Are Wedding Vows Biblical?

Today, wedding vows are a common part of most wedding ceremonies. In most cases, the actual exchange of marital vows in church weddings is preceded by a short speech given by the person marrying the couple, followed by personal or standard vows chosen by the bride and groom. Often, Christian couples incorporate Bible verses about love and marriage in their wedding vows but are wedding vows themselves biblical? 

God is love wedding bulletin

Wedding Vows in the Bible

Technically, wedding vows are not even mentioned in the Bible. Not specifically or in passing. And technically, since the early church met in homes, church weddings in a special church building weren’t even around until Rome started changing pagan temples into church buildings in the early 4^th century. So the concept of Christian vows and church wedding are relatively new traditions compared to some and neither are found in the Bible.

Where Did Christian Wedding Vows Originate

Where did the idea of wedding vows originate? It's not certain, but the modern concept of wedding vows for Christian marriages in the Western world can be traced back to 1662, in a book titled the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. In fact, we get much of our “modern” marriage ceremony practice from this book. For instance, it includes a ‘solemnization of matrimony’ section which includes familiar lines like: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” as well as the famous “in sickness and health, until death do them part.”

Use of Bible Verses in Wedding Vows

While wedding vows aren’t exactly spelled out in the Bible, Scripture is often used to generate vows for Christian couples. For instance, “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,” from Song of Solomon 6:3, is often recited in Jewish and Christian weddings. Scripture from 1 Corinthians 13 (also referred to as the ‘love chapter’ is another popular go to section of the Bible.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

While wedding vows may not be spelled out in the Bible, the practice of making vows to God is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Wedding vows recited by brides and grooms who desire God to be included in every aspect of their lives, recite these vows to each other before God.

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