Some rooms only have ten minutes. A courtyard before the dinner, a courthouse step, a family that asked you to keep it brief. This sample is built for that. Say less, and say the promise clearly.
Alex and Maria are fictional. So is anyone else named on this page.
267 spoken words. At 130 words a minute, that is 2 minutes 3 seconds. Stage directions are not in that count.
Typical full ceremony plan
A plan for the whole ceremony: welcome, readings, vows, and the quiet parts around them. It is not the length of the sample below. This outline adds up to 10 minutes.
Welcome1 min
One true story2 min
Vows3 min
Rings2 min
Pronouncement and close2 min
Sample script
Welcome
Look at the guests, then at Alex and Maria.
Good afternoon. Thank you for coming straight to the point with us. I'm here because Alex and Maria asked me, and because I know the ordinary version of them, not just the dressed-up one.
We will keep this brief. Phones can wait. They want your face for this part.
One true story
Do not add a second anecdote.
They met at a Tuesday class both of them almost skipped. Alex sat in the back. Maria had the only pencil sharpener. He borrowed it and forgot to give it back for a week, which is a poor way to flirt and somehow worked.
I am not going to stretch that into a legend. They cook on Sundays, they argue about the thermostat, and they already know how the other takes coffee. That is enough to stand on.
Vows
Ask Alex, wait, then ask Maria. Leave a real pause.
Alex, do you take Maria, the Tuesday version and the Sunday version, to be your spouse? Will you tell the truth, show up, and retire a joke the day she stops laughing at it?
Wait for: I do.
Maria, do you take Alex, including the pocket checks and the strong opinions about soup, to be your spouse? Will you tell the truth, show up, and keep a little room for the person he is still becoming?
Wait for: I do.
Rings
Have the rings in your hand before you start this paragraph.
These rings do not make the promise. You already did that. They sit on your hand on the days that are not this one, when someone needs to be picked up, or dinner is late, or you are tired of each other and stay anyway.
Alex, place the ring. Maria, place the ring.
Pronouncement
Smile. Then stop talking.
By the promises you just made, you are married. You can kiss. Then we eat.
What to change
- Swap the pencil sharpener for a detail only this couple would recognize.
- If the plan is still long for the room, cut the story before you cut the vows.
- Read it aloud with a timer. If you rush, it will feel shorter than it is, and thinner.
- Check whether your county needs a specific sentence. Add that sentence and leave the rest.
Questions
How long is this short sample?
The time at the top of the page is this sample at 130 words a minute. The typical full ceremony plan is a target for the whole event, including parts you have not written yet. It is not how long the sample takes to read. Read your own draft aloud before the day.
What can I cut if the room is even shorter?
Keep the welcome, the vows, the rings, and the pronouncement. The story is the first thing to shorten.
Does a short script still count?
KnotScript writes the words. It does not make the marriage legal. The license is between the couple and the county clerk.
Write theirs
Answer 14 questions about the couple. Read the welcome and the first story paragraph free. The full ceremony is $19 once, with timings, stage directions, and a PDF for the podium.