Renewing your vows is a wonderfully romantic occasion – here are five reasons to consider a vow renewal ceremony
In association with F. Hinds
If you’ve been married for a few years, you might have thought about renewing your vows.
It’s a way to demonstrate the love that you and your partner have for each other, and to celebrate your marriage again with the important people in your lives.
There might be some things that you wish that you had done differently when you got married. Perhaps you want to hold a celebration of your love surrounded by friends and family, or maybe you just want to hold an intimate event with your nearest and dearest.
Renewing your vows is a chance to create the event that you want, but without the pressure that comes with organising a wedding.
And it’s also an opportunity to treat yourself to new wedding rings, and take part in a lovely ceremony known as ‘ring warming’.
The rings are passed around your assembled guests, maybe on a presentation plate or tied with ribbon. Each guest in turn holds the rings and makes a silent wish or blessing. By the time they return to the happy couple, they are filled with the love of your friends and family.
So if a vow renewal is something that you’re considering, here are some of the reasons why you might want to renew your vows.
A Major Anniversary
Are you approaching a major anniversary? Whether you’ve made it to ten years of marriage or one of the major milestones like a silver anniversary, you might want to mark the occasion with a celebration.
A lot of work goes into making a marriage work, and if you’re planning an anniversary party, why not combine it with a vow renewal?
This can be a meaningful way to restate the commitment that you made to one another all those years ago.
And because a vow renewal isn’t a legal ceremony, it doesn’t come with the restrictions that are placed on a wedding ceremony.
It can be as serious or as lighthearted as you want, and you can really make your renewal reflect your own personality. You can include whatever music, readings or poetry you like, and involve as many or as few people as you wish.
Creating New Vows
Can you still remember the vows that you made at your wedding? Were they the traditional ‘in sickness and in health’ type or did you write your own?
Relationships alter and move over time, so now you might like to make new vows to reflect the current stage of life that you’re in.
Perhaps you’ve had children, or your career path has taken an unexpected twist. Or maybe there are totally different priorities in your life that you never considered when you took your original vows.
Making new vows in front of those close to you can be a great way to embrace the changes in your life, while reaffirming the strength of your love.
But don’t forget that the vows you exchange at a renewal ceremony don’t necessarily need to be solemn. You can make them personal to you as a couple, and as light-hearted as you wish. You could promise to bring your partner chocolate when they’ve had a bad day!
A Fresh Start
Marriage can be hard work, and many couples go through difficult times at some point. That might be due to struggles at work, health issues, emotional turmoil or any number of other problems.
You may feel that you’d like to renew your vows to demonstration the strength of your relationship after these troubles.
You might even have had a trial separation or come close to divorce at some point. The fact that you have made it through to the other side shows the depth of your feelings for each other.
Renewing your vows can reinforce this both to each other and to your family and friends. It’s a symbolic clean slate to give you a fresh start to move forward together.
But remember that this isn’t a wedding, so you can feel free to invite whoever you want to attend. Whereas you may have felt pressured into inviting certain relatives to your wedding, this time around you can have the final say on the guest list.
And if that means that you want to keep it a very small and intimate event, then that’s absolutely fine!
A Dream Wedding
Most couples have to make compromises when they are organising their wedding. That might be because of budgetary constraints, or because they feel they need to keep other people happy.
And if your parents paid for your wedding, you may have felt that they should have a say in some of the big decisions.
Or maybe something happened that made your wedding less than the perfect day that you imagined.
Someone might have been ill, or the weather may have been terrible, or perhaps someone important couldn’t make it on the day.
Renewing your vows can be a second chance to have your dream wedding. You can plan the event to be exactly what you want, from the guest list to the wedding cake.
If you’ve had children since your wedding, you might like to involve them in the ceremony. And if your wedding day went by in a stressful blur, you may find a vow renewal more relaxing and enjoyable.
And there’s no set dress code for a vow renewal ceremony. So you could either make it a very casual event, or splash out on wedding dress of your dreams. Just be sure to put the dress code on your invitations, whether those are traditional or sent via email!
A Celebration of Romance
Perhaps you just want to throw a big party for your family and friends, to celebrate the love that you share with your partner.
A vow renewal isn’t restricted by the legalities and rituals of a wedding day. It doesn’t have to stand on ceremony, so it can be as personal as you like. You can pick the people involved, write your own vows, exchange new rings – anything goes!
You can have the day of your dreams, with the partner of your dreams by your side.
Renewing your vows is a fabulously romantic gesture that let’s you shout out your love to everyone present. What better reason could there be?