How to Have a Vow Renewal: 15 Years of Marriage

We recently had a simple and beautiful vow renewal on the beach to celebrate 15 years of marriage. With a growing pregnant belly carrying our twins, along with our four children, Aliyah, Brayden, Skylar and Aria as our sweet little witnesses, it was an intimate celebration with our family and a few friends. 

Marriage isn’t easy, and no one says that it is… so when year fifteen came near, we knew we wanted to celebrate in a big way, yet still staying sweet and intimate. 

Whether you’ve considered an anniversary celebration with a vow renewal before or not, this post might just be the inspiration you need to celebrate exactly where you are in your marriage.

Our wedding was such an incredibly special day, and since we opted to NOT elope to the beach for our wedding vows, I knew that someday, I’d want to renew our vows on the beach.

I dreamed of a lavish beach affair, basically, a second fairy-tale style wedding where music played into the night and laughter echoed down the sand.

After 15 years of marriage, there are many days, laughs and tears that are just ours. Sharing a cross country move (where we now live close to the beach!), multiple births, losses, new chapters, challenges and joys, it was time. Time to celebrate the ups and downs. Time to share a special moment with our kids and remind them of our love for each other. Time to solidify that through even through toughest moments that seem to break down walls and leave us vulnerable, in the end, it brings us even closer together.

Though as a mostly sleep-deprived, pregnant mother of four, my new dream was for a beautifully simple beach affair… where bedtime came at a decent hour and the focus was on love, life and the vows we’d share once again.

There are so many reasons that couples choose a vow renewal. Sometimes it’s to commemorate getting through a rough period and reigniting a flame, sometimes it’s to celebrate a season of life together and sometimes it’s just to re-share those personal vows and create a special moment that becomes a beautiful memory. 

Tips for a Sweet and Intimate Vow Renewal After 15 Years of Marriage

Choose Your Vow Renewal Location

It doesn’t need to be difficult to find a place for your vow renewal, just choose a location that means something to you! It could be a barn at a favorite farm, in the middle of the woods, a lush trail, quint park in your own backyard, family home or church – or like we knew we wanted since the beginning; the beach.

• If you’re stuck with where to begin, ask friends or local photographers for ideas!

Do you Have a Theme or Color Scheme in Mind?

Like any project, makeover or event, I like to start with the idea. Is it casual and relaxed or more of a formal affair? Is there a color scheme I want to stick with?

• Browse Pinterest for ideas (but quit if/when you start feeling overwhelmed, remember it’s about YOUR style and your love).

• Stick with your own personal style and the vibe of the location you choose.

• Keep a color pallet simple and easy to follow.

Choose Vow Renewal Outfits for You and Your Family

We kept our looks aligned with the location, relaxed and beachy… and we kept our overall vow renewal simple and very low budget. I knew I needed a wedding or vow renewal dress to accommodate my maternity bump and found this one from Asos. 

For the kids, we mixed a little of what we had with pieces from Target, and since Easter was also right around the corner, the colors were easy to find AND we knew we’d use them again. Friends, you’re also looking at their Easter outfits from this year. 🙂

Vow Renewal Style Ideas

Non-Maternity and Maternity Vow Renewal and Wedding Dresses and Kid’s Style

I also wanted to add in a bit of a floral element and traipsed to Hobby Lobby with my mom and oldest daughter where we actually found a wedding bouquet that was a perfect match color-wise, so we broke that up into three smaller bouquets. Then we picked up a few extra florals and created flower crowns. PS. There are tons of great tutorials for this on Pinterest and YouTube!

A few questions to ask yourself:

• Do you want or need professional hair or makeup? (We didn’t, but if you’re going for professional photography, you may want it.)

• What is your floral budget? (Since we went DIY with faux florals, ours came in well under $100!)

• Will you be exchanging rings?

Hone in On Your Vow Renewal Details

Once you have a location and wardrobe, you’ll want to choose someone to preside over the vow renewal and possibly a photographer or videographer. To me, these were a couple of very important elements!

We also just invited those close friends and family that came to celebrate with us to dinner afterward and brought a cake along as well… it was simple and easy – and allowed for others to do the clean-up.

• Choose a minister or presider, and ask friends or family if you’re not sure where to start.

• Hire a photographer or videographer that aligns with your style and aesthetic.

• Ask for referrals.

• Create your own Pinterest board for inspiration and share it with those involved.

• Involve your kids.

• Rejoice an celebrate in your special vow renewal day, your anniversary (no matter the number) is a special occasion!

• Don’t sweat the small stuff. Let the minor details go and just have fun!

With just a little research and planning, it’s easy to make any anniversary one to remember with those little things that are special to you and your relationship for a vow renewal ceremony. 

PS. Our wedding day.