How to Plan a Vow Renewal in 6 Months or Less

A month-by-month strategy for vow renewal planning success

So you’ve decided to renew your vows and want to plan it in six months. No problem! It might be a bit challenging, depending on the size of your guest list, but it can be done. When there’s no time to second-guess your decisions, you find yourselves surprised by how easy planning can be.

Here’s precisely how to plan a vow renewal in six months, with the major tasks that need done month-by-month.

6 Months

Set Your Budget

Start by determining how much you want to spend on your vow renewal. Start by making a list of crucial essentials (like a particular band, caterer, or photographer), since you might want to allocate extra funds toward these items.

Create Your Guest List

In order to prioritize your budget, select a venue, and hire other vendors, you’ll need to know how many guests you want to invite to your vow renewal. You’ll need to sit down as a couple and make a preliminary list. Consider the style and size of vow renewal you want while keeping your budget in mind. The more guests you have, the larger your budget and venue need to be.

Select a Venue

While many hot venues will be booked up a year or more in advance for popular days and dates, you can still find a great place if you’re flexible. Consider going with a less traditional space, like a performing arts space, art gallery, restaurant, or even your backyard. If you were hoping to have your vow renewal at a popular wedding venue, start by considering less popular dates and months (Friday, Sunday, January, March, or November). Since weddings are typically held on Saturdays and in the other months, you might find the venue you really want is available using this strategy.

Hire Key Vendors

As with venues, popular vendors get booked pretty far ahead of time, so acting quickly is vital. You’ll want to line up your cake baker, florist, entertainment (DJ or band), photographer, and videographer right away. If you find your first pick is booked already, this will give you time to find other options.

Find the Perfect Dress

If you’re wanting to wear a wedding-style dress, you’ll need to get it picked out and ordered right away if it has to be custom made. Your other option is to visit ready-to-wear formal wear shops, rental stores, and sample sales for dresses you can to take home the same day. Fittings, if needed, should be scheduled close to your vow renewal date to make sure you have a perfect fit.

5 Months

Decide on Attendants

Attendants are entirely optional for a vow renewal. You can have them if you like or skip them altogether. Take into consideration the size and style of vow renewal you’re planning. The larger the celebration, the more appropriate attendants are, yet they’re still not necessary. Some couples opt to invite their attendants from their wedding to stand up with them again. Others choose only to include their children, and yet others opt to skip them entirely.

Hire an Event Coordinator (Optional)

If you’re a busy professional couple, you might want to hire an event coordinator to assist you with handling the details. A professional coordinator can help make sure your vision is executed as desired and manage all of the little details for you.

Send Save the Dates (Optional)

You’ll want to send save the dates out ASAP if you’re inviting a lot of guests, having a destination vow renewal, or selected a date during prime vacation or holiday season. Feel free to go with email/digital save the dates.

Select and Order Invitations

Now that you have your vow renewal style decided, you can select or design the perfect invitation and get them ordered. It can take 4-6 weeks to get custom invitations ordered and delivered.

4 Months

Hire the Rest of Your Vendors

With the venue and other critical vendors booked, it’s time to hire everyone else you need to make your vow renewal vision a reality. You’ll need to make arrangments with vendors such as rental companies, favors vendors, hair and makeup stylists, lighting designers, and transportation companies. You’ll also want to hire an officiant or ask a friend or family member to officiate your ceremony.

Plan Your Second Honeymoon

What’s a vow renewal with a second honeymoon? Keep the romance going and enjoy some time together with a great trip. This is the perfect time to mark a destination off your bucket list or simply head to a great local vacation spot. Book your flights, make your accommodation reservations, and start planning activities.

3 Months

Select Attire for Everyone Else in the Vow Renewal Party

You’ve picked out the dress, now it’s time to decide what everyone else is going to wear that will be part of your ceremony. You want to make sure there’s time for ordering and tailoring the perfect suit, dresses, etc. You can also opt to let attendants pick their own dress or suits in a specified color palette. Chances are they may already have something that will work in their closet!

Send Your Invitations

It’s time to start writing out those guest names on envelopes and get them in the mail. For a destination vow renewal, invitations should be sent 12 weeks before your date. For a local celebration, six to eight weeks is ideal.

Attend Menu and Cake Tastings

It’s time to arrange for menu and cake tastings and finalize your selections having reached the halfway mark in planning your vow renewal in six months.

2 Months

Complete DIY Projects

Even though you’ve been in a planning rush, chances are you couldn’t resist doing a couple of DIY projects! If so, now’s the time to get them wrapped up as much as possible.

Do a Trial Run of Hair and Makeup

The day of your vow renewal is not a time to find out your vision for hair and makeup is different than those of your stylists. Schedule a date night with your spouse and do a hair and makeup trial! This way, you can make sure your beauty team is on the same page as you while enjoying a romantic night out.

1 Month

Create a Seating Chart (Optional)

If you’re having a large vow renewal, you’ll want to create a seating chart and have escort cards printed. If you’re missing a lot of RSVPs, it’s time to make some follow up calls, texts, and emails to finalize your guest list.

Pack Your Bags

The days are flying by, and the anticipation is building. Your vow renewal and second honeymoon are a month away! Make time to pack your bags at least a week before your departure date, so you don’t have to worry about it at the last minute.

Confirm With Vendors

Confirm timing and orders with all of your vendors a week before your vow renewal. Give each vendor a copy of your vow renewal day timeline. This way, you can make sure everyone understands who should be where and when and what time they are expected to execute their part of the plan.