I love elopements. I believe at my core, that anyone who wants to elope, absolutely should follow that calling. Over the years, I have had more and more couples who had the big wedding and are now looking for an intimate experience to renew their vows. To them I say, welcome to the unparalleled experience of an elopement. Just without the paperwork! Let’s get into everything you need to know about vow renewals.

What is a Vow Renewal

According to our good friends over at Wikipedia: A wedding vow renewal ceremony or wedding vow reaffirmation ceremony is a ceremony in which a married couple renew or reaffirm their marriage vows. 

While we support the technical term, here’s our Honeybee spin: A wedding vow renewal / reaffirmation ceremony is when you and your one true love have an epic adventure that you’ll remember forever, make solemn promises that you’ll always be up to no good together, and CELEBRATE that your love is bigger and brighter than ever!

What Does a Vow Renewal Look Like

Everything you need to know about vow renewals starting with how do I prepare for my vows renewal? Brides makes the point, “The most important thing to remember is not to get caught up in ‘wedding planning’ again,” says Natasha Anakotta of American Marriage Ministries. “Vow renewal ceremonies should be unique and meaningful while wholly re-committing yourselves to each other.” 

What are the rules for renewing vows? First, know that this will not look like a wedding. It will more closely resemble an elopement. Where you can choose to do hair and makeup, if you want. Bring a beautiful bouquet, if you want. Wear a white wedding dress, if you want. Or get a colored renewal dress, if you want. Or do absolutely NONE of the above and still have a killer time. The only rule is you are here together, wildly in love, and ready to shout it from the rooftops. Which, we can make happen if you want to get literal with it.

Everything you Need to Know About Vow Renewals and Where You Should Go

What this will look like, is you and your partner. Somewhere absolutely gorgeous. Some place that already holds a special place in your love story or somewhere new that will cement itself in your heart.

What do you say when renewing your vows? Standing before each other you can share new promises, maybe reaffirming old ones. Gazing into each other’s eyes with JOY and overflowing love. Having an elopement style vow renewal means that after your sweet ceremony, you are having an epic adventure to go along with it! Maybe you hike to your ceremony spot and then take a boat ride across Lake Josephine in Glacier National Park like Madison and Josh’s Many Glacier Hotel Micro Wedding. What if you go someplace wild like Africa and take a safari adventure together? Maybe you’ve always wanted to see the city of love and you and your honey take off to Paris for a vow renewal and to explore!

The advantage that vow renewals have over elopements is that the paperwork was already completed at your first elopement or wedding. IE there are no location barriers to your vow renewal! Tell us what you are thinking and we will make it happen like bibbidi bobbidi booYAH!

Let’s Get This Party Started!

When is a Good Time in your Marriage to have a Vow Renewal

It’s normal to have this idea that vow renewals are for milestone years. Fifty years and twenty five years tend to be the ones we hear the most. Which is great! You go Glenn Coco! It seems like those have been coined the times when you have “made it through all the hard stuff.” But you know what? Life gets hard sometimes!! Shit gets wacky. Or maybe your wedding was not everything you thought it would be and more, and you want a redo! The point is there is never a wrong time to have a vow renewal. Or for that matter, a wrong reason. 

Challenges Couples Face and Why You Want a Marriage Vows Ceremony

Everything you need to know about vow renewals includes the many, many reasons WHY you should have one!

Have a vow renewal after you have babies. That shit is CHAOTIC to say the least. You can lose yourself in parenting and maybe you feel like you’ve lost each other. Renew your vows and say, this is way the fuck harder than I thought it would be, I am so happy to have you with me.

Maybe you had a COVID wedding and tried as you did, it just did not feel right to you. This is the time to think about your day and not have to replan 200 times as the government continues to flip the script on you. 

What about a really challenging time where you thought, maybe you wouldn’t make it. Yet you battled it together and you are now stronger and more committed than ever before!

