What Celebrants Really Think About AI Wedding Vows: The Poll Results That Surprised Everyone

The Experts Who Shape Love Stories

Wedding celebrants spend their lives crafting and delivering unique, heartfelt wedding ceremonies. They make it their life’s work to turn couples’ dreams into reality on their wedding day, delivering celebrations that couples and their guests will treasure in their memory forever. These professionals are experts in transforming anecdotes and memories into carefully crafted love stories, finding the unique essence of every relationship they encounter.

Having witnessed countless fads come and go whilst keeping their finger firmly on the pulse of wedding trends, celebrants know a thing or two about what creates truly meaningful ceremonies. Which is why we asked them their thoughts on the growing trend of couples using AI to write their wedding vows—and their insights might surprise you.

The Beautiful Contrast: Personal vs. Prescribed Vows

To understand why personalised vows matter so deeply to celebrants, consider the stark difference between what couples can create and what legal ceremonies require. Civil registrar weddings mandate specific legal declarations like “I call upon these persons here present to witness that I [name] do take thee [name] to be my lawful wedded wife/husband”—functional but hardly romantic.

Traditional Church of England vows, whilst more poetic with their “to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer,” still follow prescribed formulas that apply to every couple. These time-honoured words carry beautiful meaning, but they don’t capture what makes your love story uniquely yours.

Independent celebrant-led ceremonies offer something wonderfully different: the freedom to express your individual journey, your specific promises, and your authentic voice. This context helps explain why celebrants feel so passionately about helping couples create meaningful, personalised vows—whether through traditional guidance or modern tools.

The Numbers That Tell a Story

When The Celebrant Directory asked their community about AI-written wedding vows, the results revealed something fascinating about how wedding professionals really view this digital trend. Far from the black-and-white opinions you might expect, celebrants showed a remarkably nuanced understanding of technology’s role in helping couples express their love.

Here’s what surprised everyone: 78% of celebrants actually support couples using AI for vow writing in some form. But dig deeper into those numbers, and you’ll discover a story about professional expertise, authentic expression, and the evolving relationship between technology and love.

Breaking Down the Results

The poll revealed five distinct perspectives within the celebrant community:

67% said “It’s OK as a starting point—as long as it’s edited and personal” This substantial majority recognises AI as a useful tool when used thoughtfully. These celebrants understand that not everyone has professional writing skills, and they see artificial intelligence as democratising access to eloquent expression.

11% believe, “If it helps the couple find the words, why not? It’s just another tool” This pragmatic group takes an even more accepting stance, viewing AI as simply another resource in the modern couple’s toolkit—no different from Pinterest inspiration or online vow examples.

20% firmly stated “Absolutely not! Vows should come from the heart, not a chatbot” This traditional camp maintains that authentic emotion cannot and should not be artificially generated. They believe the struggle of finding your own words is part of the meaningful process.

1% admitted “I’ve seen it tried and it was… cringe” A tiny but vocal minority has witnessed AI vows gone wrong—generic, obviously artificial content that failed to capture genuine emotion.

1% declared “I’d use it myself or recommend it to couples—it’s the future!” Perhaps most tellingly, almost no celebrants would use AI for their own professional work, highlighting the distinction between helping couples express existing feelings and creating meaningful content from scratch.

The Google Comparison That Changes Everything

One celebrant made a point that reframed the entire debate: “When it comes to writing wedding vows, AI is just a new way for people to do what they’ve been doing for years already on Google.” This insight reveals why many celebrants aren’t threatened by artificial intelligence—they recognise it as an evolution of existing behaviour, not a revolutionary replacement for human emotion.

Before AI, couples would search endlessly for vow inspiration online, adapting phrases and structures they found. They’d buy vow books, scroll through Pinterest boards, and ask friends for advice. Artificial intelligence simply streamlines this process, offering more personalised suggestions based on the specific information couples provide.

Professional Wisdom from the Front Lines

The celebrants supporting AI use offered profound insights about authenticity and expression. Ally Cutler, of AllyRosalie Celebrant, explains her approach: “The way I phrase it to my couples is to dig deep into what your partner needs from you. When they get stuck we have a conversation which I can guide based on what I know the other partner has said about them. Sometimes they brainstorm it and I shape it for them.”

This collaborative approach mirrors what successful AI vow writing looks like—human emotion and insight enhanced by structural support, not replaced by artificial generation.

Wedding Celebrant Sinéad Laffan, makes an equally compelling point about accessibility: “Using AI to work with your ideas is an approach that allows people to access written expression in a more equitable manner. As a society, we tend to privilege written expression over oral but AI can level the playing field. The container and the content are not the same thing.”

This perspective reframes AI as a tool for inclusion rather than artifice. Not everyone had the privilege of studying creative writing or developing strong literary skills, but everyone deserves to share their feelings beautifully on their wedding day.

