Vow Renewal Ceremony Script: How to Lead a Renewal for a Couple Who's Already Married

[Processional. Ramon and Teresa enter together. Guests stand, then are seated.]

Good afternoon, everyone. Please, take a seat and get comfortable.

My name is Bianca. I am Ramon and Teresa's eldest daughter. Today I get to stand in front of the two people who raised me, and I promise to be gentle with them.

Welcome to this garden behind our parish hall here in Daly City. We are here for one reason. Thirty years ago, Ramon and Teresa made promises to each other. Today they are going to make them again.

This is not a new wedding. It is a renewal. It is a chance to say, out loud and in front of the people they love: we would do it all again.

[To the guests]

Look around you. Everyone here is part of this story. You have shared meals with them, prayed with them, and helped them along the way. Thank you for being here.

I want to thank two people in particular. Ninong Ben and Ninang Rose stood with my parents at their wedding in 1996. They flew all the way from Manila to stand with them again. Thank you. Your love has come a long way, and we are grateful.

We also hold a place in our hearts for someone who cannot be here. My Lola Carmen, Mom's mother, passed away in 2021. She was their biggest supporter. I think she is smiling today, and I think she has already told someone she was right all along.

[Pause]

Now, let me tell you how this story began.

In 1993, in Manila, there was a party for a cousin's 18th birthday. There was dancing. My father, Ramon, stepped on my mother's foot. Teresa's foot. And he apologized for the rest of the night.

Dad, I want you to know that it worked.

In 1995, he proposed. He had a nice restaurant planned. But he was too nervous to wait. So he asked her on a jeepney ride home. No candles. No violin. Just a bumpy ride, and a very nervous man. She said yes.

They married in 1996 in Quezon City. In 1998 they moved to Daly City with two suitcases. Two suitcases. And look at what they have built since then.

Here is how I know it works. Every morning, Dad packs Mom's lunch, and he puts a note inside. Every morning. Mom handles the money and every hard phone call, so nobody in this family has ever had to argue with a billing department alone.

For ten years they worked opposite shifts. Mom was a nurse. Dad worked at the airport. They hardly crossed paths during the week. But every Sunday, they had dinner together. Every one.

And in 2019, when Dad had heart surgery, Mom did not leave the hospital for three days. That is love. It is not loud. It shows up and stays.

[Reader: Mia]

My sister Mia will now read from First Corinthians, chapter 13.

[Mia reads 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind..."]

Thank you, Mia.

Mom and Dad, I have a few words for you. Then I will let you do the talking.

That reading describes love as patient and kind. You have shown us that for my whole life. But I have noticed something else. Love is also practical. It is a packed lunch. It is a phone call made so the other person does not have to. It is a Sunday dinner kept on the calendar.

So here is my advice, and it is really just what you taught us. Keep showing up. Keep writing the notes. Keep saving Sunday. And Dad, maybe watch your feet.

Paolo, Mia, and I are proud to be your children. We learned what a family is from the two of you.

[Note, not spoken: This is a vow renewal, not a legal wedding, so there is no declaration of intent, license, or pronouncement of marriage.]

[To the couple]

Ramon and Teresa, you have each written new vows. Please face each other. Ramon, we will begin with you.

[Ramon reads his vows]

Teresa, your turn.

[Teresa reads her vows]

Thank you both. We heard every word.

Now, the rings. Thirty years ago, you put these rings on each other's hands. They have been through two suitcases, a move across an ocean, long shifts, and a hospital stay. Today we ask Father Dan, our parish priest, to bless them.

[Father Dan offers a blessing over the rings]

Thank you, Father Dan.

[Couple exchanges rings]

Ramon, please place the ring back on Teresa's hand and repeat after me. Teresa, this ring is a sign of my love and my promise. I wore it with joy then. I give it to you again today.

[Ramon repeats]

Teresa, please place the ring back on Ramon's hand and repeat after me. Ramon, this ring is a sign of my love and my promise. I wore it with joy then. I give it to you again today.

[Teresa repeats]

At their wedding in 1996, their sponsors placed a veil and a cord over them. It was a sign of being joined, and of being looked after. Today, Paolo and Mia will do the same.

[Paolo and Mia place the veil and cord over the couple]

Under this veil and cord, you are held by your family and by everyone here. May you always be.

