There’s something indescribably sweet about handwritten vows—whether they’re heartfelt and hilarious or profound and poetic. A couple describing the depths of their love to each other just gets us every time. So whether you need inspiration writing your own or you’re just in the mood for a good cry, find The Knot’s favorites below.

1. “Love is a word that is much too soft and used far too often to ever describe the fierce, infinite and blazing passion that I have in my heart for you.”

“I want so badly to be able to explain all the love I have for you. Not the love of butterflies and stomach knots—but more the blurring of self and the entanglement with another soul. Love is a word that is much too soft and used far too often to ever describe the fierce, infinite and blazing passion that I have in my heart for you. You are a million dreams and a million prayers of a little girl come true. You are kind. You are silly. You are intelligent. Your laugh is contagious and you can put away an entire Baskin Robbins ice cream cake in one sitting like nobody else can. You acknowledge my strengths and accept my faults. You make me want to be a better person every day. I take you as you are now, tomorrow and for eternity to come, to be my husband. Even when the day comes that we’re old and gray, I promise to always see you with the same eyes and the same heart that I see you with at this exact moment. So today, I vow to honor you and respect you, support you and encourage you. I promise to dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever life brings. I vow to laugh with you and comfort you during times of joy and times of sorrow. I promise to always pursue you, to fight for you, and love you unconditionally and wholeheartedly for the rest of my life. You are my best friend and I’m the luckiest person on Earth to call you mine.”

2. “I vow to keep reminding you McDonald’s is unhealthy and to go get that mole checked, because I want to live long, happy lives by each other’s side.”

“I could stand here and tell you how much I love you, but those words mean nothing unless they are shown through repeated little acts of devotion.

• I vow to celebrate with you when the Patriots win, and blame Bill Belichik for everything when they lose.
• I vow to keep reminding you McDonald’s is unhealthy and to go get that mole checked, because I want to live long, happy lives by each other’s side.
• I vow to stay silly, to never take ourselves too seriously, and stay just immature enough for grilled cheese and breakfast for dinner.
• I vow to trust and value your opinions.
• I vow to travel beside you through all of life’s adventures.
• I vow to always keep fighting for us, because I know we can overcome any uphill battles we might face.

• And lastly, I vow that I will choose you every day, a million times over, not because I have to, but because I want to.”

3. “Falling for you wasn’t falling at all—it was walking into a house and knowing you’re home.”

“I’m so proud that today I become your wife. I love you.

I love the way you dance to make me laugh.

I love that you always push my hair back when it’s in my face.

I love that I get a kiss from you every time we stop at a red light.

I love that you’re open to trying new things.

Today, I want to make promises to you that I will always keep.

I promise to never stop holding your hand.

I promise to make sure I’m not just hungry when I get upset.

I promise to give you all the love and support that I give Ella.

I promise to share my food with you, never go to bed angry and always honor your passion for the Red Sox… but NOT your passion for the wave.

I promise to stand by your side while you face the world. Listen to you when you speak.

I promise to join your laughter with my own and when you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.

I promise to grow alongside you, but also to never grow up.

I promise to love, respect, protect and trust you, and give you the best of myself, for I know that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone.

I choose you. I’ll choose you over and over and over, without pause, without doubt, I’ll keep choosing you.

I used to never truly enjoy moments because I was always waiting for what’s next. The next thing to happen. Kind of living life in fast forward. Now that I have you, I enjoy the moment. Every moment.

Today seems like it’s the start of a new journey, but I already belong to you. Falling for you wasn’t falling at all—it was walking into a house and knowing you’re home. I love you.”

4. “Through good seasons and bad, I promise to comfort you when the 9ers lose, cheers with you when the Giants win and dress in full regalia when the Chargers play.

“Not many people can say they truly married the love of their life, but I can. We were kids when we met—I used to fantasize about this exact moment—and now at 33, I finally get to say, ‘I do.’

I still laugh when I think about our first date. Do you remember the couple sitting next to us at sushi? When you went to the restroom, they leaned over and asked me if the date was going well and if it wasn’t, they offered to cover for me while I ran. I leaned back over and told them it had taken me 22 years of patience and slightly stalking you to finally get you here on a real date.

This journey, this adventure that we’re on, has already challenged us as a couple, to work through hardships and obstacles, and to become stronger in our communication, in our commitment and to our love. It has been the biggest growth I have ever had for myself by far as a partner. Our relationship is full of more love and support than I could ever ask fro. I have never been more adored or felt more safe and the trust that we have built, that we have worked so hard to protect, is invaluable. So thank you.

