Marriage is a long journey, and it all begins with the wedding; each anniversary brings a reflection of your commitment to each other, as the love grows stronger and your experiences together widen. Renewal of your wedding vows is a romantic and symbolic gesture and has become a popular way to make that very commitment public, for the world to see! A vow renewal demonstrates the devotion to the institution of marriage, which may have withstood the harsh realities of life we all go through. It reaffirms the commitment towards a long future together, possibly being one of the most important moments in your life! It is indeed an extremely romantic moment for couples; a moment to cherish and uphold. That said, what is most suitable when going through such a ceremony; using your original wedding bands, or purchasing brand new ones?
renewal of marriage vows image courtesy of shutterstock
My husband and I marched to the podium to say our first “I do” 12 years ago; it was a moment to remember and the beginning of our own marital journey. The idea of renewing our vows came up when we reconciled after a bitter and short separation, which nearly destroyed the foundations of our marriage. At last, our marriage survived the storm. Great! Isn’t it? It was now time to plan for the renewal of our vow at our 10th year marriage anniversary. However, one question that came up was whether it is better to use our original rings to renew our vows, or to splurge and buy new ones, along with many other questions we had regarding the “I do” renewal etiquette. While my hubby was tilting towards using our old rings for the ceremony, I was in favor of buying new rings; I’m not selfish and my reasons were not farfetched!
Buying a new ring signifies a new beginning of love. In our own case, my mate and I came out of a rough patch in our marriage and needed to put the past behind us. The best way to do this was to use a new symbol of commitment to our love by purchasing a new ring (the original ring we had just didn’t mean the same anymore). It actually worked like magic! We could afford new wedding bands because our budget was bigger, owing to the combination of our financial resources now that we are both older and have a wider budget. The new ring we bought was the classic style of wedding ring, in true tradition, and it brought a whole new wave of romantic feelings to the atmosphere, where we felt like it was the ‘first time’ all over again. It gave us the opportunity to dump our old outdated ring in favor of a special piece of new jewelry that represents our new and improved love, and commitment for the future. The overall decision to renew such vows, itself, was a hard one, considering the many celebrities who did the same (and a shame they did, considering in most cases it really didn’t last!).
Using your old rings to renew your vows is not a bad idea, either, although it was not the suitable option for my husband and I. In fact, my childhood friend used her original wedding ring for her own ceremony and the heavens did not fall, so to say! They saved a lot of money by doing so and I guess they went home happy, because they professed their undying love in public glare (and isn’t that the beauty of it all?). However, I and hubby were under no financial constraint and we were in no mood to flash our outdated rings when there are classier designs available – like this classic platinum engagement ring!
Our vow renewal ceremony was surprisingly romantic, thanks to our glittering new rings, and I don’t regret it for a second! It reminds me of the renewed commitment I made to my hubby and the future we share together. We will surely get a new wedding ring for our 20th wedding anniversary, where we shall be renewing our vows again.
There is no clear cut answer on which option is better; it’s just a matter of choice. However, from my own experience, getting a new ring is actually the best as it is a perfect way to symbolize future commitments bringing us many more happy years to come!
