Short answer
Not in the Western sense. A Muslim marriage is made by offer and acceptance (ijab and qabul): one side says "I have married you" or "I give her to you in marriage" and the other says "I accept", in front of two witnesses. A couple may add personal promises, but they are not part of the contract. The four schools agree on this core.
The nikah is concluded by ijab and qabul in words that convey marriage, in the past tense or a clear present form, heard together by two witnesses. No other vow or formula is required. A short sermon (khutbah) before it is sunnah.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah calls marriage a "solemn covenant" (4:21). In his farewell sermon the Prophet ﷺ told the men that they had taken their wives as a trust from Allah and made them lawful by the word of Allah. That word is the offer and acceptance of the nikah. It is short, but it is the contract itself.
What is usually said. The imam or the wali asks the bride, or confirms through her appointed agent, that she agrees to marry the groom for the agreed mahr. Then the offer is made to the groom in front of the witnesses, and he replies: "I accept her in marriage for the mahr of..." (in Arabic, qabiltu). Any language works as long as everyone understands. Many imams ask the groom to say it three times, which is a custom, not a condition. See our nikah guide for the full order.
Personal vows. A couple may speak to each other at the wedding, promising kindness, patience and help in the deen. That is fine as a speech. Two cautions:
- Do not copy formulas from church services as if they were part of an Islamic rite.
- Promises are not the place for real conditions. If you need binding terms, write them into the contract with a scholar's help. See conditions in the nikah.
For what makes the nikah valid, see conditions of a valid nikah and sunnahs of nikah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:21
وَكَيْفَ تَأْخُذُونَهُۥ وَقَدْ أَفْضَىٰ بَعْضُكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ وَأَخَذْنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظًۭا ﴿٢١﴾
And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?
Marriage is a covenant made by words of contract.
Sahih Muslim 1218
Sahih... واستحللتم فروجهن بكلمة الله ...
"And you made them lawful to you by the word of Allah."
The nikah words are what make marriage lawful.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Nikah, opening chapter. Nikah is concluded by ijab and qabul in the past tense, before two witnesses.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Nikah, on the words that conclude a nikah. Which words and languages are valid for the offer and acceptance.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.