French Wedding Vows

There are numerous versions of the French language spoken around the world — from elegant Parisian cafés to Quebecois kitchens to West African exotic festivals. These include dialects, creoles, and accents so diverse they could argue among themselves at the dinner table.

While Parisian French is widely considered the "standard" (and, let’s be honest, the most smug), it’s just one flavour in a linguistic bakery full of regional delights. Estimates suggest there are at least 28 different French accents — and that’s just counting the ones that won’t start a family argument.

French is an official language in 29 countries, and is famously known for making even mundane things sound romantic (yes, even tax forms). This page explores standard Church wedding vows as used in Roman Catholic or Christian liturgical ceremonies in three major varieties of French: Metropolitan French, Canadian French, and West African French.

All three follow the same core structure, rooted in the Latin Rite, but each adds its own regional sparkle — be it a twist of vocabulary, a shift in rhythm, or an accent that could charm a bishop or baffle a Parisian.

The written vows remain nearly identical across the Francophone world, but how they’re spoken — the cadence, the warmth, the local flavour — is where the personality shines through.

So below you’ll find the same sacred commitment, spoken in three different voices — and, as always, the English translation doesn’t change. (Because in love, as in translation, some things really are universal.)

The English translation is identical for all three French varieties:

I, [name], take you as my wife/husband,
and I give myself to you (or: and I vow to love you),
to love you faithfully,
in joy and in hardship,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to respect you,
all the days of my life.

Metropolitan French (France)

Note that it's illegal for a religious figure to perform a wedding ceremony before the couple are already legally married. Civil wedding first (at the mairie of one partner’s place of residence) to get legally married. Then a priest, pastor, rabbi, imam, etc., may perform the religious service.

Here, we show the European French / Standard French vows Rite du mariage catholique.

This is the official version used in France. It is formal, balanced, and liturgically approved by the Catholic Church.

Canadian French (Québec and New Brunswick)

(Especially Québécois)

Unlike in France, wedding ceremonies are legal in Canada even if the couple are not already married.

The phrase "je te prends" is common in Canadian French.

"les bons comme les mauvais jours" is more natural in Canadian rhythm than "le bonheur et les épreuves".

Fully valid in Quebec dioceses; may also be found in Protestant and bilingual services.

Where Metropolitan French tends to use more traditional, ceremonial phrasing the Canadian French wedding vows often mirror English phrasing more literally, especially in bilingual ceremonies.

West African French

Most French-speaking West African countries follow the same requirements as in France, where the couple must already be legally married before a religious wedding can take place. To have a civil wedding, the couple must provide the authorities with documents such as birth certificates, proof of residence, certificate of celibacy, etc.

These checks help to ensure the church doesn't perform a rite on a non-qualifying couple.

Here are the vows used in Catholic and Protestant ceremonies - Français d’Afrique de l’Ouest.

“Je te choisis” (I choose you) is commonly used in Protestant and evangelical contexts in West Africa. Language is often more emotive and relational, with a focus on choice and lifelong faithfulness.

In Catholic liturgy, the formal vows may match Metropolitan French exactly — but spoken delivery and surrounding prayers often include African cultural expressions and local languages.