Renewing Your Vows

A couple that stays together through thick and thin deserves some celebration!

Maybe renewing your vows at a significant anniversary or just to do it all over again, reminding each other why you were married in the first place…

Reasons You Might Want to Renew Your Vows

• You want to celebrate your 5-year, 10-year, 25-year or more years wedding anniversary
• You got married legally before, and now want to marry religiously
• Your first wedding had some element of disaster, and you want to do it over
• You didn’t have much money, and you want a more elaborate wedding

How to Renew Your Wedding Vows

The good news is, there are far fewer rules and dos and don’ts about vow renewal than almost any other kind of ritual. It can be as simple as the two of you alone in a beautiful spot reciting vows you have written, or a fancy affair with hundreds of guests.

How Elaborate Should a Vow Renewal Be?

The answer to this question lies in your own reason for wanting a vow renewal ceremony. Many people chose to renew their vows because they were so caught up in the planning and the partying of their first wedding, they felt the focus of the day was taken off of the ceremony. Therefore, most vow renewals tend to be intimate celebrations, with only close family and friends present, and a lunch or dinner afterward at a nice restaurant. Others who didn’t have much money for their first wedding have very lavish ceremonies and parties afterward.

Even if you want a big and expensive celebration, there are still a few things you should avoid:

• If you have children, you can give them a special role in the ceremony, but there is no need to designate them as bridesmaids or groomsmen. You may wish to invite your original bridal party and recognize them during the ceremony.
• Don’t register for gifts. This is not the time to upgrade the china. Wedding gifts are to help a newly-married couple set up their household together.
• Don’t throw bachelor or bachelorette parties. This is an obvious one….you aren’t bachelors or bachelorettes!