I’ve heard it said: ‘It is better to not make a vow, than to make one and not be able to keep it.’ Therefore, I know what this commitment means. I promise…

To help shoulder our challenges and celebrate all of our little wins.

To tell you every day how much I love you and appreciate all that you do.

To continue to learn from you and to follow the examples of patience and respect that you continuously slet.

To continue to build upon the trust that we have and to be by your side fully and faithfully.

To put you first and above all, always.

To try my hardest, to step away from my stubbornness, and accept that I make mistakes and that I am (to my dismay), not always right.

With that said, as your wife, I will never keep score, even though I am totally winning, because everything is always a competition.

Through good seasons and bad, I promise to comfort you when the 9ers lose, cheers with you when the Giants win and dress in full regalia when the Chargers play.

And most importantly, today, in front of our closest friends and family, I take you as my husband. Because this is a great love story and we’re getting married and I love you.”

5. “You’re the one I want to binge watch The Office with forever.”

“I want to start by telling you how much I love you. Yes, I love how handsome you are, and how you’re cut like an action figure, but that’s just the icing on the cake. The absolute best part about you is your kind heart. You are the most giving, selfless person I know and I thank God every day that you have given all of your love to me, without any hesitation.

I promise to walk with you, hand in hand through life, as your biggest fan, your shoulder to lean on, and your best friend.

With kindness, respect and trust, I promise to stick by your side through the challenges and triumphs to create a wonderful life together. I promise to take care of you. Because if I don’t, you would actually eat pizza for every single meal for the rest of your life.

I don’t know if this counts, but I can basically promise to evenly distribute my cuddle time between you and Pablo.

I promise to laugh with you every day, to dance with you in the kitchen and to not rub it in when I beat you in horse.

You’re the one I want to binge watch The Office with forever.

Your arms are the ones I want wrapped around me at the beginning and end of each day.

Your infectious smile is the one I want our kids to have.

You’re the one I want to love completely and forever.”

6. “Everything in me recognizes your heart as my home and your arms, my shelter.”

“Since the day I met you, I knew you were a special man. And even though Liam Maguire’s food sucks, it will forever be my favorite place on Earth. From that day forward I became a true believer that you do not find true love, but true love finds you.

You, more than anyone else, know my insecurities and weaknesses and still never make me feel inadequate. You have always loved me without reservations. You praise me in a way I never thought was possible and because of you, I am the best woman and mother I can be.

I cannot promise I will always be the perfect wife, but I promise to love you through the good times and bad. To choose our love every single day. I promise to always fight with you and for you, never against you. I promise to always be your biggest fan, confidant and best friend. I promise to remember we are not perfect—only perfect for each other. I promise to love you without hesitation or boundaries from this day forward, for the rest of my life.

Thank you for being the man of my dreams and the best father I could ever imagine for our children. Thank you for being the roots my gypsy soul has always needed and I will forever be your wings. Everything in me recognizes your heart as my home and your arms, my shelter.

You are my better half and very best friend. I will love you, honor you, respect and cherish you in sickness and health, through sorrows and success, for all the days of my life. I am forever yours.”

7. “I promise never to get angry at you for making honest mistakes, even if I asked you to turn the lights off every night for the past week.”

“They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Since you were my first serious relationship in high school, I just did not realize how lucky I was to find you so soon in my life. Being with you then was so easy and natural that I took you for granted. It was not until we were separated by colleges that I realized how much I needed you on a daily basis. You were the first person I talked to every day, and the last every night. You were a constant during a time of my life when everything was changing so fast. Your strong will and determination brought you to North Carolina with me, and for the first time in years, we were together again.

We were so far from home and faced so many new challenges, but you were my rock, yet again. Our love grew so much during those years together. We had so many adventures, so many new experiences and learned so much. Living with you was like living with a best friend—it was easy. So easy in fact, that it wasn’t until I went on a trip without you that I realized just how much I needed you everyday. It was then that I realized that I could not see a future without you in it.

You have taught me so much these past years about how to love and how to be loved that all I want is to be in love with you forever. I promise that I will always take care of you and love your family as my own. I promise to support you and motivate you, and at the same time, I will not ask you to change in ways that I am unwilling to change. I promise never to get angry at you for making honest mistakes, even if I asked you to turn the lights off every night for the past week. I promise that I will always have time for you, that we will be forever young at heart, and that we will always have adventures together. I promise to recognize your beauty whenever I get the change, both for who you are and for what God blessed you with, and never go a day without giving you a kiss and saying I love you. I promise to respect your opinion, and at times when we disagree: to approach the discussion with an open mind. We will never go to bed angry, and I will say I love you every night.

Loving you gives my life purpose. You granted my wish when you said ‘yes.’”

