We had a civil marriage, but our "party/reception" is coming up... what do we call this? Renewal of vows?

My husband %26amp; I already married civilly. For financial reasons, we are having our big white wedding with bridesmaids %26amp; flowers, cake %26amp; out of town guests in August 2008.





What do we call this on the invites? Is this a 'second marriage'? A renewal of vows? I want to walk down the aisle, but is this inappropriate now that I'm already married? The "wedding" will look and feel like a real marriage - I will have a band, big cake, flowers, dancing... but how do I present this event to my guests?





It is okay if they know we are already married, but I do not want to take away from the "magic" of the big day.





Thanks!

We had a civil marriage, but our "party/reception" is coming up... what do we call this? Renewal of vows?
That's when I'm getting married too! There's no reason you can't have your own special day, either! If you're anything like me, the lovely wedding is something you've been planning since you were a little girl. Call it a renewal of your vows. Allow your friends and family to know the situation and make sure they know this is a very special day for you. Let them know that you wanted them to be with you on your wedding day and that this is the time to celebrate the coming together of you and your husband. There is absolutely no reason why a first-time ceremony should be more special to anyone than a public renewal of your commitment to each other. Have fun and don't worry about impressing anyone- this is your day!
Reply:You obviously are already married, so you don't get a 'do over' wedding, so this isn't your second marriage. It's also not a renewal of vows, since you haven't been married long enough.


What you should be planning is just an anniversary party, basically. Remember to say "No gifts, please".
Reply:Call it the "Celebration" of your marriage.





Below is a link to wording from just such a ceremony


http://www.churchofancientways.org/Renew...
Reply:You are already married so it would be called a Vow Renewal rather than a wedding. It's not inappropriate to walk down the aisle, how else would you get there?? Many people do this sort of thing and I think it only fair that everyone knows this is a vow renewal, it seems a shame to try to hide the fact that you are already married, a civil ceremony is just as legally binding and just as valid as a church wedding.
Reply:just say wedding or affirmation of vows.





i say do what ever you want for your wedding. wear anything you want. have whatever music and food you want!





so many people on here put in their 2 cents worth and harp on the "tradition" of weddings but last i checked not enough emphasis is put in to the "tradition" of marriage!!





just make sure you place your real energy in to the marriage part of things. the rest is up to you.


live it up and do it how you want!!!
Reply:me and my hubby did the same thing. we got married in reno because of finances and now that we can afford it we're going to do out reception in dec of 2009. we're calling it our anniversary reception.
Reply:Calling it a vow renewal would be fine. Basically, if you want to throw a party and wine and dine people to celebrate your love, that's great! There might be a few gripers but so what!
Reply:I would call it a "celebration of marriage".
Reply:You are correct, a renewal of vows is the most appropriate for your situation. A 'second marriage' indicates that there was a divorce. And a 'marriage' indicates that you are single.