How to Edit Your Newly-Written Wedding Vows (second in a Series)

Now that your own customized Wedding Vows have been written, you would naturally think it is time to start with the memorization process? No, you are not done just yet! Editing, both for grammar and fluidity is the next important step of the writing process.

You probably know by know, that if you type anything on MS Word or another word-processing program that sometimes, words get through the spell-check feature. For example, say you needed to type the word "two", but instead you get the word "tow". The spell-check feature will see this as a valid word and you will appear awkward-sounding as you read something that doesn't make sense. However, with proofreading, all of that will be taken care of.

First, read your Wedding Vows to yourself. Note anything that looks funny like spelling errors, subject/verb disagreement, or anything that stands out at you. Change anything obvious that can be done now. Read it again a second time after all of the immediate changes have been made. Sometimes, it takes at least two or three times to proof a document, as I personally know before submitting any of my work for a client, I have to proof three times; because I am always finding mistakes during each proofing round.

Next, read your Wedding Vows out loud to yourself. This is critical for the placement of punctuation marks. If you wish to emphasize a point or statement, pause with commas to off-set your remarks. Also, you may need to insert commas to break up long statements in your sentences. After inserting commas, go back and re-read the vows and see if the changes worked out for you. For the next step, you can go back to reading your speech quietly; if you choose.

Finally, look for repetition or elimination. Did you say everything that you wanted to say? If you did, was it said without repetition? I'm not referring to the "I love you" part, but you want to make sure, since he/she is already going to be nervous or too "out of it" to fully concentrate, that you don't lose them by reading a script from a biography or romance novel. Keeping your vows brief, yet thorough, is one of the key parts to the editing process.

Please note: This article is #2 in the series on How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows. The first, deals with pre-writing and writing, and the next in the series to follow, #3 addresses memorization techniques for your Wedding Vows.