For the groom who distrusts big words
Beth, I’m not going to use words like “soulmate” or “destiny.” That’s not how I talk, and you’d laugh at me anyway. Here’s what I’ll say instead. You’re the person I want to eat dinner with every night. You’re the one I look for in every room. When something happens — good, bad, weird — you’re my first call. So I’ll make you plain promises, the kind I can keep. I’ll tell you the truth. I’ll carry my share, and yours too when you need me to. I’ll say sorry first when I’m wrong, which you’ll point out is often. And I’ll love you — not in some grand poetic way, but in the real way. Every day. Starting now.
Why it works: Rejecting fancy language out loud is itself the most convincing thing a plainspoken man can say, and the everyday promises back it up.
Customize it: Replace the dinner and the first call with the two ordinary moments where you most feel like a team.