Vow Renewal Vows: Saying "I Do" Again After 10, 25 or 50 Years

The first time you said your vows, you were promising things you hadn't lived yet. This time you have the proof: the homes, the kids, the hard year you got through together. That makes vow renewal vows easier to write than wedding vows, because you don't have to guess what forever looks like. Below you'll find a simple structure, opening and closing lines, a fill-in template and two examples of renewing wedding vows, one from a husband and one from a wife.

  • 2 full examples below
  • Free personalized preview
  • Unlock from $9.95, 30-day guarantee
When you speak
After the officiant's welcome, before you exchange rings
Ideal length
1-2 minutes each (150-300 words)
Who you address
Your spouse only; guests are listening in
Tone that works
Grateful and grounded, with one or two gentle laughs

Write your vow renewal vows in minutes

Answer a few questions about you and the people you're celebrating. Toastful writes a personal draft from your own stories. See a free preview before you decide.

Names &
roles
1/4
Who are these vows for?

Free preview. Unlock the full speech only if you love it.

Vow renewal vows examples

Each example below was written by Toastful from the answers shown under it, so you can see exactly how your own stories turn into a finished speech. Names and details are fictional.

Example 1: Husband to wife, 25th anniversary, heartfelt (about 2 minutes)

272 words · about 2 min spoken

Nomsa, from the day we met in that long queue at Home Affairs, you have been calm in every storm. You shared your coffee, your naartjies, and your kindness with a stranger. I was drawn to your steady heart then, and I still am now.

We have built a life together, from early days in Pretoria to raising Sizwe and Lwazi in Johannesburg. We have known easy times and hard ones. I will never forget 2012, when you worked, cared for our home, and drove me everywhere after my back operation. You carried us through. Thank you for holding our family up when I could not stand.

I love that you still leave a note in my lunch tin every Monday. I love how you laugh in church, louder than anyone, and how you always know when something is on my mind. You have never stopped surprising me with your warmth and your faith.

I promise to drive you to every appointment, just as you did for me. I promise to take over Sunday lunch, so you can finally rest after church. I promise to keep reading every note you slip into my lunch, and to never take them for granted. I promise to grow old beside you, in our home, surrounded by the love we started and the sons we raised together.

No matter what life brings, I will stand beside you and remind you: we have survived worse queues. I look forward to new adventures, to finally taking you to Zanzibar, and to all the days still to come. In sickness and in health, I choose you, again and always.

What the writer told Toastful to get this speech
Speaker
Sipho, vow renewal
How they met
We met in 1998 in a four-hour queue at the Home Affairs office in Pretoria. Nomsa had brought a flask of coffee and a bag of naartjies, and after two hours she offered me both. My first impression was that she was the only calm person in the building.
When they knew
We married in 2001 and moved to Johannesburg in 2008 for my work. We have two sons, Sizwe and Lwazi, now 22 and 19. The hardest year was 2012, when I had a back operation and couldn't work for seven months. Nomsa kept her teaching job, ran the house and drove me to every physio appointment. I want to thank her for that.
What they love
She still leaves a note in my lunch tin every Monday, after 25 years. She knows I'm worried before I say a word. She laughs so loudly in church that the whole row turns around.
Promises
To drive her to every appointment, the way she drove me. To take over Sunday lunch so she can finally sit down after church. To keep reading her Monday notes before I eat. To grow old beside her in our home in Johannesburg.
Quirks
When things get hard, we still tell each other, 'We've survived worse queues.'
Looking ahead
Finally taking her to Zanzibar, the honeymoon we couldn't afford in 2001.
Extras
Our faith matters to us. In our wedding vows I promised to love her 'in sickness and in health.' I didn't know then that I would be the sick one. We're renewing our vows for our 25th anniversary at the same church in Pietermaritzburg where we married, with Sizwe and Lwazi standing beside us.
Write mine with my stories

Example 2: Wife to husband, 10th anniversary, short and funny (about 1 minute)

178 words · about 1 min spoken

Tunde, from the moment you bowled into the wrong lane and apologised to a spilled drink, I knew you were someone special. Ten years ago, right here in Mum and Dad’s backyard, I promised to always be on your team. I like to think I’ve kept that promise, even during that long FIFO year of FaceTime dinners and goodnight stories through a screen.

