Welcome and Introduction

Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen will you all be seated. My name is (celebrant’s name) and I am very happy to be here at The Lawns today to be a part of this very special ceremony.

(Housekeeping points here)

In a few moments (couple’s names) will renew vows and promises to each other as they did on their wedding day.

One of our marriage ceremonies states “Through their vows they are making a commitment to each other and through your presence here you are expressing your support for them”.

Well you have all come here today to help (couple’s names) celebrate the success of that commitment and so, on their behalf, thank you for joining them.

As in any marriage you may have had high points and low points in your life together - disagreements, contrasting points of view and different opinions. But to balance out those times are the uplifting ones – times that have been full of tenderness, laughter and silliness, warmth and feeling content.

You may have noticed that I did not include ‘love’ in the uplifting side. Why not? Well because love belongs very firmly in both camps. It is love that sees you through the rough patches and it is love that make the food times even better. It is because of the love that you two have for one another, and your willingness to overcome any difficulties together, that you are both standing here in front of us all today.

Renewing your vows is a vey loving thing to do. You both want to renew the promises that you made to each other (….) years ago, so that you can look to the future knowing that whatever else life might have lined up for you, like swans, you are together for life.

Now the word ‘renewal’ has lots of different definitions; here are a few of them:

Rekindling: another way of saying “putting the spark back in”.

Revitalisation: to once again infuse with vigour.

Replenish: to fill up again, make fully stored or stocked.

I am sure you will agree that all of these meanings are rather appropriate?

Vows and Promises

We have now reached the point when our couple are going to make their vows and promises to each other. So, (couple’s names) will you please now stand, face each other and hold hands before you say your vows to each other.

Thank you

(Partner’s names) I am going to ask you to make your vows and promises to (wife’s names) first, so please repeat after me:

Partner to partner:

(….) years ago I placed a ring on your finger and made promises to you.

I may have taken you for granted at times, said and done things I wish I hadn’t.

And sometimes I have been wrong.

On the other hand I have always loved you, and because of the person you are, it has been easy to keep those promises.

You are beautiful, you are warm and you are kind.

And we have had some great times together.

Now, (partner’s names) I am going to ask you to make your vows and promises to (partner’s names) so please repeat after me:

Wife to husband:

(….) years ago I also placed a ring on your finger and made the same promises to you.

Yes, we may have both taken each other for granted at times.

And you are not the only who has done and said things they wish they hadn’t.

And yes – you have sometimes been wrong……but so have I.

But I have always loved you too, and because you are you, my promises have been just as easy to keep.

You are wonderful, you are also warm and you are also kind.

And yes, we have had some fantastic times together.

Re-Dedication of Rings

(Couple’s names) exchanged rings on their wedding day, and have chosen today to confirm the vows that they have just made to each other, by symbolically exchanging/re-dedicating rings once more.

(Partner’s name) would you please take (partner's name)’s ring and place it onto their marriage finger (or take (partner’s name)’s hand and hold their wedding ring in place on their finger) saying to them as you do so:

(Partner’s name) please wear this ring on your finger where it will always belong (if giving new ring) OR

(Partner’s name) thank you for wearing this ring on your finger where it will always belong (if re-dedicating ring).

I promise that I will love and support you, comfort you in bad times and share the pleasures of the good times with you.

I promise I will try my hardest to be the best of partners to you – because that is what you deserve.

Thank you for the past (….) years. I want you to know how lucky I feel, knowing that I will be spending the rest of my life with you.

You are a wonderful partner and I love you

OR (if appropriate)

You have given me a beautiful child/beautiful children. You are a great parent, a wonderful partner and I love you.

(Partner’s name) would you please take (partner’s name)’s ring and place it onto their marriage finger (or take (partner’s name)’s hand and hold their wedding ring in place on their finger) saying to them as you do so:

(Partner’s name) now it is my turn to ask you to please wear this ring on your finger where it will always belong (if giving new ring) OR

(Partner’s name) now it is my turn to say thank you for wearing this ring on your finger where it will always belong (if re-dedicating ring).

Knowing that I am loved by you and that you love me enough to want us to be here today, means the absolute world to me.

I too happily promise that I will love you and support you, comfort you throughout any bad times and, because sharing the good times with you has only ever made them better, I promise to do that as well.

Thank you for the past (..) years and I want to tell you how happy I am, knowing that it is you I will be spending the rest of my life with.

You are everything I ever dreamt of in a partner and I love you.

OR (if appropriate)

You are everything I ever dreamt of in a partner and the best parent to our children and I love you.

Thank you. Please turn to face me.

Closing Words

(Couple’s names), you have now renewed the vows you made to each other when you became partners (…) years ago.

You have reaffirmed your love for one another today, due in no small part to the things you have learned from each other, with each other and about each other.

One thing worth learning is this: people will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.

I should like to conclude today’s ceremony by quoting Laura Hendricks:

“Love is a friendship caught fire: it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

Love is content with the present, has hope for the future and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments and big victories, and working towards common goals.

If you have love in your life it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, then no matter whatever else there is, it is not enough”.

Ladies and Gentlemen would you please join me in showing your congratulations to our couple by giving them a really warm round of applause.

Signing of the certificate.

I should now like to ask (couple’s names) to come forward and sign their commemorative certificate which will be witnessed by (names of witnesses).

(Optional playing of music while this is happening and guests are invited to take some photographs).

Presentation of the certificate

Ladies and Gentlemen, you have all witnessed (couple’s names) renewing their vows to each other and promising to continue to love and support one another for the rest of their lives. It give me great pleasure to now present them with this certificate as a record of their ceremony, along with a copy of all that has been said today as a lasting memento for them both.

Thank you all for sharing in this ceremony.

I hope you all have a truly memorable day and celebration and as (couple’s names) lead you through to the garden for more photographs can we please once again give them both a very warm round of applause.

Music played while guests leave for photos in the garden.

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