2020 has been a tough year for many people, especially those who have already planned their vacations abroad and special celebrations, like their wedding vow renewal.
With today’s new normal, things have changed drastically. From wearing masks to strict restrictions on big gatherings, it’s not easy to plan your wedding vow renewal ceremony. But, it doesn’t mean that you should postpone your plans for renewing your wedding vows this year.
There are numerous trending celebration ideas you can take in consideration for your renewing your vows, including the following:
Have A Backyard Wedding Vow Renewal
If your country is still implementing strict restrictions on gatherings, you may choose to renew your vows in your backyard instead of renting a big venue. The best thing about having a backyard wedding vow renewal is that you have the freedom to decorate your place and you can even have a Karaoke for entertainment purposes.
Moreover, depending on your preferences, you may work with an event planner to prepare everything for your big day. You can also let your loved ones help you decorate your backyard if your budget is tight and you have limited resources.
Try a Retro Theme
No matter how long you’re married to your significant other, you can always pay homage to your marriage life by having a retro theme for your wedding vow renewal. For example, if you and your partner were married in the 80s, you can dress up in your best 80s formal wear and encourage all of your guests to do the same.
You may also play your favorite 80s music as you celebrate renewing your vows. But, make sure to keep the retro theme in mind when it comes to décor, food, and beverages. Hiring an MC for your marriage celebration can also make a huge difference when it comes to enjoying the day with your family and friends.
Look For an Exciting Venue
If there are venues available for hire near you, don’t hesitate to look for one for your vow renewal celebration. One of the benefits of booking a venue is that there are numerous available amenities, so designing your occasion will definitely be a breeze.
There are also some venues that offer catering services. This way, you won’t need to think about the food and drinks to feed everyone in your attendance. To avoid any inconvenience, just make sure to shop around first before you book any venue near your location.
Hire a DJ or a Band
Having good music always sets the mood. The same as it was on your wedding night, entertainment is essential for your vow renewal ceremony. Hence, one of the best ways to celebrate your vow renewal is by hiring a band or a DJ.
You may browse online or ask around who can perform for your simple celebration to dance the night away.
Set Up a Photo Booth in Your Home
Another way to celebrate your wedding vow renewal is to set up your own photo booth at home. If you don’t like inviting your friends for safety purposes, you can just enjoy your special day with your family. This can be an intimate way of celebrating your marriage life while capturing the moments and making memories with the whole family.
When setting up a photo booth, you can either do it yourself or hire a photographer service to help you.
Rent a Small Restaurant
Due to the pandemic, many restaurants may not be fully operational because of the implemented restrictions of every country throughout the world. However, if there’s a small restaurant near your home and willing to let you rent their services for your vow renewal celebration, why not grab the opportunity and invite some of your loved ones?
Just make sure to ask first the number of individuals you can invite before you tell everyone about your celebration. By doing so, you can be assured that you’ll be able to celebrate your vow renewal while complying with the restrictions for the safety of your family and friends.
Consider Tour Packages
Do you want to spend your second honeymoon in style? If yes, why not consider tour packages or make your own itinerary for your international getaway. Even if the tourism industry is badly hit by the pandemic, you can still renew your vows this year abroad. This is because some travel agencies are still offering tour packages these days, especially in countries with low cases of COVID-19.
So, if you plan to consider tour packages for your vow renewal, the first thing that you should do is to browse online and look for the best deals that are perfect for your needs.
Recreate Your Wedding Day
It’s difficult not to reminisce about your wedding day when renewing your vows. So, a good celebration idea is to recreate your wedding day.
You may plan a wedding that’s similar to the original version of your wedding day in the past. You can do this by wearing the same wedding attire if you still have it and keep your menu the same. You may also incorporate some elements of your wedding day by using your old wedding photos as part of your décor.
It’s also more special if your first dance is your original wedding song. You may also try incorporating an updated song for your entire family to dance and enjoy the celebration.
Just be creative and incorporate more sentimental stuff you treasure throughout your marriage life.
Enjoy a Destination Wedding Vow Renewal
If you didn’t have the chance to have a destination wedding of your dreams, this might be your chance to make your dreams come true. Thus, another trending celebration idea you can consider this year for renewing your vows is to enjoy a destination ceremony.
However, the only problem with a destination ceremony is that some countries still don’t allow tourists, but, as mentioned earlier, there are other places where you may choose to celebrate this milestone.
If you like a romantic vow renewal at the beach, choosing a tropical country may be a good idea. You may invite some of your friends and family members to go with you. But, make sure to practice safety guidelines or health protocols being implemented by your preferred destination
If you want to keep it to yourselves, you can just travel with your significant other only and be flexible with your travel dates to avoid getting locked down anywhere. Also, you might score great deals on accommodations and plane tickets if your travel date is flexible.
