Renewing Your Vows ~ A Discussion Post

I got a call yesterday afternoon from BBC Tees to ask if I would be willing to participate in a discussion this morning, live on the radio show, about marriage vow renewal.  I was really keen, ahead of my stint on the radio, to find out what my readers thoughts on marriage renewal are, and so I opened the questions up on the Love My Dress Facebook page;

Facebook

I have loved reading through some of the responses, and wanted to share them with you all this morning to generate some discussion.  But first, I guess some thoughts of my own would be fair.

I'll have been married for 5 years next March and the thought of renewing my vows with my husband at the time is something that is cropping up with more and more regularity.  It might not seem that we've been married all that long, and our wedding day was wonderful, but for me personally, I love the idea of reaffirming those vows after changes and events that have taken place in our lives – And I also hold very close to my heart, the idea of doing it with our two daughters present (we had just one daughter when we got married).  The idea of something purely intimate, just us four, appeals to me very much – it would be the opposite of our wedding day, which as much as it was a celebration of love, it was a party and chance to spoil our friends and family.

I get, too, how some couples who have been married for longer than I have, 10, 15, 20 years plus maybe, might want to renew their vows in a way that reflects who they and how far they have come today.   Up until quite recently, for the vast majority of folk in the UK, weddings have followed a fairly traditional format, (church or registry office then reception and party).  With huge global rise in the popularity of the wedding blog, couples are realising they don't necessarily have to follow tradition, but can tailor their experience of committing to marriage or renewing vows, in to something much more personal and meaningful.

One Life Ceremonies
specialise in creating ceremonies that reflect the
people they are for, and capture a story that is individual and
meaningful… 

One-life-ceremonies

Image Source/Credit: One Life Ceremonies

The organision, established by Mother and Daughter team
Maria and Laurra Nalty, and inspired by their own experience of
organising life events, is dedicated to helping couples hold ceremonies
that encompass how
they feel and everything they want to say – an opportunity that for
many might have been restricted to traditional church vows during their
original wedding ceremony.

I love the One Life Ceremonies approach to vow renewal…

'We knew there needed to be a way for people to mark life’s key
moments, without being pushed into a set structure or settling for just
an ‘OK’ experience.  Many couples choose to renew their vows to their husband or wife after many years together. A Vow Renewal can be held to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary or as a way of publicly declaring your love and commitment to your partner.

One Life will write a personal ceremony based around the stories you tell us and your feelings for each other. Our exclusive Vow Renewal ceremonies can be conducted at a large event, an intimate gathering  or with just the two of you at the location of your choice.

We will meet with you and guide you through the different options and find out more about you both, we listen to your stories and what you’d like to say and capture them in a personal ceremony written exclusively for you. We can also contact your selected friends and other relatives if you would like to include their thoughts and memories in your ceremony too.'

One Life Ceremonies on Vow Renewals

 

Imagine being able to hold the most meaningful and romantic vow renewal celebration – perhaps at that patch in the woods or point on your weekend walk where you stop to take in the beautiful view and appreciate what you've got – imagine being able to stand right there at that special spot and re-commit your life to the person you love, to vow to one another in a way that is current, and meaningful and that reflects what you have both been through since marrying.

For me the concept of renewing your vows represents is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and reaffirm your commitment to your partner, for whatever reason, and at whatever stage in your marriage.

Below, I've shared some more thought provoking responses from our Facebook page, on the subject of vow renewal;

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Vow-renewal-1

You can visit here to read more of the comments on our Facebook page.

What are your thoughts? Is vow renewal something you support the idea of? Is any time too soon? Should there be a reason for vow renewal or does the idea of renewing, or updating your vows to reflect who you are today, and what you've been through resonate more with you?  As one reader above puts it, is the idea of renewing your vows redundant after you have taken your marriage vows – shouldn't the 'anniversary' celebration be enough? Do you have plans to renew your own vows?  Photographers, have you noticed an increase in couples asking for vow renewals to be photographed? Have you ever attended a vow renewal?

I'd really love to read your feedback and thoughts – thank you so much.

And if you are interested, you can tune in live to BBC Radio Tees from approximately 10.10-10.15am this morning to listen to me contribute my thoughts on the subject.

Have a lovely morning everyone.

Annabel

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Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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