"From the bestselling author of Home Comforts comes the story of our wedding vows-what they mean and why they still matter. In the West, marrying is so thoroughly identified with ceremonial promises that "taking vows" is a synonym for getting married. So,it's a surprise to realize that this custom is actually a historical and anthropological oddity. Most of the world, for most of history, married without making promises. And there's a reason for that....