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Sometimes, when I capture the moment a couple gets married, it’s not always the first time they married their partner.
I know, I know, that sounds a little convoluted, but bear with me for a moment.
One of the reasons I wanted to be an elopement photographer was because I wanted to help couples–in my own way–create and capture wedding days they adored. I want to help people look at the images of their wedding day, think back to that experience, and feel nostalgic for that moment.
I want those moments to be heirlooms, powerful images that link them to the past and remind them of why they chose their partner.
Here’s the important distinction–I’ve never felt like that experience had to be limited to a couple getting married for the first time.
Sometimes, couples learn about the freeing, wild world of eloping after they’ve already been married to their partner. And in my eyes, that’s no reason they shouldn’t experience the wedding day they dreamed of.
Enter one of my very favorite kinds of elopement ceremonies–vow renewals.
Getting Married Their Way–Heidi & Paul’s SLC Vow Renewal
Heidi and Paul’s Salt Lake City elopement was really a Salt Lake City vow renewal, but to me, they’re pretty much the same thing. Here’s what I mean.
When Heidi and Paul approached me about their vow renewal, they’d been happily married for about 15 years.
This vow renewal was beautiful in many ways, but mostly because it was so multi-faceted.
It was a celebration of the beautiful love they’d nurtured for over a decade. It was a reckoning for the wedding they’d both wish they’d had the first time.
It was a chance to capture blissful moments forever, moments they’d look back on together and feel nothing but peace.
H & P’s wedding day 15 years ago was joyous in the fact that they chose each other, a decision they’ve cherished since. Still, when they reflected on that day, they were caught up in the thoughts of what they might have done differently.
They didn’t want their vow renewal to replace their first wedding; they wanted it to symbolize the growth they’d had as people and as a couple. They wanted it to celebrate the choice made all those years ago.
So, on a crisp Fall day just outside SLC, they chose each other again.
This time around, Heidi and Paul planned every detail exactly as they wanted it.
They hiked up separately, each getting ready in their attire at different spots on the mountain. Paul found a ceremony spot with a meaningful peak standing front and center in the background.
Then, he waited.
Heidi walked down the aisle, the small section of trail left between her and Paul. This part of their ceremony was especially important; it’s something Heidi and Paul had wanted for their first wedding but weren’t able to have.
With the colors of Autumn beginning to show on the Utah mountains, Heidi and Paul took hands as a close friend married them all over again.
The ceremony they’d hoped for, the moments they wanted to capture, and the feelings they wanted to remember on their wedding day were theirs now.
What are Vow Renewals, Anyway?
Re-weddings. Reaffirmations. Second Weddings. Vow renewals are called all kinds of things. Ultimately, what you’re calling it doesn’t matter; why you’re doing it does.
Vow renewals are celebrations and ceremonies that reaffirm, renew, and honor a couple’s vows. Typically, a vow renewal is sort of like getting married all over again. That said, it’s important to really call out that vow renewals, just like elopements, can unfold in any way you want them to.
They can be elaborate and detailed or simple and seamless. They can happen at the top of a mountain, in a slot canyon, at your local courthouse, in a church, or anywhere (truly anywhere) in between).
No matter what you decide, how you renew your vows should be a true and honest reflection of what you and your partner want your day to be.
Are Elopements & Vow Renewals the Same?
Not to give a complicated answer, but yes and also no. Hear me out.
Technically, a vow renewal is a celebration of a recommitment–a joy-filled day that cherishes the echo of the choice you made on your initial wedding day. But you know what? I think technicalities only matter to the people who want them to.
I’ve had couples do “vow renewals” and truly call them re-weddings–they see them as a chance to create a fresh day that brings them nothing but joy and happiness. I also have couples create days that mimic that first day, truly treating it as a celebration of that first wedding.
The answer? It’s all in how you want to look at it–and there’s no wrong way to go about it.
Renew Your Vows Your Way
If you and your partner want to revel in the beauty of your marriage all over again, you can. If you want to experience what a radically authentic wedding day feels like, you can. If you want to celebrate the commitment of your marriage in a big, beautiful way, you can do that, too.
Vow renewals are–in my opinion–just as bold, romantic, and meaningful as elopement days, and they deserve to be treated as such. If you’re looking for a vow renewal or elopement photographer who can help you create and capture that day, let’s talk.
