Vow renewals

Welcome and Introduction 

Good morning/afternoon everyone and a very warm welcome to the renewal of vows ceremony for (couple’s names) here at ( venue) 

My name is (celebrant’s name) and I am delighted to be able to lead the ceremony here today on behalf of our couple. 

Would you all please be seated. 

(Housekeeping points here). 

It is said that marriages are made in heaven and celebrated on earth. This is the reason why you are all here today, as friends and family of (couple’s names) to share in this special occasion where they will once again publicly commit their lives to each other, by renewing their marriage vows. 

By your presence here, you are not only expressing your support for them today, but for the rest of their lives together. 

Marriage is a most special bond shared between two people, who tie the wedding knot after promising to be companions for a lifetime. 

It is the physical, mental and spiritual union of two people, and it brings significant stability and substance to relationships. A successful marriage is a source of infinite comfort and joy. 

Marriage is about commitment. It is about staying in love and staying together for a lifetime, even though both partners are individuals who may change over time. 

The act of marriage itself is easy. Two people can get married at any time, but the challenge of a successful marriage is making it work for a lifetime. 

(Couple’s names), (?) years ago on your wedding day, you both made promises to each other. 

Your family, friends and witnesses, are here today to witness the promises that you will both make in celebration of your continuing love and commitment to each other. 

Promises

We have now reached the point when our couple are going to make their promises to each other. 

(Couple’s names) would you stand and face each other and please hold hands! 

(Partner 1), I am going to ask you to make your promises to (partner 2) first:

(Partner 2s name), today I reaffirm my love for you.

I promise to always love and respect you.

I will continue to work with you to create the best life for us that we can achieve.

I love you still so much, after all the years we have been together.

I promise to be faithful, to honour you and share my life with you.

I make these promises to you for the rest of my life. 

Thank you and now (partner 2), I am going to ask you to make promises to (partner 1).

(Partner 1), today I reaffirm my love for you.

I promise to always love and respect you.

I will continue to work with you to create the best life for us that we can achieve.

I love you still so much, after all the years we have been together.

I promise to be faithful, to honour you and share my life with you.

I make these promises to you for the rest of my life.

Exchange of Rings

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

(Partner 1) would you please take (partner 2’s) ring and place it onto their marriage finger and hold their wedding ring in place on their finger saying to them as you do so: 

(Partner 2s name) please wear this ring, as an enduring symbol of my love and devotion to you. 

I promise to always love and support you and see this ring as a symbol of that love – an unbroken circle which has no beginning and no end. Wear it always, for the rest of our lives together. 

(Partner 2) would you please take (partner 1s) ring and place it onto their marriage finger saying to them as you do so:

(Partner 1s name) please wear this ring, as an enduring symbol of my love and devotion to you.

I promise to always love and support you and see this ring as a symbol of that love – an unbroken circle which has no beginning and no end. Wear it always, for the rest of our lives together. 

Thank you. Please take your seats. 

Closing Words

(Couple’s names), today is yet another milestone in your lives, and I am sure that everyone here join with me in congratulating you both on making a strong and successful marriage.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you will continue to support and encourage (couple’s names) in the years to come. Would you please join me in showing your congratulations 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 (witnesses’ names)

(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 gives 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 wish you all a very happy 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

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.

Amendments

• In the event that you need to change the date of your ceremony a £30 administration fee will be payable
• In the event that you need to change the time of your ceremony (but not the date) no administration fee will be charged

Cancellations

In the event that you need to cancel a ceremony for which you have already paid, you will need to put your cancellation in writing. You can email us at peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk.

Cancellations are subject to the following conditions, depending on how long before the ceremony date we receive the cancellation request:

• Six months or more before the ceremony date - full refund (less a £30 administration fee)
• Three to six months before the ceremony date - 50% refund (less a £30 administration fee)
• Less than three months before the ceremony date, or failure to request a cancellation - no refund

Please contact us on 01733 864 646 or at peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk if you need to discuss a cancellation. Our phone line is open Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm.

• Ceremony rooms are located on the ground floor and have double doors to enter
• Disabled toilet available
• One disabled parking space
• Assistance dogs welcome (but no other animals)

If anyone attending your ceremony has any other requirements, please let us know.

Please note that we have limited parking available at Peterborough Register Office. The car park is used by other visitors to the building and spaces cannot be guaranteed, particularly on weekdays. We do not charge for parking.

At busy times, you may need to consider parking elsewhere.

Visit our car park locations page for more information about parking in the city.

This information applies to vow renewal ceremonies held at the Register Office.

You are welcome to bring a photographer or videographer to capture your ceremony. They do not count as one of your 30 guests.

They can take photos or videos of the ceremony inside the Register Office and outside in the garden by the old stone archway afterwards. We have fitted the gardens with lighting to enhance photographs on winter afternoons or darker days.

We prefer the photographer / videographer to remain at the front of the room while the ceremony takes place.

Our staff can take a few photos using your own device if you choose not to have a photographer.

Please note the music you choose for your ceremony must be appropriate to the occasion. It must not be religious in any way.

We suggest you choose between three to five songs. One for entry, a few for the certificate presentation, and one for exit.

Ceremonies at the Register Office

You can either provide a CD or link to our system via Bluetooth.

Our staff can help with playing the music.

Ceremonies at other licensed venues

Please speak to the venue directly to enquire about options for music chosen for your ceremony.

To keep to the timings of our ceremonies throughout the day, couples cannot bring their own decorations to the Register Office.

However, we do have floral displays in our ceremony rooms that we change seasonally.

If you opt to have your ceremony at a licensed ceremony venue, please contact them directly about options for decorating.

We do not allow food and drink inside the Register Office or in the garden.

If you opt to use a licensed ceremony venue, please contact them directly about food and drink options.

If you are running late for your appointment, please let us know by calling 01733 864646 (open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).