Today we’re all about celebrating the marriage!

After a certain time, many couples decide to renew their wedding vows. Some simply want to celebrate and affirm their years together while others reaffirm their love and commitment after perhaps… a significant change or having gone through rough times. Every couple’s reasoning is unique and that is the beauty of it. There aren’t any rules to follow… just a following of the heart.

So today, we’re celebrating the vow renewal of Victoria Joanne and her husband John. They renewed their vows after 10 years of marriage and because it was so fun and romantic, they have decided to renew their vows at a new destination every 10 years. It’s Las Vegas in 2013!

Without further ado, here is Victoria Joanne and John’s story… via Victoria Joanne.

“In 1993, I married  the man of my dreams and true love. Then later in 2003, I got married a second time! How could I marry again if I had already married my true love? Well it was to the SAME MAN all over again! We renewed our vows on our 10 year anniversary. I wore my original wedding dress and my hubby wore a white tux and we got married all over again on the beach in the Bahamas. It was so lovely and romantic!

This second wedding was very significant to us. The 1993 wedding was a legally binding marriage but it didn’t include God at all. This time around, we were both able to stand side by side as Christians and exchange loving vows that included God in our marriage for the first time.”

Here is the new garter- to be kept and saved by my hubby. It has a small silver cross on it with beading around the ruffle.”

“Yes – I would do it all over again… and again… and again!”

Aww, Thank You Victoria Joanne and John for sharing your vow renewal love story with us! We wish you lots more years and vow-renewal destination weddings together! HAVE FUN IN VEGAS!

Friends~ you may know already know Victoria Joanne out here on the internet…  she is a custom garter designer and the busy talent behind her blog Blissful Creations, her wedding garter store Custom Wedding Garters and another site dedicated to all things handmade for a wedding Handmade-Crafted Creations.  So, be sure to check out this sweet and talented lady!

Bahamas Resort Breezes.com

I love it when I get to attend a wedding where the bride and groom have crafted their own wedding vows . . . anything from just tweaking traditional vows a little to a completely, all-original set of tender words and promises that are oh-so personal.

I walk away from the latter feeling like I know the couple even better than I did before the wedding.  Lots of brides and grooms desire to do something original with their vows, but aren’t sure where to start.

Earlier this week I participated in a creative brainstorming session that entailed writing a story based on a group of pictures.  We were given one picture at a time, and had about two minutes per picture to add something to our story incorporating that image.  With every new image, the story developed and, wow, the plot really took twists and turns.  It was a lot of fun and resulted in some pretty crazy results!

You can do this, too, to get the juices flowing for your personalized wedding vows . . . sort of like your own personal inspiration board.  Your results won’t be “crazy” . . . instead they’ll be filled with tender emotion!

Here’s what you do:

• Find pictures of people you both know and places that you’ve been together.  It’s okay to supplement your own photo collection with shots and images from magazines, ads, or books.
• Put your photo selections in chronological order of your relationship, with the oldest on top.
• As you look at each photo, think about your future husband/wife and all the ways you discovered that he/she was “the one”.
• Write your own story, focusing on how your courtship has brought you to your wedding day.

Not all of what you write will necessarily end up in your vows, but you will end up with a wealth of beautiful and precious memories that will spark just the right words.  And, you may want to review traditional vows to see what parts, if any, you want to preserve and include.  In the end, that precious part of the ceremony, the part where you stand hand-in-hand with your groom and promise your hearts, will truly reflect who you are as individuals and who you have become as a couple.

Happy Friday!

–Cheryl

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

It’s my pleasure to introduce our second guest to Truly Engaging~

Mary Anderson, Associate Care Pastor of the inner-city Woodland Hills Church (WHC) in Maplewood, MN where Greg Boyd is the Senior Pastor.