As a Charleston wedding photographer, I have seen a lot of wedding vow exchanges. Charleston is huge for destination weddings, so I've photographer people from all different backgrounds, cultures and religions, so the vows can differ quite greatly.
For some reason, in the past decade (or maybe more) it's become a new thing to write personalized wedding vows. I totally see the appeal - then your vows express who you are as individuals and you can really show everyone your own personality, etc etc...
But, here's the thing... most of us are not writers or philosophers. I'm not saying that under no circumstances should you write your own vows. I am saying to consider this: traditional wedding vows have pretty much thought of everything, and they were written by some good writers. You wouldn't rewrite Shakespeare, would you?
Also, take into consideration that wedding vows are... vows. That's a serious thing. You don't want to take that lightly. Your wedding day should be full of fun, beauty and excitement, but you should take your vows as seriously as possible. That's one area where your personality doesn't matter as much, while what you're promising matters the world!
So, don't let this completely discourage you from writing your own vows. Rather, consider what "vow" means and consider putting your own writing somewhere else in the ceremony. Then you'll have vows that truly bind your love AND your own writing of your expressions of love for one another.