I love your Gruffalo voice at bedtime and how you stay calm when I’m running late and the twins have lost their shoes for the hundredth time. You always make me feel like things will be okay, even when Zara and Dayo are plotting chaos and the house is a mess.

I promise to give you back at least half the doona, Wrong Lane. I promise to back you all the way when you finally start that food truck. I promise to keep choosing you, even on the days the twins break something I didn’t even know we owned. And I promise that, whatever comes next—rainy weekend or real honeymoon—I’ll always be on your team.

What the writer told Toastful to get this speech
Speaker
Kate, vow renewal
How they met
We met in 2014 at a friend's 30th at a barefoot bowls club in Brisbane. Tunde had never bowled before. His first bowl went into the next lane and knocked over the club president's drink. He apologised to the president, then to the drink.
When they knew
We married in 2016 in my parents' backyard in Toowoomba. Since then: a house in Ipswich, twins Zara and Dayo, who are now six, and one long year when Tunde worked fly-in fly-out at a mine in WA and we mostly lived on FaceTime.
What they love
He does every bedtime voice, including a very convincing Gruffalo. He stays calm when I'm panicking about the school run.
Promises
To give him back at least half the doona. To back him all the way when he finally starts the food truck he keeps talking about. To keep choosing him, even on the days the twins have broken something.
Quirks
I've called him 'Wrong Lane' since the night we met.
Looking ahead
A proper honeymoon, since our first one was a rainy weekend in a caravan park at Hervey Bay.
Extras
We're renewing our vows for our 10th anniversary, back in Mum and Dad's backyard. At our wedding I promised to 'always be on your team.' I'd like to say I've kept that one, even through the FIFO year. Zara and Dayo are carrying the rings and will almost certainly drop them.
Write mine with my stories

How to structure it

  1. 1

    Say their name and mark the years

    Start by saying your spouse's name and how long it has been: "Twenty-five years ago, I stood in this same church..." Add one small detail from your first wedding day, like the rain, the borrowed suit or the song you walked out to. It tells everyone right away that this is a promise with history behind it.

  2. 2

    Look back at what you promised the first time

    This is the move that makes renewal vows different from first-time vows. Quote one line from your original vows, or the traditional "in sickness and in health," and say how it turned out in real life. "I promised to be there in good times and bad. I didn't know bad would mean a night shift and a newborn, but you made it feel like a team."

  3. 3

    Name what you've been through in two or three lines

    Pick a few chapters, like the first rented flat, the kids arriving, the move for work or the year you lived in two cities. Don't list every house and job. If there was one hard season, give it one plain sentence and say what your spouse did, because a promise sounds stronger once it has been tested.

  4. 4

    Tell them what you love about who they are now

    Speak in the present tense about the person standing in front of you, not just the one you married. Mention something that has changed (the way he is with the grandkids, the garden she built from nothing) and something that never has. Small, daily things land best: the cup of tea before you ask, the porch light left on.

  5. 5

    Make promises for the life you have now

    Your first vows were about building a life, so make these fit the stage you're in now: small kids and a mortgage at a 10th, or the empty nest, retirement and looking after each other as you age at a 25th or 50th. Start several with "I promise" and keep each one to a single breath so you can repeat it after an officiant. Slip in one playful promise, like finally taking the trip you keep putting off.

  6. 6

    Close by choosing them again

    End with a short line of recommitment and look up from the card to say it. Something as simple as "I chose you then, and I choose you now" is enough. Pause, then hand back to the officiant for the rings or the kiss.

