Reading your vows during your wedding ceremony will be one of the most intimate and possibly even scariest moments of your life. Think about it. It’s a time when you’re standing in front of the person you love, committing your plan to spend forever with them, in front of your closest friends and family members. It’s a moment of laughs, tears, and an urgent request to find tissues so that your mascara tears don’t stain your veil. So when you’re sitting down to figure out what you want to say, here are 6 things to know before you write your wedding vows.

1. You Don’t Have to Make Them Perfect
Don’t bog yourself down with a desire to make your vows sound perfect. You may run out of words, ideas and time. Instead, focus on getting a draft done and then revise that draft until the wedding day comes.

2. You Can Add in Humor
Your vows don’t have to be all mushy, all the time. You can add bits of humor throughout to get your guests laughing.

3. They Don’t Have to Be Very Long
Try to keep your vows under two minutes. That’s the perfect amount of time to keep your guest’s attention on your words and also a long enough time to say what you want to say without rambling or repeating yourself. Keep your vows as concise as possible.

4. Start as Early as Possible
The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to brainstorm what you’d like to say. If you wait for the night before your wedding, you may be suffocated by nerves that you can’t seem to string together a sentence.

5. Try Writing Them as a Letter
If you’re having trouble starting, try opening up a card or take a piece of paper and write your vows down as if you were writing them as a letter to the person you’re marrying.

6. Pick Your Words Wisely
It’s always best to skip the clichés and instead use specific details that define your relationship with the person you’re marrying.