Writing Vows
One of my favorite parts of weddings are the vows. I love hearing what both the bride and the groom have to say to one another. It’s such a special moment, and one that sets the stage for the marriage to come.
When we first got engaged I envisioned myself having my vows written well in advance. I am not a last minute kind of person, however with my vows the last minute was the case. Throughout our engagement as I thought of things or saw phrases I liked I jotted them down. It wasn’t until wedding week and a few days before we said “I do,” that I actually got my vows written.
Where to Start
When starting to write my vows I, like I feel 99.9% of everyone else I have talked to, googled writing vows. Where was I going to start? What was I going to write? There was so much I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t flow out of my mouth. In efforts to loosen up and divulge my heart in the 5 minute speech of my vows I grabbed a glass of wine and just started jotting down thoughts. This process was nothing formal. I wrote phrases, bullet points and if you read them top to bottom they wouldn’t have made sense at all.
Progression
The next night I went back to the thoughts, phrases and bullet points and started combining them. By the end of the night I had what I thought was a rough draft. The next night I sat down after we were done with the wedding week daily chaos and read them out loud to one of my bridesmaids. Before I got half way she was tearing up and by the end the tears kept flowing. I knew then they were perfect. My intent was not to make anyone cry. It was to truly express how much my then fiancé and now husband means to me.
My Vows
Jake, where do I even start to begin to tell you what you mean and are to me. Before I do this I have to ensure your listening though, because we both know you are undoubtedly one of the worlds worst listener. I mean this in the best way possible though, as this lack of listening definitely plays in my favor from time to time.
Some of my favorite things about you are:
Keeping me on my toes: The best example of this is the couple times I thought I may kill you when you came up behind me skiing and straight lined it all the way down Vail mountain. I really don’t want to know our mph there.
Selflessness: I remember you driving me to the airport as my Dad was dying and we were on Pena boulevard and you said you were just going to come with me. No suitcase, no time off work, nothing, but your selflessness and your love for me.
Care: You have cared for me on more than one occasion. Naming a few: the 4 times I have had the flu in the last 6 years, when I tore open both of my hands running and couldn’t use them for weeks. You showered me, blow dried my hair and lotioned my legs everyday for a good 4 weeks. Finally, when I just moved here and got a tad bit tipsy at this exact location and you wheeled my bike home with my hormotional squatting self on the side of cherry creak bike path.
I love you Jake Utzig and I always will. I live to love you and loving you makes me live. You make my heart and soul feel alive. You are a million dreams and a million prayers of a little girl coming true. Falling for you wasn’t falling at all, it was walking into a room full of people where only you existed. You are the one that exists for me everyday Jake.You make my world go round, and as you know that’s not an easy thing to do as I am a handful, but that’s what god gave you two hands for you see. Your admiration for life and your love for myself and our pup Duke means the world to me. I dreamt of being loved by another since I was little, but you surpassed all of these dream Jake. Your love is more unconditional than one could ever imagine.
Jessica Utzig
I love laying on your chest and hear your heartbeat. It soothing, it’s calming, it’s love. When there isn’t anymore physiological life or heart beats to be heard, there still is forever, because forever with you has no time limits. It has no constraints. It’s love, it’s the thing I dreamt of for my whole life. No measure of time with you will ever be long enough, but let’s start with forever.
You are forever my always Jake.
Writing Vows
Don’t get caught up thinking your “vows” have to be perfect, because no matter what you write, they will be perfect. They will express your heart and soul and your love for your partner. Let them be you, and don’t let others influence what you write.
Photography: Gillespie Photography
