When Should You Do a Vow Renewal?
The best time to do a vow renewal is whenever it feels genuinely meaningful to both of you most couples choose a milestone anniversary like 5, 10, 25, or 50 years, though plenty renew after coming through a hard period together, shortly after having a child, once the kids have left home, or simply when they want the ceremony their original wedding never gave them. There's no required year or occasion to wait for. If it feels right for your relationship, then it's the right time.
Below, we'll walk through the clearest signs it's time, the most common reasons couples choose to renew their vows, and how timing usually plays out for couples planning a renewal in Perth.
TL;DR
The best time to renew your wedding vows is whenever it feels meaningful to both of you, there is no required anniversary or legal timeframe. Many couples choose a 10th, 25th, or 50th anniversary, while others renew after overcoming a difficult period, having children, becoming empty nesters, or simply wanting to celebrate their relationship. In Perth, spring and autumn are ideal for outdoor ceremonies, while winter suits intimate indoor renewals and summer works best around sunrise or sunset. Ultimately, the right time is when you and your partner genuinely want to reaffirm your commitment.
What Is a Vow Renewal?
A vow renewal is a ceremony where an already-married couple reaffirms their commitment to each other, usually in front of family or friends. Unlike a wedding, it has no legal function; there's no certificate, no paperwork, and no legal requirement to involve a registered marriage celebrant, though most couples still choose to have one lead the ceremony.
Because renewing wedding vows isn't a legal process, the ceremony can be structured however the couple wants. Some repeat their original vows word for word. Others prefer writing their own wedding vows from scratch, since a lot of life has usually passed since the wedding, including kids, moves, career changes, hard years, and good years. The format is flexible; the intent behind it is what matters.
Reasons to Renew Your Wedding Vows
Most reasons to renew your wedding vows fall into one of four categories:
Celebration: marking years together with something bigger and more festive than an average anniversary
Reconnection: reaffirming commitment after a genuinely hard stretch, usually smaller and more personal
Do-over: recreating or improving on a wedding that didn't go the way it was hoped the first time
Family: bringing in children or grandchildren who weren't part of the original wedding day
None of these reasons is more valid than the others. What matters is that the reason behind it shapes the ceremony, not the other way around.
Whatever your reason for renewing your vows, the ceremony should feel like yours. Our Wow That Vow package is designed to turn that reason into a celebration worth remembering.
When is the Best Time for a Vow Renewal?
If you're planning around practicalities rather than a specific milestone, the best time for a vow renewal in Perth is generally spring (September to November) or autumn (March to May). Both offer mild weather, better outdoor ceremony conditions, and typically more venue availability than peak wedding season.
Winter is well-suited to smaller, indoor ceremonies. Summer works if the ceremony is scheduled around sunrise or sunset to avoid the heat.
For couples who prefer to build the day around a milestone instead of the season, here's when to have a vow renewal based on some of the most common anniversaries.
10-Year Vow Renewal
Ten years in, most couples have actually lived a fair bit of life together, careers changing, kids arriving, and maybe a move or two along the way. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the median length of an Australian marriage has climbed to 9.4 years, meaning more couples than ever are reaching this point together.
That makes the 10-year mark a natural, common moment to pause and recommit. These tend to be relaxed, personal ceremonies rather than big formal affairs, often kept to close family only.
25th Anniversary Vow Renewal
This is the silver anniversary, and it's usually where guest lists start growing again. Adult children, grandkids, and extended family who weren't around for the original wedding often get included this time. A 25th anniversary vow renewal tends to have a bit more structure to it, sometimes with a reception afterwards.
50th Anniversary Vow Renewal
The golden anniversary. Honestly, these are some of the most meaningful ceremonies to be part of. Fifty years is a long time, and it usually shows in the room. Children and grandchildren are often directly involved. It doesn't need to be big to land. A small, quiet 50th anniversary vow renewal can carry just as much weight as a large one.
Common Occasions Couples Choose for a Vow Renewal
Outside of anniversaries, several other life moments regularly prompt couples to plan a renewal.
A Spouse's Milestone Birthday
Some partners choose to renew their vows as a surprise tied to a spouse's milestone birthday, particularly around a big number like 40, 50, or 60. It's a way of reaffirming the relationship at the same time as marking a personal milestone, and it often means more to the other person than a typical birthday gift would.
Shortly After Having a Child
New parenthood shifts a lot of attention away from the relationship itself, at least for a while. Some couples use a vow renewal soon after a child is born as a way to reconnect as a couple, not just as parents, before life gets even busier.
After the Kids Leave Home
Once children move out, the relationship often looks a bit different than it did during the busy parenting years. Some couples mark this shift with a renewal, usually smaller and more focused on just the two of them, as a way of stepping into that next chapter together.
Alongside a Big Trip or Shared Achievement
Couples who travel or take on challenges together sometimes fold a vow renewal into a significant trip or milestone experience, treating the ceremony as part of something bigger rather than a separate event on its own.
Moving Into a Quieter Chapter of Life
For couples nearing or already in retirement, a low-key renewal, sometimes just the two of them plus a celebrant, is a common way to mark decades together without the scale or cost of a large event.
Not sure which of these fits you? Mark Your Ceremony can help you work out what shape your renewal should take.
Signs You Should Renew Your Vows
A few signs that you should renew your vows are more common than others:
You're approaching or have recently passed a significant anniversary
Your original wedding was small, rushed, or didn't reflect what you actually wanted at the time
You've come through a hard period together, such as illness, separation, financial pressure, or grief, and want to mark getting through it
You want to include people in your life now, like children, grandchildren, or close friends, who weren't part of the original wedding
You and your partner have actually talked about it and both genuinely want to, not just one of you going along with the other's idea
If two or more of these sound familiar, that's usually a strong enough signal to start planning. The main thing worth checking before locking anything in is that it's a shared decision, not one-sided, and that it's happening because you want it, not because it feels expected at a certain anniversary.
Final Thoughts
There's no universally correct time to do a vow renewal. It depends on what's happening in your relationship and what you want to mark. For most couples, the decision is often tied to a milestone anniversary, a period of reconnection after a hard stretch, or a long-standing wish to recommit properly.
You don't have to work out the timing on your own either. A celebrant who has run these ceremonies before can talk through timing, format, and scale with you, whether you're picturing a big family celebration or something quiet and personal.
If you're in Perth and thinking about a vow renewal, we'd genuinely love to help you figure out what that looks like. Get in touch with Mark Your Ceremony whenever you're ready.
FAQs
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No. It carries no legal weight since the couple is already married. There's no certificate or official registration involved.
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No, rings aren't required. Some couples choose to re-exchange their original rings or introduce new ones, but it's entirely optional.
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Most commonly a marriage celebrant, though a friend or family member can also lead the ceremony since there's no legal requirement involved.
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Yes. Vow renewals are increasingly common, particularly around milestone anniversaries or after significant life events, and don't require a specific "approved" reason.
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Cost depends entirely on scale. A simple ceremony with just a celebrant can be relatively low cost, while a larger event with a venue, guests, and reception will be priced closer to a wedding. Contact us directly for a quote based on your plans.
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Most ceremonies run between 15 and 30 minutes. Larger renewals involving readings, speeches, or multiple family members typically run longer.
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Yes. Many couples choose a small, private renewal with just a celebrant present, rather than a larger event with guests. Both formats are equally common.