By Noelia Trujillo
What’s better than proclaiming your love for your spouse once?
Doing it twice!
There’s something magical about celebrating your love and union all over again.
Whether it’s five years or fifty years after your wedding, a vow renewal ceremony is like hitting “refresh” on your love story; it’s both a great reminder of what you’ve been through as a couple and a proclamation of partnership for whatever adventures lie ahead.
Going from fiancés to spouses or planning an event to honor your commitment to each other all over again? At Rosen Weddings, we love helping you celebrate your love.
To help you take the guesswork out of planning such a special occasion, we’ve put together a guide to renewing your wedding vows.
Why do people renew their vows?
Couples choose to renew their vows for a variety of reasons. Many choose to celebrate major milestones in their marriage, like 10th, 25th, or 50th anniversaries.
Others choose to renew their vows to honor overcoming a challenging time in their relationship. Reasons could include conquering an illness, or to welcome a new chapter ahead, like coming home for the last time from military deployment.
Some couples choose to renew their vows so they can include their kids in their special day. Maybe they want to throw a big, reception-style ceremony in honor of not having a big wedding the first time around.
There is no rulebook to follow when it comes to renewing your wedding vows. As long as it’s something you and your partner desire, there’s no reason not to.
When do you renew your vows?
Again, no rules means you can choose any time, date, and year to renew your wedding vows.
For couples who choose to do so on their milestone anniversaries, having a vow renewal ceremony or celebration on your actual wedding anniversary date makes the most sense.
For couples who are wanting to celebrate a new milestone or to honor their relationship before saying goodbye – if one spouse is terminally ill, for example – then the date may be selected based on circumstances more than intentional timing.
You can also choose how frequently you want to renew your vows.
Want to celebrate with new vows every year between you and your partner? Great; it’s an anniversary tradition.
Prefer to wait for the numerical milestones? Awesome, that’s perfect, too.
Your celebration, your choice for renewing your wedding vows.
Tips on how to renew your vows:
Choose a Meaningful Location
The setting for your vow renewal should reflect your story. It could be at the same location as your original wedding or somewhere completely new.
Maybe you and your spouse live in your dream home where you’ve raised a beautiful family. If so, the comfort of your own cozy backyard could be the perfect venue for your vow renewal ceremony.
Always dreamed of a whimsical family vacation to the most magical place on Earth? Why not pick a venue in Orlando for renewing your wedding vows before taking the ultimate family vacation to Walt Disney World?
At Rosen Hotels, our venues are perfect for intimate gatherings or grand celebrations alike, offering stunning backdrops that feel both personal and elegant. They’re also close to all the best things to do in Orlando.
Choose a location that’s meaningful for you both.
Reimagine Your Ceremony Style
The best part about renewing your vows is that there aren’t as many traditions or norms behind this type of celebration as there are for weddings.
Fancy a casual, intimate beachside gathering? Prefer to jump on a dinner cruise and use your time on the water to utter wholesome new vows to each other? Or perhaps you’d love to invite friends and family over for a get-together where you can surprise them with your vow renewal ceremony.
The style in which you plan and execute your second “big day” is completely up to you, whether you want to keep it intimate or extravagant, classic or adventurous, expertly planned or go-with-the flow.
And yes – you can absolutely have a vow renewal ceremony that’s just between you and your spouse.
There are no hard and fast rules, which means let your imagination run wild and choose whatever feels best for you both.
Write New Vows
When you “renew” your Netflix subscription or driver’s license, you usually get the same features or document you did the first time around.
Vow renewals are different.
While you are “renewing” your vows, that doesn’t mean you’re limited to saying the same words you did the first time around.
The idea is that you’re celebrating or honoring the journey you’ve taken since making those initial vows, which were promises for the future you’d have as a couple.
When renewing your wedding vows, you can focus on details of your story and how you’ve made those initial vows come to life. You can share favorite memories from your journey or powerful stories about what you’ve overcome together.
Then, you can once again look and make promises for the future, now with a deep appreciation for the people you’ve both grown to be side by side in marriage.
Involve Your Loved Ones
If you had a big wedding or quite a few years have passed since your big day, chances are there are people on your original guest list who are no longer as close to you as they once were or are no longer around.
It’s perfectly fine if most people who celebrated your initial union are not a part of your special ceremony the second time around.
Vow renewals are known to be more intimate, family-focused celebrations though again, it’s completely up to you and your spouse how you choose to mark the occasion.
This could be the perfect opportunity to involve more family or loved ones to be an active and integral part of your day as opposed to simply spectating.
Do you have children who have seen your marriage grow over the years and can share sweet or funny stories about you two? Relatives who can attest to your love for each other or share a meaningful toast in honor of your vow renewal?
While your marriage is bonded by the love between you and your partner, it’s also bonded by the love that surrounds you, too.
Inviting loved ones to participate in renewing your wedding vows could make the occasion much more personal and memorable for all involved.
Have Fun with the Details and Throwbacks
While your vow renewal ceremony can differ entirely in style to your wedding day, it could still be fun to sprinkle in throwbacks from your big day.
Hang or share pictures from your wedding day for guests to enjoy or for you and your spouse to take a trip down memory lane together.
Include your wedding colors, flowers, or flavors from your wedding cake, but in a modern twist that reflects you two as a couple in the present day.
Maybe instead of recreating your minimalist, three-tiered wedding cake you can serve miniature three-tier wedding cake cupcakes that look just like your cake did on your big day.
Or perhaps you can both choose to wear your original wedding attire, making alterations that reflect a completely new look or style for renewing your wedding vows.
You could add new rings that match your existing wedding bands, or you can have a tattoo artist ink your favorite line from your partner’s newest vows onto you and vice versa.
Small nods to the past paired with fresh updates create the perfect blend of nostalgia and newness to make it a meaningful and unforgettable occasion.
Don’t Forget to Capture the Moment
Whether you’ve chosen to make this a grand occasion or an intimate adventure with just you and your partner, you deserve to document it to reflect on this day for years to come.
You can hire a photographer or videographer to capture the laughter, tears, and heartfelt moments from your vow renewal ceremony, or involve your guests by providing digital cameras for them to capture moments throughout your celebration.
Even if you choose a fun adventure for renewing your wedding vows that’s just between you and your spouse, like going overseas to visit an iconic setting from your favorite romantic comedy or to a chapel in Las Vegas for a fun, laid-back atmosphere, you can still hire a private videographer or photographer to capture the occasion.
Whether you opt for a full production or a few cherished snapshots, the most important thing is to capture the unique spirit of your vow renewal so you can reminisce on this special milestone for years to come.
Celebrate Your Love Story Again and Again with Rosen Weddings
Your vow renewal is a celebration of your love story—past, present, and future. Whether you choose to keep it simple or go all out, remember that this day is about honoring the journey you’ve taken together and the bond you’ve built over the years.
If you’re considering a vow renewal ceremony at a beautiful and versatile hotel venue in Orlando, our expert team is here to make your vision a reality. From intimate ceremonies to lavish receptions, we’ll help create a day that’s as special as your love story.
Ready to plan your vow renewal? Contact us today to begin designing the celebration of a lifetime.