Opening and closing lines

Ways to open

  • “[Name], [Number] years ago I promised you forever without any idea what forever would ask of us. Now I know, and I'm promising it again.”
  • “The first time I said these words, my hands were shaking. Today they're steady, because I know exactly who I'm saying them to.”
  • “[Name], on our wedding day I promised to [LINE FROM YOUR ORIGINAL VOWS]. I'm here to tell you how that went, and to sign up for more.”
  • “[Number] years, [Number] kids, [Number] houses and one very stubborn [DOG, CAR OR BOILER] later, here we are, [Name].”
  • “When we got married, we had [WHAT YOU HAD, e.g. a borrowed car and a mattress on the floor]. Today we have a whole life, and I wouldn't trade a day of it.”
  • “[Name], I married you for who you were at [AGE]. I'm renewing these vows for who you've become since.”
  • “Last time I stood up and made you promises, I was guessing. This time I have [Number] years of proof.”
  • “The [man or woman] I met at [PLACE] in [YEAR] is standing in front of me, a little grayer and a lot wiser. So am I.”
  • “[Name], our [children or grandchildren] are sitting right there, so the whole family is about to hear me get soppy. I don't mind one bit.”
  • “I've told you I love you something like [Number] thousand times. Today I want to tell you what I actually mean by it.”

Ways to close

  • “I chose you at [AGE]. I choose you today. And I'll choose you every day I have left.”
  • “[Name], I'd marry you all over again. Today, I get to.”
  • “Everything I promised you [Number] years ago still stands. Today I'm putting my name to it again.”
  • “When we're older and still arguing about [SMALL RECURRING DEBATE, e.g. the thermostat], I'll still be the luckiest person in the room. I'm yours, [Name].”
  • “I don't know what the next [Number] years will bring. I only know I want to find out with you.”
  • “Same promise, older hands, bigger heart. I'm yours, [Name].”
  • “You've made a home of every house we've lived in. Wherever we go next, you'll still be home.”
  • “[Name], you've kept every promise you made me. Here's mine, again: I'm yours for life.”
  • “So yes, [Name]. Still yes. Always yes.”
  • “I promised you forever once. It turns out once wasn't enough, so I'm promising it again.”

Fill-in-the-blank template

Prefer to write it yourself? Copy this and replace everything in [brackets].

[SPOUSE'S NAME], [NUMBER] years ago, at [WHERE YOU MARRIED], I promised to [ONE LINE FROM YOUR ORIGINAL VOWS, OR "LOVE YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE"]. I was [YOUR AGE THEN], and I had no idea what that promise would ask of us.

I still remember [ONE DETAIL FROM THE DAY YOU MET OR YOUR WEDDING DAY]. I thought you were [YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION]. I was right about that, and wrong about almost everything else, because you turned out to be so much more.

Since then, we've [TWO OR THREE CHAPTERS, e.g. RAISED THREE KIDS, MOVED FOUR TIMES, STARTED THE BUSINESS]. We got through [ONE HARD SEASON, IN A FEW WORDS], and you [WHAT YOUR SPOUSE DID THAT YOU'LL NEVER FORGET]. That's when I learned what "[WORDS FROM YOUR VOWS, e.g. IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD]" really means.

Today I love you for [SOMETHING SPECIFIC ABOUT WHO THEY ARE NOW]. I love the way you [A SMALL DAILY HABIT]. And I still love [SOMETHING THAT HASN'T CHANGED SINCE THE DAY YOU MET].

So today, I make you these promises again. I promise to [A SERIOUS PROMISE FOR THIS STAGE OF LIFE, e.g. TAKE CARE OF YOU AS WE GROW OLDER]. I promise to [A PROMISE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY OR HOME]. I promise to [A PLAYFUL PROMISE, e.g. STOP HIDING THE TV REMOTE]. And I promise to [A PROMISE ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT, e.g. FINALLY TAKE YOU TO ITALY].

[SPOUSE'S NAME], I chose you [NUMBER] years ago, and I choose you again today. [ONE CLOSING LINE, e.g. LET'S SEE WHAT THE NEXT 25 YEARS BRING].

Tips and mistakes to avoid

Do

  • Find your original vows (check the wedding video, the order of service or ask your officiant) and borrow one line to echo, so today links back to your first day.
  • If you're giving each other rings again (new bands or your original ones), write one short line to say as you do it, like "This ring has seen [Number] years of [DISHES, GARDENS, NIGHT SHIFTS], and it's staying put."
  • Write about who your spouse is now, including one quality or habit that has grown since your wedding, not just the person you married.
  • If your children or grandchildren are there, mention them in one warm line, then turn straight back to your spouse; these are vows, not a family speech.
  • Ask someone who was at your first wedding, like a sibling or your best man, for one detail you've forgotten; a memory your spouse didn't know you'd kept makes a lovely opening.
  • Give your officiant a short note on your story and tell them which memories you're saving for your vows, so their welcome doesn't tell the same story first.
  • Print your vows in large type on a card rather than reading from your phone, and keep your reading glasses within reach.
  • Read them out loud twice the day before; if the line about the kids or the hard year catches in your throat, keep it and plan a breath there rather than cutting it.

