<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject . You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate . (September 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Marriage vows are promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ceremony based upon Western Christian norms . They are not universal to marriage and not necessary in most legal jurisdictions . They are not even universal within Christian marriage, as Eastern Christians do not have marriage vows in their traditional wedding ceremonies . </P> <P> In the time of the Roman Empire (17 BC--476 AD) the lower classes had "free" marriages . The bride's father would deliver her to the groom, and the two agreed that they were wed, and would keep the vow of marriage by mutual consent . Wealthy Romans, though, would sign documents listing property rights to publicly declare that their union was legalized and not a common law marriage . This was the beginning of the official recording of marriage . </P> <P> The oldest traditional wedding vows can be traced back to the manuals of the medieval church . In England, there were manuals of the dioceses of Salisbury (Sarum) and York . The compilers of the first Book of Common Prayer, published in 1549, based its marriage service mainly on the Sarum manual . Upon agreement to marry, the Church of England usually offered couples a choice . The couple could promise each other to "love and cherish" or, alternatively, the groom promises to "love, cherish, and worship", and the bride to "love, cherish, and obey". </P>

Where did the traditional marriage vows come from