Planning a Vow Renewal (or a wedding!)

If you’ve followed me for a while, you may have noticed the vow renewal photos I shared this summer. I surprised Chris by planning a vow renewal in Savannah, GA {where I’m from} for our 10 year wedding anniversary.

It is amazing how quickly time flies! Since we currently live in Minnesota, I had to do it all long distance. Could that have been a crazy difficult challenge? Sure! But I went with a planner and it made it SO simple. I wanted to share a few tips that you can use if you’re either planning your wedding or a vow renewal as well.

1. Pick a date

Sounds simple right? Wrong. This can be one of the most difficult decisions since you have to factor in days off from work, holidays, game schedules, school, etc… When Chris & I got married in 2009, we couldn’t get married on a Saturday. It was football season!

For our vow renewal, I picked a Tuesday. Why? It’s so much more affordable to do a ceremony on a weekday than a weekend. Rates are significantly lower and there’s more availability. Once you nail down a date, everything else will be much smoother because you have the most important day picked out.

2. Decide if you’re going to use a planner/company

I highly recommend using a wedding planner.

Not only do they do an amazing job planning weddings because it’s their job, but they also know everything that needs to happen to make it run smoothly. Worried a planner may not fit in your budget? Shop around, see what packages they offer. Many start as low as $400, which is a steal! If I hadn’t gone with the company I used, planning our long distance vow renewal would have been so much more difficult.

Since I went with Tracy Brisson, of Savannah Custom Weddings, I didn’t need to worry about finding a photographer or makeup artist. They had recommendations of professionals they work with on a regular basis and I absolutely loved their work.

Not only did they have those amazing connections, they also took care of the florist, the baker and the chairs. All I had to do was approve and pay. So easy!

3. Location

You would be surprised at the places you can have a ceremony. Our wedding was held at the beach on Tybee and our renewal was in downtown Savannah across from the Mercer house. Clearly we have a thing for the outdoors in the summer.

Since we were doing a ceremony with more than a handful of people in attendance and chairs being set up, we needed a permit from the city as well as security. These are things our planner let us know about well in advance and directed us to the right departments to take care of. {See how a wedding planner is a huge sanity saver?!}

4. Size

Are you a fan of big parties or are you more low key? Chris and I are both very low key people, so there weren’t many in attendance at our wedding or our vow renewal. It was mainly family and close friends, which is exactly what we wanted.

If you are more outgoing and love a big party, throw one! Just factor that into the location because a lot of places will have space limits. A good wedding planner will remind you of these and let you know all of your options, depending on your budget and date availability.

I hope these few key details help you to plan the day of your dreams! Are there other details to take care of? Of course! Can’t forget the dress, right? I snagged mine from Amazon for only $100. Such a deal! The most important part is celebrating the day with the person you love most. The rest of it is just the icing on the cake.