What Should You Consider When Planning a Vow Renewal?
Renewing vows is basically a ceremony to renew the commitment of a married couple to one another and celebrate the joint life they have led so far. It may be as informal or formal as you prefer. Whether you want an intimate ceremony or a destination ceremony, the only important thing to keep in mind is to celebrate it with your loved ones.
Some individuals that you may consider for the ceremony may include your pets, grandchildren, children, siblings, and close friends. Small or big, the choice is always yours as long as it’s memorable for you and everybody.
If you don’t know where to get started when planning your vow renewal, below are some of the things you may take for consideration:
- Celebrant
Since there’s no legal aspect about renewing vows, you don’t necessarily require a celebrant or ordained minister present. However, there’s no harm about getting one if that’s more meaningful for you.
To make it more personal, it’s also a good idea to choose one from your family members or a friend to host your event and serve as a celebrant.
- Actual Vows
Wedding renewal is not complete without your vows. The best thing about having recommitment vows is that you can say what you want, especially if you did a traditional wedding vow.
You can prepare your wedding vows before the ceremony. Just be creative and don’t forget to express your feelings in your own words. If you’re a little tongue-tied, you may research some vow renewal wording samples to serve as your guide.
- Rings
If you have a budget, spending some on your rings is never a bad idea. If you can’t afford an expensive ring back then, it may be the time for you to get the rings you’ve been dreaming of for many years.
In a wedding vow renewal, rings are not really necessary. Rather than the traditional rings, you might like to do something meaningful to celebrate your commitment, including matching tattoos, planting a tree, or buy matching jewellery pieces.
- Bouquet
Even if a vow renewal isn’t a wedding, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need a bouquet. It’s a good thing to have a simple one.
When picking a bouquet, consider the one that mixes the old and modern style. You can be creative by pairing it with classic flowers for weddings, like peonies and roses. Regardless of your preferences, go with a bouquet that perfectly fits your style and personality.
- Decorations
The decorations for your vow renewal may depend on the kind of event you’re hosting. Never hesitate to throw the traditional wedding décor out of your window and think of something that’ll reflect your marriage life.
If you’re a fun couple or nature lovers, why not incorporate greenery into your decorations? You may also incorporate some of your beliefs in your thoughtful decorations. But, see to it that you decide first about your theme, so your decorations will match perfectly.
- Vow Renewal Invitation
When you’re choosing your wedding vow renewal invitations, you might feel like there are only a few options available. But, just like a wedding invitation, there are numerous ideas you can incorporate in your invitations.
First, your invitations must fit with your desired theme. For an elegant celebration, consider letterpress printing or calligraphy. For a garden or backyard ceremony, choosing floral invitations is perfect. You can also use a photo card with your whole family to be included in your invitations.
More formal ceremonies call for a good stationery suite. Why not choose a design you want and get the entire set so you only need to make one decision? Customizing your designs using an online tool can also be perfect when preparing for your ‘thank you’ cards aside from your invitations.
In terms of wordings, you can check some samples for inspiration. You may also write your own or combine some of the templates you find. Just remember to check the spelling and grammar. Any typo may ruin how special your invitations are. So, if you can’t handle your invitations by yourself, it’d be best to ask for professional assistance.
- Never Forget to Include Cinematography
One of the regrets that most couples experience is when they didn’t pay importance to hiring a cinematographer to tell their amazing story. If you didn’t have the budget before, you should include cinematography on your list today. Having everything filmed on your vow renewal will surely be unforgettable.
If you don’t know what to include in filming your vow renewal, you can start by telling the story of how it all started and your experiences as a married couple. Sharing stories about sticking together through bad and good times can help you reminisce about everything you’ve gone through and how you love one another.
- Book a Photographer
If you want to document an important day like vow renewal, booking a professional photography service is never a bad idea. Hence, aside from cinematography, in memorable events like this, it’d be best to invest in capturing moments.
Hiring a photographer can help you capture real emotions and photograph your entire family and friends celebrating your love and having fun. It’s also a good way to preserve your special day. Just don’t pay attention to your photographer and let them do the job. What you should do, however, is to enjoy your event and capture the day the way it unfolds with a lot of meaningful movements.
Conclusion
Renewing your vows this year may be different and far from what you’ve imagined before. But, with the different ways to celebrate your wedding vow renewal ceremony, there’s no reason why you should postpone it. The only thing you should do is to choose from those trending ideas and plan your event in accordance with your country’s current restrictions on gatherings.