The institutions of marriage and religion give us guides for how to say “I do” but vows—who writes them and who says them to whom—are becoming more personal and unique to each couple.

The ketubah was originally a scribed legal document meant to protect the wife. Today, personalized wedding vows that express new sentiments, focus on being more egalitarian, and blend different traditions and backgrounds are available and growing more popular. The New York Times just posted an interesting article about embracing the Jewish wedding tradition of the ketubah.

I scribe personalized vows that continuously move towards new traditions and I love when couples from different backgrounds blend their different traditions to create meaning for themselves. It’s exciting to see the wedding ceremony as a place for couples to express their creativity and love.

Since starting my ketubah business, I have seen an increase in couples who are writing their own vows and wedding contracts. Sometimes couples may borrow portions of one of the available texts I offer and mix that up with lines from a favorite song or poem or words they have written themselves. Using their own chosen language to represent their unique union, I then hand-letter that text for couples’ ketubahs in English, Hebrew, or any language.

The possibilities are endless and very personal, which makes the ketubah all the more special.