Sinéad and Ally recently contributed their thoughts and tips on writing AI Wedding Vows in our recent Guide to writing AI-Assisted Wedding Vows

The Professional Boundary That Matters: Celebrants shun AI use for themselves

While celebrants support couples using AI tools, they’re overwhelmingly against using artificial intelligence for their own ceremony creation. This isn’t contradictory—it reflects the crucial difference between helping someone express existing feelings and creating meaningful content from professional expertise.

Celebrants are trained creative writers who specialise in crafting personalised ceremonies. They’ve invested significant time developing skills that go far beyond basic writing ability—cultural sensitivity, inclusive language practices, ceremony structure, and the subtle art of translating couples’ stories into meaningful ritual experiences.

The professional pride in creating unique, bespoke content runs deep in the celebrant community. Every couple deserves a ceremony crafted specifically for them, drawing on human insight and emotional intelligence that current AI simply cannot match.

What This Means for Modern Love Stories

The poll results suggest that the wedding industry is approaching AI with mature, thoughtful consideration rather than knee-jerk reactions. Celebrants understand that their role includes supporting couples in whatever way helps them express their authentic feelings—whether that’s traditional guidance, modern tools, or a combination of both.

This nuanced approach benefits everyone. Couples gain access to better expression tools whilst celebrants maintain their professional expertise and standards. The technology serves human emotion rather than replacing it, which feels like the healthiest possible relationship between artificial intelligence and authentic love.

Most importantly, the conversation reveals that celebrants aren’t threatened by AI because they understand their irreplaceable value. No algorithm can conduct the deep conversations that reveal what makes each couple unique, provide real-time cultural sensitivity, or bring the human energy that makes ceremonies truly memorable.

The Rise of Celebrant Vow Writing Sessions: Supporting Every Approach

Recognising that not every couple feels comfortable with technology or traditional DIY approaches, many celebrants now offer dedicated vow writing sessions as an additional service. These intimate consultations represent the perfect embodiment of celebrants’ supportive philosophy—meeting couples exactly where they are in their vow-writing journey.

Individual Sessions: Finding Your Solo Voice Some celebrants offer one-on-one vow writing sessions where they work with each partner separately. These private consultations allow for deeply personal exploration of feelings and promises without the pressure of your partner’s presence. Many people find it easier to be vulnerable about their deepest emotions in this supportive, confidential environment.

Couples Sessions: Crafting Complementary Promises Joint vow writing sessions help couples create promises that beautifully complement each other whilst maintaining individual authenticity. These collaborative workshops ensure your vows work together harmoniously—similar in tone and depth without being identical. Celebrants guide discussions about shared values, individual strengths, and mutual dreams, helping couples discover language that captures their unique partnership dynamic.

The Celebrant Advantage Professional vow writing sessions offer something neither AI nor solo writing can provide: real-time emotional guidance from someone trained in the art of ceremony. Celebrants ask the right questions to unlock authentic feelings, help structure thoughts for maximum impact, and ensure your promises align with the overall ceremony tone they’re creating for you.

These sessions often become treasured pre-wedding memories themselves—intimate conversations that deepen understanding between partners whilst creating the words that will define your commitment. Many couples describe feeling more connected to each other and more confident about their upcoming ceremony after these guided experiences.

The Celebration Continues

Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of these poll results is what they reveal about the celebrant community itself. Rather than fearful rejection or blind acceptance, celebrants showed sophisticated thinking about how to best serve couples in an evolving technological landscape.

They’re comfortable discussing AI options whilst maintaining clear boundaries about their own professional standards. They recognise that helping clients and maintaining professional excellence aren’t mutually exclusive goals. Most importantly, they remain focused on what matters most—helping couples create authentic, meaningful celebrations of their unique love stories.

Supporting Every Approach with Expertise

The beauty of working with independent celebrants lies in their unwavering support for whatever approach feels right for each couple. Whether you choose AI collaboration, traditional writing methods, professional vow writing sessions, or a creative combination of approaches, celebrants are there to ensure your ceremony reflects your authentic love story.

This supportive philosophy extends throughout the entire ceremony planning process. Celebrants celebrate diverse approaches to love expression because they understand that every relationship tells a different story. Their expertise lies not in prescribing the “right” way to create vows, but in helping couples discover and articulate what feels genuinely true for their unique partnership.

Whether couples choose AI assistance, traditional guidance, or a combination of both, the celebrant community stands ready to support authentic expression in whatever form feels right for each individual love story. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the tools used to find the words—it’s about the genuine emotion behind them and the skilled professionals who help bring those feelings to life in unforgettable ceremonies.

Ready to find a celebrant who understands your unique needs? Explore our directory of professionals who combine traditional expertise with modern understanding, supporting every approach to authentic love expression.

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