How about milestones in life! Did you and your partner move states, change careers, go back to or graduate schooling? All of these things can have a very real effect on your marriage. If you moved, what about having a vow renewal nearby and recommitting to this new life in this new place together, even if it looks different than the one you had before?

Check out this Glacier National Park vow renewal

What do Couples do When They Renew Their Vows and Why This is Different

A vow renewal can look like anything you want it to be. If you have kids and you want to include them you should! To look at their sweet little faces and show them that their parents are so in love is incredibly special.

If you have friends or family that has supported you as a couple through tough times, you can bring your loved ones along to witness it. The great thing about vow renewals is there is no guest list expectations for you – or anybody else in this! While a crazy aunt may think she is entitled to attend your wedding, no one feels that way about vow renewals!! 

Maybe you want an officiant there to guide you through the vows. Great! Bring them along! Or maybe you want someone close to you to do that, amazing! No legal requirements for a vow renewal. You can also have someone prepare a reading instead. Or you can bring absolutely no one but you and your love and your amazing Honeybee photography team a healthy distance away to give you your privacy while still capturing this special time.

If you had a big wedding with all the fun frills and fuss before, now could be a good time to strip down to just the two of you. Shed the societal expectations and focus on your souls reconnecting. 

Epic Adventure is Calling

Make your vow renewal more than just a few hours. Everything you need to know about vow renewals includes making the experience a second honeymoon or vacation or even a weekend getaway. This is a beautiful chance to reconnect with your partner! Whether you go somewhere completely foreign, or stay somewhere close to home – this time is something special. While Honeybee Weddings will help you plan the ceremony and location matchmaking, our friends over at The Modern Traveler can help you plan the most romantic and adventurous travel experience before and after!

Can we also shout out to the ACTIVITIES you can have during your vow renewal experience! Take an ATV to a secluded location to share your vows then get back on and continue exploring. Exchange your renewal promises on the beach… on horseback! How do you feel about skydiving? Make your promises 10,000 feet in the sky. Let’s go chasing waterfalls and recommit in a cave in Iceland. A vow renewal gives you absolutely permission to live out your dreams together!

questions to ask to help the brainstorming process

1. What is the overall meaning of your day? Is this day just for the two of you? Do others play a role in your day?
2. What does the scenery look like? Are you in the mountains, by a lake, on a cliff, in a forest, or in front of a waterfall?
3. How much time are you able to use for the trip? Is the vow renewal part of a larger trip? How much time are you able to take off work?
4. Will it just be the two of you or will you include others? Will this help determine any permits you will need or accessibility concerns?
5. What does the ceremony look like? Are there important cultural or religious traditions you’d like to incorporate into the ceremony?
6. What do you want to wear? A dress or a suit? Something more casual? Are you wearing shoes – or not? If it’s cold, will you need to wear extra layers? What footwear do you need?
7. What activities do you see yourself doing? These can be activities that you enjoy doing together or ones that you’ve never tried before, hiking, stargazing, stand-up paddle boarding? Your options are endless!

Preserve The Memories

You need photography at your vow renewal to capture who you are at this time in your life. It is more than standing there and taking photos. This is an experience. Let’s find some place amazing for your ceremony and then go explore!! Hike up a mountain, take a walk along the river, hit up a winery and picnic on the grass. Take time for yourselves!

You have so many options to preserve the new memories you are making. We’ll create images that celebrate your unique love story. We’re here to help let your favorite moments live forever in the power of print. On your walls, in an album or framed. We’ll help you find its forever home.

Album Guide

Everything You Need to Know About Vow Renewals Let’s Plan Your Next Best Day Ever

Whatever brings you here today, thinking about a vow renewal, you should do it. There is something in your heart telling you that it’s important and I encourage you to follow that light!! A wedding ceremony is a promise for an idea of what you think marriage will be. A vow renewal is to stand back together, knowing what marriage actually is, and saying FUCK YES all over again. Contact Kelsey to get started.