More and more wedding couples are deciding to try to put together their own wedding vows today. While writing one’s own wedding vows can be a very romantic thing, some people don’t have the talent for it, go overboard in some fashion, or do things that they’ll have to live with forever. Here are five tips for what you probably should or shouldn’t think about doing while coming up with ideas for your wedding vows.

1. Don’t sing if you’re not a singer. Singing isn’t as easy as everyone thinks, especially when the pressure is on. Practicing at home if you have a good singing voice is much different than standing in front of a couple hundred people and having to do it while you’re already nervous, hot, and being stared at. Even some of the best singers have failed at it. That, plus imagine being your partner, standing next to you as you belt out a song so that the entire congregation can hear it; after all, what’s the point of singing if you can’t be heard?

2. Write from the heart, not from the head. This doesn’t mean don’t think about what you’re looking to say. This is saying that if you have special feelings that you want to express, write about that rather than thinking about reasons why you love someone and writing all of those down. Some people have started doing that and came up with interesting stories that would be best served being told at the reception rather than during the wedding ceremony.

3. Think about using a poem, song lyric, or Bible verse, but don’t overdo it. Many people have passages of some kind that means a lot to them. Many of those passages would be a wonderful addition to a wedding ceremony. However, make sure that all the words are appropriate for a wedding, and the congregation that’s going to be hearing it. The lyrics to "Love Won’t Let Me Wait" might show your love for your spouse, but it’ll make both the person performing the ceremony and everyone else uncomfortable.

4. If you write a poem, you don’t have to try to rhyme. Rhyming is a good thing when it flows naturally, but sometimes words just don’t have an appropriate word to rhyme with, and forcing in the wrong word might not be appropriate, or it might not make any sense.

5. Think about having someone else read your special words. This happens every once in awhile at weddings, where, instead of the bride and groom taking a moment to stop and have their say, each appoints a special representative to read something for them. It can even be the same person. This is a good idea because someone else, though they may be nervous, will be less nervous than the wedding couple, and will probably be standing in front of a microphone, which means they’ll have a better chance to be heard by everyone else.

These five tips should give you something to think about if you’re planning on setting up your own wedding vows. Something wonderful or a disaster; either way, it’ll be remembered forever.