Hot Trends for Vow Renewal Attendants

Get creative with your vow renewal style! There are no rules, so do it your way! Figure out what suits you and your spouse and go with it. It’s really […]

4.1 min readCategories: Your Renewal Party

A quick overview of the topics covered in this article.

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Get creative with your vow renewal style! There are no rules, so do it your way!

Figure out what suits you and your spouse and go with it. It’s really as simple as that! Toss out the traditional wedding party rules where brides asked their best gal pals to be bridesmaids, and grooms asked their male buddies to be groomsmen or keep them if you wish. Have no attendants, only children, or just your children. Ask other couples you’re friends with to be in your vow renewal party. Follow your vision and your hearts and choose whom and how many you want as a couple, without concern for gender or equal numbers, and you can’t get it wrong.

Once you have your attendants selected, follow our tips to managing your creative attendant selections and everyone will walk up and down the aisle with ease.

Create Balance
Chances are, as a couple everyone in your vow renewal party is a friend to both of you, so where they stand on shouldn’t be a big issue. If you have a significant variance in the number of male and female attendants selected by each spouse, be flexible and balance them out or have them stand in a full or half circle. For example, you can put all the guys on the husband’s side and all the girls on the wife’s side, regardless of who wanted them to be in the vow renewal party. Or you can mix them up on both sides. Whatever makes the most sense and means the most to you. If having attendants stand in same-sex lines doesn’t seem like the right fit for your ceremony, have all of the attendants stand in a full or half circle, intermixing the men and women as desired. This is particularly nice if you are part of a large group of couples. You will be surrounded by your circle of friends as you renew your vows as you are in the rest of your life.

The Attire
Oh what to have everyone wear! If the thought of matching head-to-toe attire fills you with dread, don’t do it. You can have elegance without being all matchy-matchy! Try picking two coordinating patterns or a fun pattern and color combo; then dress half of the women in each. Or, you can pick a single color palette and fabric and leave the selection up to them.

For formal vow renewals, here are some additional ideas:

  • All female attendants, regardless of the side they are standing on can wear the same dress in the same color. Same goes to the male attendants concerning suits.
  • The wife’s side wears one color, and the husband’s side wears a second color. These colors are applied to the dresses and ties and vest of the attendants on each side. For instance, the couple’s colors are yellow and green. The female attendant’s on the wife’s side wear yellow dresses, and the male attendants wear yellow ties with their black suits. The female attendant’s on the husband’s side wear green dresses, and the male attendants wear green ties with their black suits. Both sides wear the same dress and suit style.
  • Female attendants on each side wear the same color of dress in different styles. Male attendant wear the same suits on both sides.

The Flowers
Your boutonnieres and bouquets don’t have to be all the same either. It might be fun to pick a single color and have each bouquet done in a different flower. You could also go with shades of a single color, such as a variety of pinks. For a fun and colorful option, have each bouquet done in a single different bright color such as hot pink, bright orange, red, bright yellow, royal purple, and brilliant blue or any combination thereof. Or have each female attendant carry a bouquet of one flower, while the your bouquet is comprised of all their flowers. Boutonnieres can also follow suit using different colors, flowers or shades of the same color.

Down the Aisle
Check to see if your house of worship or religion has requirements for the processional and recessional. Even if they do, check with the wedding coordinator to see if you can break with tradition. Chances are good you can. Attendants can walk down the aisle alone, in same-sex pairs, or mixed pairs. If you have a large difference in the number of men to women, go with single file! Consistency always looks best.

PetTrends in Vow Renewal Attendants Attendants
Pets can make a fun replacement for ring bearers, flower girls, or even escorts. If your dog or cat is up to playing dress up, it can be even more fun to include them. If they’re a little people shy, your pet can also make an appearing role of save-the-dates, escort cards, and even casual invitations.

6 Comments

  1. Melissa Skidmore October 12, 2014 at 5:09 pm - Reply

    Is it tacky for a vow renewal for me to wear a wedding dress since we didn’t have a formal wedding when we got married in 1985. Our children and grandchildren will be the only ones in the renewal party but for the after party should I do center pieces, favors and a wedding cake? The after party will be more of a cook out than a reception other than we will have a 1st dance. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I just want to have our family and friends celebrate our 30th anniversary and we’ve wanted to renew our vows for several years but we’re never able to afford to do so.

    • Karie October 13, 2014 at 1:32 pm - Reply

      One of the beautiful things about a vow renewal is that there are no rules. You can absolutely wear a wedding dress to renew your vows – be it white, ivory, pink, red, or whatever you fancy. The days of white dresses being reserved for virgin or first time brides are long gone, so you should feel free to wear any dress your heart desires.

      Your party can be as fancy as you like. While many people tend to think of favors and centerpieces as things typically found at weddings, they are actually entirely appropriate for any party. In fact, they were quite common for any party in years gone by and even today are typically found at birthday celebrations, holiday parties, showers, and other parties. A favor is something you give guests as a token of your appreciate for coming to your celebration or as a memento of the occasion. Centerpieces provide you with an excellent opportunity to add color and interest to your celebration. Potted plants, fresh cut flowers, floral arrangements, single layer cakes on cake stands, framed photos, and other decorative items all make lovely centerpieces for a vow renewal.

      As for a cake, you can make it as fancy or simple as your celebration. Always dreamed of a white fondant covered three layer cake? Then have it! Love a more fun and casual cake – how about cupcakes? Or perhaps your dreams are filled with butter cream icing? Any of these will make for a wonderful treat for your guests and is the perfect way to celebrate your vow renewal.

