Vow Renewal
What is a vow renewal?
A vow renewal ceremony is a lovely way for a couple to reaffirm their love and commitment to each other. It is a chance to celebrate their relationship and honor all the ways that their partnership has evolved and strengthened as their lives have changed over the years.
Why choose a vow renewal?
Couples choose to renew their vows for many different reasons. Some couples plan a vow renewal as a meaningful way to mark a milestone wedding anniversary. Or couples may want to express their ongoing appreciation for each other as they enter a new phase of their lives together. Other couples choose a vow renewal to reaffirm their commitment to each other after overcoming trials or hardships, or in preparation for facing new challenges in life ahead.
In recent years, unfortunately, some couple’s wedding plans were compromised by the COVID pandemic. A vow renewal gives these couples a second chance to honour and celebrate their relationship in a special way.
Finally, a vow renewal may be a simple expression of joy and gratitude; a chance for a couple to show their appreciation of each other and to share their happiness with closest family or friends.
Whatever the motivation, a vow renewal is a special moment for a couple to pause and appreciate the love between them and to affirm their enduring commitment to each other. It is a chance to reflect on the journey they have shared and to celebrate overcoming challenges together.
Most importantly, a vow renewal creates a space in which a couple can express their enduring love.
Do you have to be married to have a vow renewal?
Vow renewals are a celebration of a partnership. This is typically of a marriage or civil partnership, but a long-term couple who were never legally joined, might also choose a vow renewal to convey their ongoing commitment to each other and to celebrate the life they have shared.
What does a vow renewal involve?
Many couples choose a vow renewal as a more intimate ceremony than their wedding may have been; they prioritise a special location and choose only a handful of their most important family or friends to witness it. Alternatively, a couple may ‘elope’ for their vow renewal, and keep the occasion entirely for themselves.
The ceremony will express what the couple value and cherish in each other. Depending on what guests are attending, the ceremony may revisit some of the couple’s story. It will certainly express their gratitude for each other and the years they have shared. But a vow renewal ceremony also looks forward to the adventures that yet lie ahead.
The central part of the ceremony is where the couple renew their vows, perhaps with the words they used when they originally got married, or writing new personal vows to reflect their experiences and growth over the years. The vows can include humorous elements that reflect with warmth and humour the reality of rubbing along together through the trials and tribulations of daily life.
Symbolic rituals are included to bring the words to life in a vow renewal ceremony. Couples can re-exchange their rings (perhaps with a new engraving added to their wedding bands), or exchange new symbolic gifts with each other. Couples can choose other unity rituals such as a hand-fasting, candle-lighting, sharing a sip or wine from the same cup, or whisky from the traditional Celtic two-handled quaich, or involving family in a sand-blending.
You can read more about these unity rituals here: