As the two of you grow, your marriage grows. You add memories, adventures, milestones and lots and lots of love. That should be celebrated!! Vow renewals are becoming more and more popular as couples realize that the romance doesn’t stop the second the exit poppers “pop”. Whenever you want to celebrate and renew your vows, you can. There’s no set time limit. No ideal schedule. It’s up to the two of you and what feels right.
Vow renewals are also the perfect opportunity to get to have the wedding day you always dreamed of. Maybe you didn’t stay true to you the first time around, didn’t get to have the decor or dress you dreamed of, or maybe you’re just aching to jump on the trend train. Whatever the reasons and whatever the drive, one thing is true: vow renewals are some of the most romantic and intimate moments you’ll ever experience.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite real-life vow renewals including the one above captured by Avonné Photography and featured in Classy Home Wedding Inspiration Turned Real-life Vow Renewal. We’ve also collected some amazing advice and sweet stories to help you on your planning journey. Scroll along with us and let’s see what vow renewals are all about!
A Vow Renewal Celebrating New Family
photo: Love Me Do Photography | design: Feather + Rock Events | floral: Dark + Diamond | via When Floral Designers Renew Their Vows.
These two floral designers designed an epic floral installation as the perfect background for their sentimental vow renewal honoring their baby daughter. When asked to share their advice, here’s what they had to say:
DO IT! What an incredible opportunity to reconnect and celebrate the journey of marriage together. Recommitting to your partner, your family and your future together is a really powerful experience. Finding a venue or ceremony location that means something to you adds to the intimate experience. With a new 6 month old baby girl, we felt like it was the perfect time to renew our vows and focus on our new family. One of the most memorable moments for us was after we exchanged vows to each other, we read a promise for the future to our new daughter, Ziggy Moon. It was a poetic mantra to help guide her throughout her life.
A Destination Vow Renewal
photo: Louis Gabriel | floral: Betty Flowers Santorini | planning: Tie the Knot Santorini
Use Your Vow Renewal to Bring Surprises and Romance
photo: Nicole Ashley Photography | planning: Two Roads Event Co. | floral: Christine Cater | via So Goode: Officially Quigley Anniversary Session With Surprise Vow Renewal
If you’re a fan of Instagram, then you probably recognize these two. Alex and Casey, from Officially Quigley, had a stunning vow renewal surprise! We’ll let Casey tell you how it all went down:
Who says the husband always has to the one to surprise the wife with a ring? Right after we got married in 2017, my husband, Alex, found a vintage ring that he fell in love with at a pawn shop. A few days later, we called to see if the ring was still there and it had been sold. He was SO sad! But…I had taken a photo of the ring and saved it on my phone. I secretly decided to have our jeweler, Mark Broumand, make a custom replica of the ring for Alex! Right as the sun was setting at Bear Flag Farm, I got down on one knee, presented the surprise ring, and renewed my vows to him in front of the most beautiful altar.
It just goes to show that romance doesn’t “go away” after the wedding day!
A Vow Renewal to Celebrate 50 Years
photo: Photography by Micahla Wilson | floral: Botanical Occasions by Leanne Graves | via French Berry Farmhouse Vow Renewal
A Chance to Have A Redo
photo: M2 Photography | floral: Belovely | via Forever & Ever: A Soulful Vow Renewal in the Poconos
Exchanging vows was even more special the second time around for these two:
Our original wedding was overshadowed by tragedy and I could not speak from my heart. When we won this vow renewal I was extremely excited to say my vows and eager to share what I’d been feeling about my husband for a little over a year. Saying my vows meant so much because of how my love has grown for him. I had time to actually examine my heart and walk that journey alongside my husband. Verbalizing my vows and meaning them had such a profound effect in our marriage.