8. “Your youth may fade away, but your smile will always remind me of that time I first saw you on that sunny day in Minnewaska.”

“Today marks a new chapter in our lives. It only took you eight years, but those 2,920 days have shown me how truly and selflessly you have dedicated your life to me. From the moment I met you, I knew that I had found a new kind of happiness I seriously only thought existed in fairytales. Now, I won’t say it was love at first sight… although I still remember the first time you caught my eye, my sophomore year of high school, on that photography field trip to Minnewaska. I remember loving your smile, the way you carried yourself. It was almost like everyone around us disappeared for that brief moment, and it was then that I knew I needed you in my life.

Our love started young, but over the years we’ve built our lives together on a strong foundation of faith; smiles and laughter; adventures and fun; and most importantly hard work, mutual respect and trust. We have blossomed from two reckless teenagers who loved freely to two adults who learned that pure love takes hard work and dedication. You have such a gentle and selfless way of showing your love. It’s in the way you look at me with such patience and compassion, the way you listen to me even if I’m rambling on, the way you push me to try harder even when I feel like I’ve done enough. You love me without judgment and chose to see the beauty in my flaws, and that’s why even at a young age I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my days with you. You’re my best friend and the man I want to embark on this new journey with.

Starting today, I promise to always make you laugh even if it’s at me and not with me. I promise to keep our relationship fun and not let the monotony of life dull our adventures. I promise to care for you and put you first in all aspects of our lives. As your wife, I will make sure to always remind you just how important you are to me, even if you get tired of hearing it. I promise to never let us go to bed mad because this life is too short to spend even a second angry at one another. I promise to inspire you and help you grow as an individual so that we can grow stronger as one. I pinky promise to love you unconditionally, even when you’re old and gray. Your youth may fade away, but your smile will always remind me of that time I first saw you on that sunny day in Minnewaska.

You have truly made this such an easy decision. From the moment I said ‘yes,’ I have been praising our God. I don’t think any amount of words can possibly portray how grateful and blessed I am to have you in my life. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life showing you just how grateful I am for you and your immense, selfless and compassionate love.

I love you so much. Now let’s celebrate.”

9. “I promise to pray with you, to dream with you, to build a family with you and to encourage you.”

“I admire you. Simply because of your kind soul, tender heart, and positive mindset. I especially appreciate your endearing sense of humor. I am ever so grateful for your love and selflessness. In return, I offer these promises.

I promise you my everlasting devotion, my loyalty and my respect. I promise to love you unconditionally and to grow with you in mind, body and spirit. I promise to pray with you, to dream with you, to build a family with you and to encourage you. I promise to share in your joys and sorrows and all that God has to offer us.

You are my forever, my best friend, my dream come true and now my husband. With these words, and all the words of my heart, I marry you and bind my life to yours. Forever and always. I love you.”

10. “I promise to always make sure there’s no food left in your beard after dinner.”

“Since the day you walked into my life, it’s been more fulfilling, my smile has been bigger and my heart has been more full. The days since we first met have had their share of struggles and trials but I’ve never once felt lonely in that time. I promise to love not only who you are today, but to love the person you grow into over the years. I promise to love you without condition, to laugh when you’re happy, to cry when you’re sad.

I promise to always make sure there’s no food left in your beard after dinner.

I promise to remember that neither one of us is perfect, but strive to remind myself of the ways we are perfect for each other.

I promise to love you, respect you, support you and above all else, make sure I’m not just yelling at you because I’m hungry.

I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person—my love and my life, today and always.

I see these vows not as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband.”

11. “You’re my soldier, my lover and above all, my best friend.”

“As I write this letter to you, know that I already have tears in my eyes. At last, the day is finally here as we become husband and wife. Things always fall into place at the right time and the timing was perfect for us. What ever happened the first time? Although I never told you, it didn’t take me long to know that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. They say when you meet your soul mate you should feel calm, no anxiety and no agitation. And your calmness is what gravitated me towards you from day one.

I love you. I love the way you still give me butterflies every time I see you. I love the way you care not only for me but for everyone around you. I love the way you’re patient with me.

I love how much you’re willing to try new things with me to make me happy. I admire how hard you work to help others and above all, I love how you love me.

You’ve taught me things and opened my eyes to see life so differently and clearly. You’ve showed me the meaning of love and have made me become so emotional yet strong at the same time. You forever have my heart, my soul and my hand as we journey through this chapter called life together. I promise to love you, respect you and cherish you forever.

I’m so lucky to have found such a perfect person that I get to spend the rest of my life with. You’re my soldier, my lover and above all, my best friend. I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with you. So tonight I give you my heart and vow to be the best partner in life and in love. I love you to the moon and back.”