Did you have a small wedding last year under Covid restrictions? Are you looking to hold a larger celebration of your marriage in the near future, but you’re not sure how to make a ceremony ‘fit’ or what vows to say this time around? Then read on!
We're planning to hold a second wedding, but what should we call it? We’re already married, so calling it a wedding doesn’t sound quite right for us, and we're not religious so we don't want to call it a blessing either.
While of course you could call your larger celebration a wedding, you could also call it a:
· Wedding Celebration
· Re-Wedding
· Vow Renewal Ceremony
We already exchanged vows at our legal wedding. What could we even say this time around?
The things you’d like to promise each other might not have changed all that much since your first wedding ceremony, but there are ways to adapt your vows to reflect what you have already accomplished in your marriage and your hopes for the future.
Think of words like: still, keep, reaffirm, once more:
“I, Rachel, keep you, Louise, as my wife.”
“I still promise to make you smile every day and to seize the moment, wherever it takes us.”
“I reaffirm the vows I made to you one year ago.”
If you're lost for words, then I can help you craft your own personal vows.
We exchanged rings last year and we don’t want to do it again for our second ceremony. What can we give each other or do instead?
Some alternatives to exchanging rings during your ceremony can include:
· Exchanging a present linked to your anniversary. If you’re celebrating your first anniversary, why not give each other a copy of your favourite book to symbolise a paper anniversary, or put a present in a keepsake wooden box for your fifth anniversary?
· Exchanging plants or a single rose stem: “Ali, I give you this rose as a symbol of our marriage. The rose’s bud represents the beauty of our relationship, and may its thorns remind you I’ll always be there for you throughout life’s challenges. I promise to work together with you to tend to our marriage and allow our family to blossom and thrive.”
· A symbolic action, such as handfasting, lighting a unity candle or a sand blending ceremony. More information on handfasting is available on the Humanists UK website here .
A handfasting ceremony, with multicoloured ribbons.
Whether you got married last year under Covid restrictions or you’d like to bring the family together for a vow renewal after a long time apart - do get in touch to arrange your personal and meaningful humanist wedding celebration, re-wedding or vow renewal ceremony!