I Still Do
It may seem as though celebrity couples are renewing their vows every single year (and some of them are), but retying the knot isn’t just for the rich and famous. In fact, I have been blessed to photograph some pretty special vow renewals throughout the years and always think they are such an amazing opportunity for couples to recommit to each other. Life and time have a way of creating distance between even the closest of relationships, but taking the chance to remember and repeat the vows you made however many years before is an amazing way to embrace the love that brought you together in the first place.
So how often should you renew your vows?
The truth is, there is no set equation to figure that answer out. I usually suggest couples consider it for big anniversaries – 5 years, 10, 15 or 20 – but sometimes you have just hit a period in your marriage that calls for a renewal as well. All relationships endure rough patches, and for couples coming to the end of a particularly rocky road, renewing their vows can be a symbolic gesture showing their partner and loved ones that they are still “all in”.
Similarly, the details of a vow renewal can vary based on an individual couples personal desires. Usually I see small and intimate ceremonies for these personal commitments; only family members and the closest of friends in attendance. I have even worked with couples who choose to renew their vows only in front of their children, or to the complete extreme – with no one in attendance besides each other, making it as personal a ceremony as one could possibly get.
Of course, there are also occasions where couples choose to go large after having small weddings years before; times when husband and wife eloped and decide to use their anniversary as a chance to share their love with the friends and family who weren’t able to be a part of the original big day. There really are no rules. All that matters is that the renewal ceremony is a reflection of the couple and those they hope to share their love with.
This can also be a good time to upgrade your original wedding rings or to take a trip together that you have been talking about for years – a post-renewal honeymoon to further solidify the start of a new and happy period in your relationship. For couples with children, it is always exciting to set that example for your kids; to share with them a special day they weren’t around to experience the first time, and to show them what lasting and enduring love should look like. Throw a party after for the guests you choose to invite. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular. Anything from firing up the BBQ to making your own cake will do. The point is to use this as an excuse to celebrate not only each other, but also the loved ones who have supported you along the way.
If you want to get nostalgic, pull out your original wedding dress and have it altered to reused for your ceremony. Blow up poster size photos of the first time you swapped “I do’s” and decorate your new venue with mementos from the old one. And of course, hire a photographer to capture this fresh round of happy memories. After all, how many times do you get to wear a dress and gather your nearest and dearest around you in celebration?
Apparently every year if you’re famous.
But for the rest of us, those occasions are few and far between. So remember to document and enjoy them while you can – they are memories you won’t soon want to forget.