wedding vows, fi rst realize that it may not be a simple task. That's because you want the message conveyed to be dear to your heart, and that can be challeng- ing when faced with the pressures and planning of the rest of the wed- ding. That isn't to say that writing your own vows is impossible. Here are some guidelines for per- sonalizing your ceremo- ny with your own senti- ments. • Schedule time for writing. Amid the bustle of dress fi ttings and in- terviews with photog- raphers, it can be easy to put off the important task of writing vows for another day. But as any great writer can attest, it takes writing-- and rewriting-- to achieve a fi nished product you can be proud of. Give the task of writing your vows your undivided atten- tion. Mark it in on your calendar or set a remind- er on your computer just as you would any other appointment. • Be aware of ceremo- ny guidelines. It is best to check with your offi ciant and confi rm that person- alized wedding vows are allowed. During civil ceremo- nies it's often accept- able to customize vows as you see fi t. However, during religious ceremo- nies there may be lines of scripture that need to be read or certain passages required. Before you spend hours working on the task, be sure that it is allowed and that your spouse and you are on the same page. • Jot down your feel- ings. Answer some ques- tions about what mar- riage means to you and how you feel about your spouse. Try to avoid trite sayings and think from your heart and personal experiences. Think about what is the most important thing you want to promise to your future partner. These notes can serve as the starting points for the actual vows. • Read inspirational writings. Perhaps there is an author or a poet who inspires you? You can quote certain writers in your vows or let the tone of their works help shape the words of your vows. There also are sug- gested wedding readings and other quotes about marriage readily avail- able at the library or with a quick search online. • Decide on a tone. Al- though the day is based on love and affection, you may not feel com- fortable spouting words of adoration in front of friends and family. Feel free to tap into your unique personality. Humor can be used if it aligns with the way you normally express your af- fections. Be sure to weave this tone into more tradi- tional passages to create a cohesive expression of your feelings. • Establish an out- line. Put together all of the words and phrases you've jotted down into an outline to help you organize the fl ow of the vows, using these words as a blueprint for the vows and building upon them. Make sure the vows will be concise. Aim for your entire speech to be around one minute in length to keep everyone engaged and the ceremo- ny moving along. • Put everything to- gether. Draft your vows and then practise them by reading out loud. You want to avoid long sen- tences or anything that trips you up. Although large words may sound impressive, they could make the vows seem too academic and not neces- sarily heartfelt. Enlist the help of a friend or two to act as your audience to see if the vows sound good and are easily understand- able. Writing your own vows can be a way to include personal expressions of love into a couple's wed- ding day. Public speak- ing is seldom easy, nor is fi nding the perfect words to convey feelings about a future spouse. How- ever, with some practice and inspiration, anyone can draft personalized vows. --Metro Tips for writing your own personalized wedding vows ������ � �� �� ��� ����� ���� �� Tu es d ay , J an 2 9, 2 01 3 << /ASCII85EncodePages false /AllowTransparency false /AutoPositionEPSFiles true /AutoRotatePages /None /Binding /Left /CalGrayProfile (Dot Gain 20%) /CalRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CalCMYKProfile (U.S. Web Coated \050SWOP\051 v2) /sRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CannotEmbedFontPolicy /Error /CompatibilityLevel 1.3 /CompressObjects /Tags /CompressPages true /ConvertImagesToIndexed true /PassThroughJPEGImages true /CreateJobTicket false /DefaultRenderingIntent /Default /DetectBlends true /DetectCurves 0.1000 /ColorConversionStrategy /LeaveColorUnchanged /DoThumbnails false /EmbedAllFonts true /EmbedOpenType false /ParseICCProfilesInComments true /EmbedJobOptions true /DSCReportingLevel 0 /EmitDSCWarnings false /EndPage -1 /ImageMemory 1048576 /LockDistillerParams false 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