Reaffirmation
(Renewal of Vows)
Ceremonies
created & performed to your
specifications
by Jennifer Cram
Authorised and
Accredited Marriage Celebrant
Accredited Naming and General Celebrant
Advanced
Diploma of Marriage Celebrancy
(High Distinction)
Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy
Advanced Diploma of General Celebrancy
(High Distinction)
Advanced Diploma of Funeral Celebrancy
(High Distinction)
Member Professional Celebrants
Association
Member
Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants
Your reaffirmation ceremony - a celebration of your
achievement of being successful in marriage
 Everybody loves a
wedding - and
reaffirmation is a new interpretation
of the wedding ceremony, incorporating all the joy and celebration of a
wedding ceremony, but generally much more relaxed because of the
confidence of the couple in their relationship. A wedding is a
celebration of falling in love and beginning a marriage. A
reaffirmation ceremony is a celebration of staying in love and of your
commitment to your marriage. It celebrates your achievement of being
successful at marriage. It has a different focus. You have already
satisfied all the legal and social requirements for marriage.
Reaffirming your vows is something you do merely because you want to -
a chance to redefine your marriage, rededicate yourselves to it,
celebrate what you've accomplished and look ahead to what is still to
come.
The custom of
reaffirming marriage vows is very popular with couples who are happily
married and want to say so, to each other and to the world. And couples
who have made a public declaration of their love in a commitment
ceremony, though not legally married, are also increasingly reaffirming
their vows after five, ten, twenty-five years or more of being
together. Because every marriage is unique, there is no one right or
best time for reaffirming your vows. Important anniversaries
(tenth, twenty-fifth, fiftieth) are often chosen for reaffirmation of
vows, but reaffirmation can also be a rite of passage into a new period
of your marriage. It can be a way of redefining the family as you move
into the "empty-nest" period of your life. If you've
recently been through a particularly difficult time a reaffirmation
ceremony can
be an act of hope and renewal, a means by which formally to leave
regrets and mistakes behind. Or, if you're a
newly
married
couple who married away from family and friends, perhaps
overseas, a reaffirmation ceremony is a way of including those
who weren't at your wedding in a lovely sharing of your joy and
your delight in each other.
Couples are
working harder to ensure the stability of their marriage - during the
engagement period pre-marriage courses are available to smooth the
transition from single hood to living as a couple. Reaffirming your
vows is a natural progression of this commitment to your marriage, as
well as to each other. The process of reaffirmation plays a role
in the work and process of a marriage, the process of staying in love.
A
Reaffirmation Ceremony can be a meaningful, touching and
revivifying occasion, not
only for you as a couple, but also for your family. It provides
a formal and romantic opportunity for you to reflect on your marriage
and your future, an opportunity to reassess your relationship and
thereby further cement it. The emphasis is on your relationship
and and your commitment, on all the unique and personal things that
have made your marriage endure, so a reaffirmation ceremony is a
gracious and heartfelt way of thanking your family and your friends for
the love and the support they've shown you and your relationship over
the years.
It is also
a wonderful example to members of
younger
generations because it demonstrates that, as partners in a relationship
that encourages synergism without loss of identity, you have learned
that each year in a healthy marriage brings the potential for greater
closeness and deeper fulfilment.
A
reaffirmation ceremony is similar in format to a wedding
ceremony. You might like to reaffirm the vows you actually made
on your wedding day, or you may like to write new vows which reflect
the maturity of your relationship, and perhaps refer to the joys and
tribulations you have shared. And you can incorporate readings
and symbolic rituals, such as the lighting of candles, and exchange of roses or of assaisonnieres.
Why not
celebrate a significant anniversary
by reaffirming the love and
commitment you came into your marriage with, celebrating the way
this love and commitment has matured and deepened?
Your ceremony
can be
as traditional or as
creative as you wish. You can replicate your original wedding as
closely as possible (always bearing in mind that, unlike some other
countries, in Australia the wording of your ceremony, and particularly
your vows, cannot be a repeat marriage). Or you can do something
different, have the ceremony you would have liked to have had the first
time round, but for various reasons, did not.
This time
round you might like to include your children, with family vows, or you
might like to include a symbolic ritual that emphasises the strength of
your relationship and your ongoing commitment.
