Renewal of Wedding Vows Rekindle the Romance

There are many reasons for couples to renew their wedding vows - and it makes a wondeful gift to give your parents too!

The primary reason marriages fail is because the romance whitters away. Over the years, grivances and hurts add up - with it difficult to find a way to leave those all behind. A renewal of vows ceremony is both a re-affirmation and a renewal - for which mistakes and regrets can be left behind.

Renewal of Vows ceremonies are often used by couples who married at the courthouse - who now what a REAL ceremony. Renewal ceremonies are often given as gifts by children to their parents as a way of saying thank you - or even in return for all the time and expense the parents put into their wedding.

Usually, Renewal of Vows are held on the couples anniversary date - which may well be a mid-week evening wedding at the home. A renewal of vows ceremony can be as formal or causal as you wish.

Below is one renewal of vows ceremony. However, any of the wedding ceremonies on this site can quickly be reworded to a renewal ceremony. If you have the original vows of the couple, these also can be used in the renewal ceremony.

They are also used as an occasion when a married couple "upgrade" their wedding rings now that they can afford to do so.

Finally, a renewal of vows ceremony is an excellent opportunity to involve the children - young or old - in the ceremony via lighting the unity candles, exchange of roses etc.

Few things more rekindle a marriage than a formal renewal of marriage vows. No license is required for this.

Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace.

(The father, children, relative etc. may give the bride away. He/they answer "I do", "I do on behalf of the family", or "her mother and I". This person then steps back and the groom takes the bride’s hand.)

___________________ and __________________, life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together. Love is given to use by our family or by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges of life - and is the shared goal of a married life.

(Groom)______________________, do you take _____________________ to be your Wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?

(Bride) I,_______________________, do you take _____________________ to be your Husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?

(If ring/rings are exchanged each does so before repeating the following vows - unless you wish other vows or do not wish to repeat)

Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage.

(Groom) I,___________________, take thee __________________, to be my Wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you. (With this ring, I thee wed.)

(Bride) I,____________________, take thee __________________, to be my Husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you.

(If there are children of the marriage sometimes couples will give a flower or small gift such as a necklace or ring to the child and say a short statement that they also are now part of the new family. I believe it very important to mention children’s names in the ceremony. If you have minor children coming into the marriage, if you provide their names I will mention them as is appropriate.)

__________________________ and _________________________, as you this day renew your marriage vows which united you as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together - as you shall remain each other’s home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.

(BIBLE VERSE - if desired. Non-religious reading from the following sheet or others may be used in it’s place if wished)

A marriage ceremony represents one of life’s greatest commitments. But it also is a declaration of love. I wish to read to you what Paul wrote of love in a letter to the Corinthians. I believe it is a true model of love and it is a model of love I hope you pursue in your marriage:

"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud.

Love does not demand it’s own way. Love is not irritable or touchy. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong.

If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the costs. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground in defending them."

(PRAYER if desired. You may alter this or replace it with a non-religious or non-denominational reading if you wish.)

Dear Heavenly Father, (or "Oh Lord") our hearts are filled with great happiness as _________ and __________ renewal their marriage vows and today reaffirm their faith and love for one another. Grant that they may ever be true and loving, living together in such a way as to never bring shame or heartbreak into their marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and understanding, rid them of all pretense or jealousy. Help them to remember to be each other’s sweetheart, helpmate, friend and guide, so that together they may meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. And with the passage of time, may they find great contentment in the rich joy of senior companionship. May the home they are reaffirming today truly be a place of love and harmony, where Your Spirit is always present. Bless this marriage we pray and walk beside _________ and ___________________ throughout all of their lives together.

(If unity candles are used/optional. If the Rose Ceremony is used, it is placed after the unity candle ceremony or in place of it.)

______________ and ___________________, the two separate candles symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. I ask that each of you take on of the lit candles and that together you light the center candle.

The individual candles represent your lives before you first married. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, and represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends to one.

(For couples who are adding music to the ceremony, it is usually placed either here or after the vows are repeated earlier.)

______________ and ____________________, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Holy Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the joining of your hands and the giving of these rings, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife.

In more elegant days, flowers were used as a means of communication. Each Flower had a special meaning. In the old language of flowers, a single red rose always meant "I love you". The Rose ceremony gives recognition to the new and most honorable title of "Husband and Wife".

In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing - it meant the words "I love you." So it is appropriate that for your first gift - as husband and wife - that gift would be a single rose.

Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife.

(Sometimes a couple will play a special song at this point).

In someways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose - and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage.

_________ and _____________, I would ask that where ever you make your home in the future - whether it be a large and elegant home - or a small and graceful one - that you both pick one very special location for roses; so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful occasion you both may take a rose to that spot both as a recommitment to your marriage - and a recommitment that THIS will be a marriage based upon love.

In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words.

It is easiest to hurt who we most love. It is easiest to be most hurt by who we most love.

It might be difficult some time to words to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen, if you simply can not find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected - for that rose than says what matters most of all and should overpower all other things and all other words. That rose says the words: "I still love you." The other should accept this rose for the words which can not be found, and remember the love and hope that you both share today.

__________ and ________, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure."

You make any changes you wish to the rose ceremony
or any other ceremony to suit it to a Renewal Of Vows ceremony.

Renewal of Vows

"Rekindle the Romance"

Renewal of Vows Wedding Ceremony