Ramon and Teresa, you have renewed your promises in front of the people who love you most. There is nothing left to do but celebrate.

[To the guests]

Friends and family, it is my joy to present to you Ramon and Teresa Dizon, thirty years and counting!

[Applause. Recessional.]

[Processional. Guests stand as Simone and Will walk onto the sand, with Ruby and Arlo carrying the rings.]

Good afternoon, everyone. Please, sit down, get comfy, and take your shoes off. Actually, I see you already have. Well done. Barefoot on a beach in Mexico is a very good start.

My name is Gareth. I have known Will since university in Manchester, so I have seen him at his best and at his worst. Today is a best.

[To the guests]

We are here to celebrate Simone and Will, and to watch them renew their vows on their tenth anniversary. Just so we are clear, this is not a legal wedding. They are already married. Nobody has to object to anything, and nobody has to speak now or forever hold their peace. You can speak whenever you like. Just not during the vows.

Thank you all for coming. Some of you travelled a very long way to stand on this sand, and they are so glad you did.

[To Pauline]

One person deserves a special thank you. Simone's mum, Pauline, flew all the way out here and is minding Ruby and Arlo all week. Pauline, that is the real anniversary present. Please, everyone, a round of applause.

[Pause for applause]

Now, the story. In 2013, Simone and Will were on a delayed train from Manchester to London. Anyone who has taken a British train will not be shocked to hear it was late. Then the trolley ran out of food. Everyone was hungry and a bit grumpy. And Will, a man who has never once been accused of being smooth, offered Simone half of his sandwich.

She said yes. That is the first and possibly the best decision she ever made about him.

Three years later, in 2016, they got married at Manchester Register Office. There were two witnesses. One was me. The other was my wife, Priti, who is here today. We stood there, we clapped, and then we all went for fish and chips. It was a perfect day. But I know they always wanted the party they skipped. So here we are, ten years on, and this is it. Fewer chips. Better view.

Since then, they have built a family. Ruby is seven, and Arlo is four, and they are the ones holding the rings, so let's hope nobody drops them in the sea.

I have watched Simone and Will for a long time, and here is what I see. Will does every single school run, rain or shine. In Manchester, that is mostly rain. Simone remembers every birthday in both families and sends the cards for both of them. Every card, every year. And after all this time, they still split every sandwich.

That is the whole secret, really. Show up. Remember the people who matter. And share your food.

So here is my little bit of advice. Keep showing up, even on the days it is boring. Keep saying thank you for the small things, because the small things are most of life. And when the trolley runs out, which it will, be the one who offers half.

[To the couple]

Simone and Will, you are here today to say again what you said ten years ago, and maybe to say it a little better, because you now know what you are promising. Simone, Will, do you choose each other again, today, for the days still to come?

[Couple: "We do."]

[Note, not spoken: this is a vow renewal, so no legal declaration is needed. If any paperwork or legal wording is wanted, requirements vary by place and should be checked locally.]

Wonderful. Now, the vows. They have written their own, and they are short, because they know I get hungry. Simone, would you like to begin?

[Simone speaks her personal vows to Will.]

Thank you, Simone. Will, over to you.

[Will speaks his personal vows to Simone.]

That was lovely. I may have something in my eye. It is probably sand.

Now, the rings. Ruby, Arlo, come on up. You are the most important people on this beach right now. Hold them tight.

[Ruby and Arlo bring the new rings forward.]

These new rings are not here to replace the old ones. They say that ten years in, you would do it all again. Will, please place the ring on Simone's finger and repeat after me: "Simone, with this ring, I choose you again. I promise to share my sandwich, and my life."

[Will repeats and places the ring.]

Simone, same to you: "Will, with this ring, I choose you again. I promise to share my sandwich, and my life."

[Simone repeats and places the ring.]

Ruby and Arlo, thank you. Great work. Go and give your mum and dad a hug.

[Children hug their parents.]

Simone and Will, you have made your promises again in front of the people who love you. May the next ten years be full of good trains, good food, and very few delays. You may kiss, if you remember how.

[Couple kisses.]

Friends and family, it is my great pleasure to present Simone and Will, ten years in!

[Recessional. Guests cheer as the couple and children walk down the beach.]