It's funny how we are allowed to celebrate our birthday every year in the smallest or biggest ways possible. No one questions why your going all out for your 27th birthday or why 33 feels special, but when it comes to celebrating your love; the world says you have to wait for big milestones.
Why is that? Why do you get to celebrate your birthday which only required you to keep living, but not your marriage when it takes 365 days of work and commitment? I'm calling out "them" and I say "NO MORE!"
Celebrating your anniversary should no longer be reserved for your 25th and 50th only, that's crazy. We want to encourage you to celebrate you love everyday, but to never feel like you have to explain why you want to celebrate your anniversary (ANY YEAR) beyond a nice dinner alone.
JT and I decided when we got married that we would do a vow renewal every 5 years of marriage. That might seem excessive, but look at your own life and take a moment to think about how your life has changed in the past 5 years. Life, family, circumstances change so much, and force us to grow and change as people so why wouldn't our vows change and grow?
We also promised to have this celebration in a place we've never been so that each location held the memory for the both of us.
This June we celebrated our 5th year of marriage and decided to go big in a small way to celebrate. We stayed in a Cabin in Mammoth Lakes, Ca and held a vow reading ceremony on the deck. We initially planned on having a big party with all our friends and family, but circumstances changed and so did our plans. We finally decided to stick to our family of 4 and a photographer. It was perfect, and exactly what we both hoped for. The memory of mammoth will forever be tied to our 5th anniversary and the words we shared.
We made sure the day was special because we were very intentional about all the little details and I wanted to share the ideas we used. If you're looking to celebrate your anniversary or elope in this style, here are some great tips n how to make the event special without having to hire a whole team of event specialist.
Here Are 7 Tips On How To Celebrate Your Marriage for your Anniversary:
LOCATION: We like the idea of going somewhere new for our renewals because it will time a new memory to that place. But if traveling isn't your thing, think about doing your renewals in the same place every time. Maybe a family home, your backyard, a special park or even a favorite vacation spot. The location is less about the place and more about the feeling.
ATTIRE: You can see that we went full sentimental by wearing our wedding day outfits. Its was extra fun to surprise JT that I was wearing it only minutes before. For me, the dress took a lot of work to fit back in to, but my wedding dress isn't the only sentimental thing that could be worn. Think about maybe using your veil with a new dress, maybe wearing the same shoes, or a special piece of jewelry. The possibilities are endless and it's about finding what makes sense for you.
GIFTS: We really planned out this one for our 5 year. We had always planned on getting new rings for this anniversary. And though we talked about it for a while, I would have never guessed I would have ended up with such a special piece of jewelry. JT had my wedding rings custom made with rose gold and an aquamarine stone. I never wanted the same as everyone else and he designed a ring that would compliment my creative style. So when we talked about getting new rings, I always knew I would want a blue stone again. Oddly enough, my grandparents bought me sapphire earrings when I was a baby on a trip in Italy, and my mom has been keeping them safe for 30+ years. I saw them a few months ago and knew this would be the perfect opportunity to mix the old with the new. I used the earring setting and sapphire and turned it into a ring that holds so much meaning. We felt like not only did we create this wonderful gift us to enjoy, but it felt like we had created a family heirloom that we would be able to pass on to our boys one day.
DECORATIONS: The deck we held our ceremony on didn't need much decor, but I did want to create a good focal point for us to stand in front of. But this didn't mean I had to spend money to do so. If fact, the greenery was from my tree that we brought with us, the faux cow hide rug was from our living room, and the drapes were from the cabin. It's all about getting creative with what you have.
VOWS: if you are renewing your vows, then id say the most important part of this whole day would be the vows themself. Everything else is nice, but the day won't make sense without them. And it's not about giving on the first set of vows you made, it's not like the expired. But it's about recognizing the growth you've had in your relationship and how you can ADD to what you orginally promised. There's no right or wrong, there is just the need to be honest and speak from your heart.
PHOTOS: Just like on your wedding day, you are going to want to capture the day in the best way possible. Instead of worrying about bad angels or camera failure you should hire a pro for the day. They will get all the little moments as well as the big ones and it will be a great way to back through the years and even she with those who couldn't attend. Since a vow renewal is typically closer to an elopement vs a traditional wedding you can ask for the cost of 1 or 2 hours instead of a whole day. Make sure your find someone who has a great portfolio and a style you adore, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE! In addition to a pro, encourage your guests to take pictures or even had out disposable cameras to your littles like we did. Its was a great way to have our children add to this already special day.
MAKE IT ABOUT YOU: Weather you decide to go big or celebrate small, pay attention to the details and make it about you. It's easy to get sucked into the beauty of social media and want what you've seen while scrolling, but this day should be about celebrating you, your spouse and your marriage. When planning your version of the perfect vow renewal I want you to ask yourself. If your friends showed up would they say "This is a pretty set up" or would they say "This is totally them, what a good idea"? There is no reason to sell yourself short and head down "cookie cutter lane", really think about what makes your relationship special and amplify that!
I look forward to hearing your stories of renewals and what brilliant ideas you've come up with the celebrate your marriage. It's hard work, it's so rewarding when done right, and celebrating you and your love should comes as natural as your birthday.
With Love and glitter,
Michaelene
P.S.
Here is a list of Event Creatives in the Mammoth, Ca Area that can be contacted if you happen to get married or do your vow renewal there.
Photographers:
ALL THE PHOTOS HERE WERE TAKEN BY: https://www.instagram.com/faithhysellphoto/
CABIN:
Dessert:
Makeup:
HAIR & MAKEUP:
HAIR:
FLORAL: