Wedding vows mix old with the new

Quirky wedding vows with humorous quips are always a hit with wedding guests, a Wanganui celebrant says.

Around the country vows incorporating Dr Seuss-style rhymes or All Black Dan Carter's wedding poem are becoming popular.

And a recent Australian survey of 1200 people revealed one in three couples were now refusing to vow "till death do us part".

Carol Watt, who has been officiating weddings for about eight years, said ceremonies had gradually become less formal.

"Some of them are quite humorous - they personalise them about their own little quirks.

"And then there are the more modern ones [with comments] like 'today I marry my best friend'," she said.

"People that know them ... really enjoy it."

Nationally, 20,231 couples took the plunge last year, 139 in the Wanganui district.

And while wedding vows now come in a variety of quirky packages, one thing remains constant across all ceremonies.

"You certainly will never get the 'obey' word back in there," Celebrants Association of New Zealand Doug Scott said.

Mr Scott, who has been officiating marriages for nearly 20 years, said most couples liked to mix the old with the new.

"In the past five to 10 years it went to very soft and romantic words and ... fun statements like, 'I will love you as long as you keep the fridge full'."

However, there's been a recent swing back to slightly more conservative wording.

"It's quite common to incorporate some of the traditional ideas with some of those more free-flowing ideas."

And saying vows off the cuff is becoming more and more trendy.

"Some couples have a few prompt words they have in mind and then they just speak it from the heart," Mr Scott said.

"So long as the legal declaration is made word-perfect ... the vows themselves are promises made by the couple to each other."

Wedding attire and surname choice have also evolved over time.

"About five to 10 years ago there was a phase when grooms would turn up in jeans and a nice shirt," Mr Scott said.

"But now a bride wants to look like a bride and almost always the man is suited up."

Women were also more likely to take their husband's name now than a decade ago, he said.APNZ