A Trendy and Wild Vow Renewal
photo: Blake Hogge Photography | planning: Colour Me Happy Weddings | floral: The Vase Queenstown | via Rugged in Rust Tones for This 5 Year Vow Renewal in New Zealand
Did you miss the opportunity to really do you on wedding day? Many couples feel pressure to have things look a certain way, or go a certain way. With a vow renewal, the sky is the limit! Go to that far off destination. Wear that amazing dress. Have the show-stopping flowers! These two share this advice:
Don’t be afraid to be a little out there or follow trends you are loving! With our wedding, I was cautious of being too “trendy” and tried to keep things more traditional as to not go out of style but this time I did exactly what I wanted & loved in the moment & could not be happier with the results. It was a dream!
A Vow Renewal as a New Adventure
photo: Jérémy Boyer | via Vow Renewal at Spain’s Bardenas Reales Desert with a Teal + Tulle Dress
A Vow Renewal That’s True to You
photo: J. Gracie Photography | floral: The Romantic Floral | hmua: Rebecca Reeves Hair
From the photographer: Even though Becca and Adam were coming up on two years of marriage, they wanted to celebrate their love in a way that felt truly authentic to them. So naturally, they hopped on their Harley and headed to Joshua Tree National Park to reminisce on what makes their story unique. They shared private handwritten vows, danced amongst the massive boulders to their first-dance song, and rode off into the desert sunset!
The best advice I can give to couples planning a vow renewal, is to have fun with it and screw tradition (why wait till year 10?!). If you did the big wedding thing and are craving those elopement vibes, then DO IT! Likewise, if you had a very private ceremony and want to party the night away with all your friends and family, then HECK YASSS! Just celebrate in a way that speaks to your story together.
An Epic Surprise Vow Renewal
photo: Ashtyn Brooke Photo | planning: Alyssa McElheny | via Surprise Vow Renewal in Miami’s Vizcaya Gardens
This vow renewal bride kept the entire renewal a surprise from her groom! Curious to know how she did it?
We live in Michigan but were taking a trip down to Miami Beach (our favorite vacation destination, hands down) in the fall. I started to research Miami venues and photographers and makeup artists and florists…. Once I had assembled a team I was super excited about, I snagged a dress, a pink rental tux, and some confetti. I had these items (along with our original vows, handwritten by my sister) shipped down to Miami ahead of us (as to not arouse Daniel’s suspicion by filling our suitcase with mystery contents).
As the sun was setting on Miami, Daniel and I renewed our five-year-old vows and promised some new things to each other as well in a hidden corner of the gardens. I 1000% pulled off the surprise and I’m still more than a little proud of it. It was the perfect place and perfect time in life for this recommitment and renewal. A little extra? Perhaps, but worth it!
A Vow Renewal Full of Intimacy
photo: Lillywhite Photography | planning: Madmade Designs | floral: Furrow Floral Co | via Boho California Vow Renewal
A Vow Renewal That Oozes Romance
photo: Sotiris Tsakanikas | planning: Golden Apple Weddings | floral: Kay Creations
Just because you said I DO once, it doesn’t mean you cannot say it again. In fact, a vow renewal can be an even more personalized affair! Syliva + Stefan had their 10th anniversary! Having a big wedding while being young didn’t allow them to enjoy it the way they wanted to. So this was the perfect chance to celebrate alone together in their favorite Greek destination- Rhodes Island.
We asked them about the experience: The idea came when we saw another couple’s vow renewal ceremony by our planner. We at once felt that now we are stronger together and wish to fully commemorate our union. The most amazing feeling was during the photoshoot! Getting ready to meet each other brought gooseflesh and heartbeats. Stressed at the beginning and feeling like teenagers, looking at each other deep in our eyes made us feel like the first day of our marriage, knowing each other truly and connected in heart! Our davice to other couples is: Let yourself go into that, you will fall in love again! Because you deserve it!
You really can’t say it better than that! In our opinion, love should be celebrated and celebrated! Vow renewals are the perfect way to honor your growth as a couple, mark milestones and keep the love alive. Just like all of these amazing couples, don’t be afraid to do it up big or small, near or far, as long as it’s true to love story shared between the two of you!