Vows, contracts and witnesses

The spoken promise

Christian weddings in much of the world use spoken vows ("to have and to hold"), and the Western civil ceremony has borrowed the form. Hindu weddings use the saptapadi, the seven steps taken together round the sacred fire, with a promise at each step. Sikh couples walk four times round the Guru Granth Sahib in the lavan. In a Jewish wedding, the groom's declaration and the giving of a ring under the chuppah make the marriage, and in a Muslim nikah the offer and acceptance are spoken before witnesses.

The written promise

Many marriages are made by a contract. The Jewish ketubah, which records the husband's obligations, and the Muslim nikah contract, which records the mahr and may add conditions, are signed by witnesses. Civil registers do the same job. Couples may add personal clauses, and in several Muslim-majority countries brides can include conditions in the nikah contract about work, study or residence. Prenuptial agreements are used in many countries.

Who witnesses

Two witnesses are the norm in civil law, in Islamic law and in the Orthodox church, where the koumbaro is both witness and sponsor. Best men and maids of honour sign registers in Britain and the United States. In Hindu rites the fire is the witness, and in Sikh rites the scripture is. Registers record the date, the names and the officiant, so the marriage can be proved later.

Law and equality

Marriage law covers the minimum age, consent, who may marry, and whether religious ceremonies have legal effect. Child marriage is illegal in most countries and condemned as a human-rights violation. As of 2026, same-sex marriage is legal in many countries across Europe, the Americas, Oceania and parts of Asia and Africa, and not in most others, so couples should check the law of the country where they marry and of the country where they will live. Laws change, and this is a quickly moving area.

Vows, contracts and witnesses around the world

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Traditions to start with

SaptapadiThe seven steps of a Hindu wedding.KetubahThe Jewish marriage contract.Anand KarajThe Sikh wedding ceremony.Sheva BrachotThe Jewish seven blessings.Same-sex marriageThe legal position around the world.

Also part of it, and being written: Nikah (The Islamic marriage contract.), San-san-kudo (Three sips of sake.), Civil marriage (Marriage by the state.).

Questions people ask