Short · under a minute · 103 words
Courthouse Wedding Vows (Under a Minute)
Zoltan and Clara married at city hall with her sister and his oldest friend as witnesses and lunch booked after, and he wanted vows short enough for a clerk's office that still sounded like him
Said by Zoltan, to Clara. The names are made up.
The vows
Clara, they gave us ticket number fourteen this morning. We sat on that bench for forty minutes, and you read the jury duty posters to me in a newscaster voice until the clerk laughed.
That's what you do. You make waiting rooms better.
I'll keep the ticket. I'll hold the umbrella on the walk to lunch, and I'll tilt it your way. I'm going to say yes to the next road trip before you finish asking. And I promise to be the one waiting for you, wherever you're coming from, for as long as I'm around.
Number fourteen. Best number I ever pulled.
Why it works: The ticket is right there in his pocket, so the vows feel written that morning, which suits a courthouse. One quick story shows who she is, and the promises are small enough to say in a small room. The last line goes back to the number and gets a smile from both witnesses.
Make them yours
Borrow the shape, not the sentences. These open on one real moment, say one thing about the partner nobody else sees, make a handful of promises (mostly small ones), and come back to the opening detail at the end. Put your own moment, your own habit and your own promises in each slot. The guide to writing vows walks through each part.
Write yours, or check them
The vow writer starts from your own answers. The vows check times your draft and flags the lines every couple uses, without sending it anywhere.