      Cookouts are perfect for vow renewal receptions! Pick easy to cook foods the two of you love and recruit your family and friends to pitch in or bring a dish. You can even surprise them with your ceremony by simply inviting them to a cookout for a more casual feel. It’s a great way to keep otherwise anticipated guest expectations of the celebration at bay, while planning a vow renewal that is just what the two of you want.

      If you’re planning to hold your celebration outdoors, be sure to check out these two articles:

      You might also find our “Sample Vows for Renewing Your Wedding Vows After Many Years Together” article helpful as you plan your day!

      Congratulations and best wishes for a vow renewal that is everything you hoped and more!

      If you have more questions, please feel free to email karie@idostill.com or check out our Facebook page.

  2. Melissa Skidmore October 12, 2014 at 5:09 pm - Reply

    Is it tacky for a vow renewal for me to wear a wedding dress since we didn’t have a formal wedding when we got married in 1985. Our children and grandchildren will be the only ones in the renewal party but for the after party should I do center pieces, favors and a wedding cake? The after party will be more of a cook out than a reception other than we will have a 1st dance. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I just want to have our family and friends celebrate our 30th anniversary and we’ve wanted to renew our vows for several years but we’re never able to afford to do so.

    • Karie October 13, 2014 at 1:32 pm - Reply

      One of the beautiful things about a vow renewal is that there are no rules. You can absolutely wear a wedding dress to renew your vows – be it white, ivory, pink, red, or whatever you fancy. The days of white dresses being reserved for virgin or first time brides are long gone, so you should feel free to wear any dress your heart desires.

      Your party can be as fancy as you like. While many people tend to think of favors and centerpieces as things typically found at weddings, they are actually entirely appropriate for any party. In fact, they were quite common for any party in years gone by and even today are typically found at birthday celebrations, holiday parties, showers, and other parties. A favor is something you give guests as a token of your appreciate for coming to your celebration or as a memento of the occasion. Centerpieces provide you with an excellent opportunity to add color and interest to your celebration. Potted plants, fresh cut flowers, floral arrangements, single layer cakes on cake stands, framed photos, and other decorative items all make lovely centerpieces for a vow renewal.

      As for a cake, you can make it as fancy or simple as your celebration. Always dreamed of a white fondant covered three layer cake? Then have it! Love a more fun and casual cake – how about cupcakes? Or perhaps your dreams are filled with butter cream icing? Any of these will make for a wonderful treat for your guests and is the perfect way to celebrate your vow renewal.

      Cookouts are perfect for vow renewal receptions! Pick easy to cook foods the two of you love and recruit your family and friends to pitch in or bring a dish. You can even surprise them with your ceremony by simply inviting them to a cookout for a more casual feel. It’s a great way to keep otherwise anticipated guest expectations of the celebration at bay, while planning a vow renewal that is just what the two of you want.

      If you’re planning to hold your celebration outdoors, be sure to check out these two articles:

      You might also find our “Sample Vows for Renewing Your Wedding Vows After Many Years Together” article helpful as you plan your day!

      Congratulations and best wishes for a vow renewal that is everything you hoped and more!

      If you have more questions, please feel free to email karie@idostill.com or check out our Facebook page.

  3. Vee March 2, 2018 at 11:04 am - Reply

    Should the bride have her father walk her down the isle in the vow renewal service?

  4. Vee March 2, 2018 at 11:04 am - Reply

    Should the bride have her father walk her down the isle in the vow renewal service?

  5. Nomthandazo July 7, 2018 at 11:52 am - Reply

    Because I don’t want too many guests at my vow renewal ceremony,when sending out an invitation to my workplace,I am planning to invite only those who are married.WilI I be wrong in doing so?

    • Karie July 31, 2018 at 10:58 am - Reply

      If you don’t plan on inviting everyone in your workplace, you should send your invitations directly to the home address of those you do choose to invite. You will also want to limit talk about your planning in the workplace so as not to unintentionally hurt the feelings of anyone who won’t be invited or to raise questions about why they were excluded.

      There is no single right or wrong answer to who to invite. Just keep in mind that limiting workplace guests is easier in a large company than in a small one. You’ll also want to keep in mind the culture of your company in making this decision. Is it likely to create working relationship issues for you? Are you excluding a single person you work closely with on the basis of their marital status? You may want to consider the nature of your work relationship with your guests over their marital status.

      Best wishes on your upcoming vow renewal!

      Karie
      Founder and Editor

  6. Nomthandazo July 7, 2018 at 11:52 am - Reply

    Because I don’t want too many guests at my vow renewal ceremony,when sending out an invitation to my workplace,I am planning to invite only those who are married.WilI I be wrong in doing so?

    • Karie July 31, 2018 at 10:58 am - Reply

      If you don’t plan on inviting everyone in your workplace, you should send your invitations directly to the home address of those you do choose to invite. You will also want to limit talk about your planning in the workplace so as not to unintentionally hurt the feelings of anyone who won’t be invited or to raise questions about why they were excluded.

      There is no single right or wrong answer to who to invite. Just keep in mind that limiting workplace guests is easier in a large company than in a small one. You’ll also want to keep in mind the culture of your company in making this decision. Is it likely to create working relationship issues for you? Are you excluding a single person you work closely with on the basis of their marital status? You may want to consider the nature of your work relationship with your guests over their marital status.

      Best wishes on your upcoming vow renewal!

      Karie
      Founder and Editor

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