Where we finally decide that will renew our vows!
We (me and Him, but mainly me!) have been talking about what to do for our vow renewal, for the last five years. The main reason for so much forward planning on my part, was and still is due to getting to witness so many beautiful vow renewal ceremonies. When you are surrounded by inspiration, it’s very hard not to be constantly inspired.
The first time that I was lucky enough to conduct such an amazing ceremony, was for a wonderful couple who had been married for 22 years and who wanted to celebrate their marriage, with their two grown up daughters and the groom’s brother and his partner. It was an absolute eye-opener for me. Before then, I had never witnessed a celebration between two people, who had spent their whole lives together in a beautiful union of love, trust and friendship. Their acknowledgement of it was so powerful, it took me completely unawares. Tears rolled down my cheek as I heard them say their incredibly, heartfelt personal vows to each other and by the time they had finished, not one person was composed! It was so profoundly emotional. So you can imagine that after seeing something like this, I knew, without a doubt that I would love to have a similar celebration.
One recent bride summed up her vow renewal for me the other day. After the ceremony, she told me that without realising it, she didn’t know how good renewing her vows would make her feel. Although, it was something they very much wanted to do, she didn’t realise how beneficial it would be for them and how it had replenished them both with so many new feelings towards each other. Yep, I want some of this please.
Another reason to renew our vows, is also the chance for us to express ourselves in a way that we didn’t get to do the first time around and also tell each other things that we actually DON’T say in our day to day lives. Of course, we say we love each other all the time, but how many of us actually tell our loved ones how good they make us feel? I never tell my husband how much I love that on his days off he makes me a cup of tea in the morning and brings it to me in bed, or that when he finds out a song that I like, he learns to play it on the ukulele. Sometimes, we need an occasion to express these things, and this, our vow renewal, will be it! And my poor husband, having heard all of the amazing stories over the years is sick and tired of me going on about it, ha ha! But honestly, he is looking forward to having his chance to tell me how wonderful I am!
So folks, we’re in! A vow renewal it shall be! Next stop; logistics. Who? (what guests, if any)? How? (who conducts a celebrant’s ceremony?) and When? (Does a vow renewal have to be on our anniversary day?)
