- The Knot's 2026 trend report revealed that there's been an increase in engaged couples who are using AI for wedding planning and to generate vows.
- The growing trend has become the subject of a widespread internet debate.
- Wedding professionals are now offering guidance on how to use AI for vows properly.
For as long as vow exchanges have existed, there have been those who’ve struggled to write them. The practice asks people to condense their love, appreciation, and commitment to their partner into a sub-300-word speech—and then share those deep promises in front of all their loved ones. It can be considered a marriage's official introductory statement, one that’ll be recorded and then revisited for years to come. Suffice to say, the task is daunting, and there’s a lot of pressure to make vows sound poetic and somewhat coherent. That’s probably why a growing number of people are easing the process by outsourcing their vow-writing duties to AI tools.
A new finding from The Knot's 2026 trend report revealed that over a third of engaged couples are using AI for wedding planning and to generate vows. A quick “AI vows” Google search will show you that those who go that route have a wealth of options. If it’s not traditional AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini, free vow generators like CelebrateAlly, Provenance Weddings, Matched Hearts, and Wedding One make quick-turn wedding vows their key offering. All they ask for are a few key details: background on how a couple met, their shared likes and dislikes, and, obviously, their names. From there, the bot works its magic and spits out a clean 100–300 words for the user to recite at their big ceremony. The process is seamless. By dropping in a few of my own fake details, I was able to generate multiple vow scripts for my nonexistent wedding in under five minutes on most platforms. But there were hardly any charming imperfections, inside jokes, or hyper-specific anecdotes to be found. (There were plenty of em dashes and a liberal use of analogies though.)
The growing popularity of this controversial method reflects a broader trend. A recent study found that almost 41% of daters have used AI to craft break-up messages, and people are regularly turning to generative AI for help crafting apologies. Every day, there’s yet another opportunity for emotional introspection that’s outsourced to AI, and that truth divides people.
The frustrated response to a recent viral Reddit post captured many of the complicated sentiments around this subject. The user detailed how his partner walked out on their wedding after realizing he’d used AI to write his vows. The tale hasn’t been verified, and the post never specifies what the main tell was for his partner, but the overwhelmingly negative reactions to the story explain why many people still find AI vows offensive, despite their 20% jump this year. “If you can’t even invest the time to craft the words that show the entire world how much you love your partner, then you can’t love your partner,” expressed one commentator. “Feelings aren’t perfect, and it’s difficult to express them, but it’s like he didn’t even try…I’m sure OP’s fiancée saw it as a sign of how the rest of her life would go if she married him. I’m not surprised she left,” shared another.
Eleanor Willock is a UK-based wedding and vow renewal celebrant, so she helps couples develop their vows professionally. AI’s increasing presence in her field hasn’t gone unnoticed. “I see every one of my couples’ vows before their wedding day. I’d say around 30% this year have involved AI,” she shares.
However, for her, AI-generated vows can't be viewed as a black or white issue—and she’s not opposed to people letting a bot fine-tune their statements. “I think people would expect me to say using AI to write your vows is an abomination…and I never, never use AI. [But] I totally get the confidence boost that people think it gives them about the quality of their emotional writing,” Eleanor explains.
She just believes bots should be used as assistants rather than ghostwriters. “If you’re going to use it, read up about prompts, and use it to refine the grammar and syntax of your own thoughts,” she continues. “Before you start [the vow-writing process], Google 'wedding vow writing guide', because there are a lot of free resources available, especially from celebrants.
And, should you tap AI for any sort of vow-writing assistance, it’s important to ensure you and your partner are on the same page about the matter. “It only becomes problematic if it’s hidden,” says relationship expert Dr. Rebecca Eudy. “The foundation of a healthy marriage is communication and truthfulness."
“There’s a risk the vows may sound generic if they’re not edited and personalized,” Dr. Eudy continues. “From a relationship standpoint, the bigger issue is communication. If one partner doesn’t know AI was involved and later finds out, that can feel like a breach of trust. But the problem isn’t the tool, it’s the lack of transparency.”
Generally, AI can be used as an editor or a brainstorming tool for vow-writing—but be wary of letting it dictate the entire process. “Often the hardest part of vow writing is simply starting, and having a tool guide that first step can make the process feel less overwhelming,” says Dr. Eudy. “Use an AI draft as a starting point, not the final version. Read it out loud and shape it until it sounds like your natural voice. [And] it can actually be really lovely to work on the vows with your partner. That process of crafting the language together is often just as meaningful as the final result.”
“Vows are something you both should be able to refer back to throughout your marriage for comfort and inspiration in the good times and the not-so-good times,” Eleanor adds. “Getting help is allowed, in fact, it's a good idea. [But] computer-generating them should never be the start and end of the process.”
