What is a vow renewal?

A vow renewal is when a married couple chooses to celebrate and reaffirm their marriage vows and commitment to one another.

So, what’s the point of renewing vows?

There are a lot of reasons a couple might decide to do a vow renewal. It could be to commemorate making it through the ups-and-downs and challenges of marriage, or maybe you’re just so freakin’ in love, you want another party to celebrate it! Or maybe you didn’t enjoy your first wedding so you want a ‘do-over’. There’s no right or wrong reason to plan a vow renewal – if it’s something you want to do, do it!

When to renew wedding vows

Most vow renewals take place 10+ years after the original wedding in 5 year increments (10 years, 15 years, 20 years…you get the idea), but that’s not a hard rule. You don’t need to wait for a 5 year increment to come about to plan your vow renewal.

How to plan a vow renewal

Do we need a license to renew vows?

Nope! You don’t need a license for your vow renewal because it’s not a legally binding ceremony. No paperwork required – yay!

Do we need an officiant for a vow renewal?

Nope! You don’t need an officiant for a vow renewal since it’s not a legally binding ceremony.

Does a vow renewal have to be on your anniversary?

I’m sure you’re catching the trend here, but there really are no rules when it comes to vow renewals. So no, a vow renewal doesn’t have to be on your original anniversary. However, most couples decide to do it on that date to make things easier; if you have your vow renewal on a different date than your original wedding, what anniversary do you celebrate?!

How much does it cost to renew wedding vows?

The cost of vow renewals can vary greatly, depending on things like if you’re inviting guests. If you’re planning a simple destination vow renewal with just you two, you can probably keep it under $4,000. If you decide to invite some guests and have a dinner/reception, expect to pay a bit more.

Simple Vow Renewal Cost Breakdown

• Photographer – $2,000
• Travel (flights + accomodation for 3 nights) – $1,000
• Flowers – $300
• Vow renewal attire – $300
• Nice dinner for two – $300

Vow renewal destinations: best places to renew your vows

• Kerry, Ireland
• Lake Powell, Utah
• Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Dolomites, Italy
• Iceland
• Samuel H. Boardman State Park, Oregon

Renew wedding vow packages

Whatever the reason you’re deciding to renew your vows, I bet it doesn’t include getting stressed about planning it. That’s where I come in! My vow renewal packages are structured like my elopement packages, which means they include: tons of hands-on guidance + help from me, a customized timeline for the day, location suggestions tailored to fit your needs – and lots more.

Vow renewal dresses

Vow renewals don’t have to follow any kinda rule book, so if you’re looking for a non-traditional yet classy vow renewal dress, look no further than Needle & Thread. For budget-friendly dresses, check out Lulus. And of course, you can never go wrong with BHLDN for something more traditional or Rue de Seine for the ~boho~ dress of your dreams.

Vow renewal ceremony script

Since the point of a vow renewal is to reaffirm your commitment to each other, this is the perfect time to reflect on the original vows you made and the journey your relationship has taken to get you where you’re at today. You can even choose to say the same vows as your original ceremony. If you want to write something new, check out this guide to writing vows to give you some ideas on where to begin.