Avoid

  • Don't just re-read your original wedding vows word for word unless you've both agreed to; your spouse will want to hear what the years taught you.
  • Don't turn your vows into a year-by-year history of the marriage; two or three chapters are plenty.
  • Don't make "life sentence," "still putting up with you" or "I deserve a medal" jokes; at a renewal they sound like complaints.
  • Don't bring up old fights, a separation or an affair in front of guests, even if you've worked through it together.
  • Don't thank the guests or the people who planned the day in your vows; save that for a toast at the meal afterward.
  • Don't promise things that depend on luck, like "we'll always be healthy"; promise what you will do, like "I'll sit beside you in every waiting room."
  • Don't spring surprise vows on your spouse at an anniversary party unless you're sure they'd love it; give them time to prepare words of their own.

Frequently asked questions

How long should vow renewal vows be?

Aim for one to two minutes each, which is about 150 to 300 words when read at a calm pace. If your officiant will have you repeat lines after them, keep it nearer 120 to 170 words with short sentences. The most important thing is that you and your spouse land at roughly the same length, so agree on a word count before either of you starts writing.

What do you say when renewing wedding vows?

Renewal vows look back before they look forward. Say your spouse's name and how many years it has been, recall one line or moment from your first wedding, name two or three things you've been through together, and say what you love about them today. Then make a handful of new promises for the life you have now and close by choosing them again. The examples above show that shape in practice.

Should we just reuse our original wedding vows?

You can, but most couples get more out of doing both. A popular format is to read short personal vows to each other first, then repeat your original or traditional vows together, line by line, after the officiant. Another option is to quote one line from your first vows inside your new ones and say how it turned out. Either way, your spouse hears what the years have actually meant to you.

How should vows change for a 10th, 25th or 50th anniversary?

At a 10th you're often in the busiest years, with young kids, a mortgage and two jobs, so keep it light and promise to protect time for each other. At a 25th anniversary vow renewal you likely have grown children and at least one season that tested you; thank your spouse for what they carried and make promises for the empty nest. At a 50th, keep it short and slow, lean on gratitude, give the grandchildren one line and ask for a microphone so everyone hears you.

Should I mention hard times or a rough patch in my vows?

A short, plain mention of a hard season, like a job loss, an illness or a year apart, usually makes renewal vows stronger, because it shows your promises have already been tested. Keep it to one sentence and focus on what your spouse did. If you're renewing after a separation or a breach of trust, keep the details private and speak about what you're choosing together now.

Who can lead a vow renewal, and is it legally binding?

A vow renewal isn't a legal ceremony, because you're already married, so you don't need a license (or, in the UK, to give notice) and anyone can lead it: a minister, a celebrant, a close friend or one of your children. Many churches will hold a blessing or renewal service for married couples. In the UK, independent celebrants and many local councils' registration services offer renewal ceremonies too.

Do vow renewal vows for husband and wife need to match?

They don't need to match word for word, and it's lovely when they don't. But agree on three things ahead of time: rough length, tone (all heartfelt, or a few laughs) and who goes first. Some couples keep their vows a surprise; others share drafts so nobody is caught out. If one of you is less comfortable speaking, a shorter version paired with repeated traditional vows works well.

Can Toastful write my vow renewal vows for me?

Yes. Choose Vow renewal, then answer a few questions about how you met, what your marriage has been through, what you love about your spouse and what you want to promise. Toastful writes a draft from your own stories, in your voice, at the tone and length you pick. You see a free preview of the opening first. The full vows cost $9.95 with a print-ready PDF and cue cards, or $17.95 with a short version and an alternate-tone version added. Both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Related speeches

Ready to write yours?

Share a few memories and get a personal wedding vows draft in about a minute. Free preview; unlock only if you love it.

Start my vow renewal vows
Write my vow renewal vows