From Miss to Mrs: The Exchanges

After the boy and I shared a glass of wine, we continued the ceremony with our vows. Traditionally in Judaism, the vows are not the most important part of the ceremony (this instead is the ring exchange). Partly due this this reason, there isn't necessarily a required set of vows as you'd expect in for example, a Catholic ceremony.

Knowing we could choose our own vows, the boy was actually the one who made the decision. Our rabbi had given us a standard reform Judism wedding ceremony, which included 3 choices for the ring exchange. The one the boy told me he liked best is from the book of Hosea, and the same passage was actually used as an option for vows in Celebrating Interfaith Weddings. (As in my past ceremony post the majority of our ceremony is from that book or The New Jewish Wedding.) So while we didn't write our own vows, we did decide on them together.
Rabbi: Now that you're facing one another we're going to exchange your vows. Repeat after me.
The Boy: I, __ __ __, betroth you to me forever. I betroth you to me in righteousness, and in justice, and in loving kindness, and in compassion; and I betroth you to me in faithfulness.
Shoshanah: I, Shoshanah Ariel __, betroth you to me forever. I betroth you to me in righteousness, and in justice, and in loving kindness, and in compassion; and I betroth you to me in faithfulness.

Rabbi: Do you have the rings?
The boy had my ring in his pocket, but playfully patted a a few of them before "finding it". And since my dress had pockets, I carried his ring as well. I did keep it in the box so I wouldn't lose it, and had a bit of the trouble getting the box out of my dress. But both of us did manage to produce our rings.

Rabbi: These rings in their unbroken wholeness are tokens of your union and your love. They are symbols of the enduring trust and affection that you bring to one another. May they ever remind you that your lives are to be bound together by devotion and faithfulness. __, as you place your ring on Shoshanah's finger, repeat after me.
The Boy: By this ring you are consecrated to me as my wife according to our beliefs and in honor of ancient customs. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.
Shoshanah: By this ring you are consecrated to me as my husband according to our beliefs and in honor of ancient customs. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. Haray ata m'kudash li b'taba'at zu k'dat Moshe.
I found the idea of only the Jewish spouse saying the ring exchange in Hebrew in Celebrating Interfaith Weddings, and absolutely fell in love with it. It worked perfectly for us since the boy didn't want to say any Hebrew, and I didn't think I'd feel right without it. And while only one person speaking Hebrew a somewhat obvious choice, I never would have even thought of it as an option if I hadn't read it first.

Did you, or would you like to, write your own vows at your wedding? Or would you consider saying something different than the one you're marrying?

All photos in this post courtesy of Sabree Hill Photography.
Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?
From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac
From Miss to Mrs: Weathering the Cane
From Miss to Mrs: After the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: Trials and Tribulations
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Errands
From Miss to Mrs: A Night on the Town
From Miss to Mrs: The Hangover
From Miss to Mrs: Rehearsing in the Heat
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Supper
From Miss to Mrs: Gifting the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Night
From Miss to Mrs: Oh What a Beautiful Morning
From Miss to Mrs: Getting Prettified
From Miss to Mrs: Prepping the Plantation
From Miss to Mrs: Turtle Time
From Miss to Mrs: The Photographer Has Arrived
From Miss to Mrs: Becoming the Bride
From Miss to Mrs: Dress Details
From Miss to Mrs: Ou Est le Groom?
From Miss to Mrs: A Bridge-y First Look
From Miss to Mrs: Couple Time
From Miss to Mrs: Just the Two of Us
From Miss to Mrs: Grouping the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: Ain't No Party Like a Bridal Party
From Miss to Mrs: Fun with Family
From Miss to Mrs: Making it Official
From Miss to Mrs: The Bedeken
From Miss to Mrs: The Final Minutes
From Miss to Mrs: Programming Break
From Miss to Mrs: The Processional
From Miss to Mrs: Walking the Walk
From Miss to Mrs: Circle to Ceremony
From Miss to Mrs: Remembrance to Kiddush