In preparing for your
reaffirmation ceremony I will
spend time getting to know you to ensure I create a ceremony
which perfectly reflects your needs, your beliefs, your values and the
specialness that is your marriage. As with all my ceremonies, I will
ensure that the ceremony is inclusive and participatory, and that the
ceremony includes all significant family members and friends.
You will be provided with a beautifully presented souvenir copy of the
ceremony, and
an attractive reaffirmation of vows certificate.
My all-inclusive fee for a Reaffirmation of
Vows
ceremony
is $335 (without rehearsal),
including travel to a ceremony site up to 50km (100km return) from my
office.
Cost for
travel above 100km by negotiation.
Where the ceremony is more elaborate, such as where you have married
elsewhere and wish to have a ceremony as close as legally possible to a
large formal wedding, there will be an additional charge for an
enhanced level of service that includes a rehearsal.
Parking
fees
(where required due to the nature/location of the venue)
at cost.
Payment
accepted by
Cash, Cheque, Direct Deposit, and Money Order.
More
information:
Acknowledging your
parents
Arranging
a reaffirmation ceremony for your parents is a lovely way to acknowlege
the role-model their marriage has been for the family, to celebrate
with them a significant anniversary, or as a very special gesture of
appreciation from a newly married couple for the time and expense your
parents put into your wedding - but be absolutely sure that it is
something they would like to do.
Wedding
anniversaries
The
traditional list of Wedding Anniversaries was first developed in the
Victorian era. Originally quite a short list, over the intervening
years it has
expanded until it covers every anniversary from the first to the 75th.
In English-speaking countries the order of gifts starts with simple
items and gradually increase in value and substance.
Because the list has grown over a period spanning three centuries,
some of the original items, such as ivory, have become
politically
incorrect and substitutes have been added to the list. In other cases,
the extent to which commercial interests are reflected in the growing
list are not clear. As the gifts are symbolic, whatever works for you
or for the couple
whose milestone anniversary you are acknowledging, is appropriate.
|
|
|
Wedding Anniversaries
|
|
1st
|
Paper (Clocks)
|
27th
|
Sculpture
|
2nd
|
Cotton
(China) |
28th
|
Orchids
|
3rd
|
Leather
(Crystal,
Glass) |
29th
|
Furniture
|
4th
|
Linen
or Silk
or Fruits & Flowers (Appliances) |
30th
|
Pearl
(Diamond) |
| 5th |
Wood
(Silverware)
|
31st
|
Timepieces
|
| 6th |
Iron
(Wood Objects)
|
32nd
|
Conveyances
|
| 7th |
Wool
or Copper (Desk sets)
|
33rd
|
Amethyst
|
| 8th |
Bronze
(Linen, Lace)
|
34th
|
Opal
|
| 9th |
Pottery
or China (Leather goods)
|
35th |
Coral
(Jade) |
| 10th |
Tin
or Aluminum (Diamond)
|
36th
|
Bone
China
|
| 11th |
Steel
(Fashion jewelry)
|
37th
|
Alabaster
|
| 12th |
Silk
(Pearls orColored gems) |
38th
|
Tourmaline
|
| 13th |
Lace
(Textiles or Furs) |
39th
|
Lace
|
| 14th |
Ivory
or Agate (Gold
jewelry) |
40th |
Ruby |
| 15th |
Crystal
(Watches) |
41st
|
Land
|
| 16th |
Peridot
|
42nd
|
Improved
Real Estate
|
| 17th |
Watches
|
43rd
|
Travel
|
| 18th |
Cat's-eye
|
44th
|
Literature
|
| 19th |
Aquamarine
|
45th |
Sapphire |
| 20th |
China
(Platinum) |
50th
|
Gold |
| 21st |
Brass
|
55th
|
Turqoise
|
| 22nd |
Copper
|
60th
|
Diamond
or Emerald
|
| 23rd |
Silver-Plate
|
65th
|
Diamond
|
| 24th |
Musical
Instruments
|
70th
|
Platinum
|
| 25th |
Silver
(Sterling
silver) |
75th
|
Diamonds,
diamond-like stones, gold |
|
|
