Vows Renewal in the Dolomites

What a 50th anniversary vows renewal at sunrise taught us

A vow renewal is a symbolic ceremony where a married couple reaffirms the vows they made on their wedding day — it isn't a legal event, there's no paperwork, and it can be as small or as large as you want it to be.

As symbolic ceremony celebrants in the Italian Dolomites, we get asked a lot of questions about vow renewals in Italy — how they're different from a first wedding, whether they need to be as big, whether an intimate vow renewal ceremony in the Dolomites can feel just as meaningful as a full destination wedding.

Some days ago, at 6 in the morning, on a mountain pass above Cortina d'Ampezzo — one of our favourite corners of the Dolomites for a sunrise ceremony — we got to answer all of them at once.

Why the Dolomites is a destination for a vows renewal ceremony

Fifty years. Ten vows renewal, and honestly one of the best arguments I know for why the Dolomites belongs on the shortlist for any couple planning a vow renewal or elopement in Italy — whether that's an intimate elopement at Lago di Braies, an anniversary ceremony in Alta Badia, or a sunrise vow renewal at Passo Giau like this one. Nine previous destinations with some big names in the list: Japan, Las Vegas, New Zealand, Paris,...

And then Passo Giau, at sunrise, for their 50th.

There's No Secret to 50 Years of Marriage

People hear about the nine places and the fifty years and they ask the obvious question: what's the secret?

L&R just shake their heads. There isn't one.

Ask most couples what half a century of marriage takes and you'll hear about hard work, compromise, patience — the whole vocabulary of effort.

L&R have been married for 50 years and can't remember more than a handful of arguments between them. When I asked, gently while preparing their ceremony, what they'd done differently, the honest answer wasn't a technique. It was just: if it feels like hard work, you're probably with the wrong person.

They found their person at summer camp — and married within the year. Fifty years and ten vow renewal ceremonies later, that's still the whole story.

There's No "Right" Number of Years — or Ceremonies

They'd found each other young, and every renewal since had just been the two of them — at different ages, in different places, as different versions of themselves — arriving at the same conclusion all over again.

That's really what a vow renewal ceremony is for.

Not a repeat of the wedding day, but a way of checking back in with a promise made years earlier and finding it still true. Some couples do it once, for a milestone anniversary — a 10th, a 25th, a 50th anniversary vow renewal ceremony. Some, like this one, treat it as something closer to a ritual — a way of marking each new chapter of the relationship as it comes.

What Goes Into Planning a Symbolic Ceremony

A good vow renewal — like any symbolic ceremony — isn't generic. The strongest ones are built from real details: how the couple actually talks to each other, what's made them laugh over the years, what their relationship has actually been like day to day, not just the highlight reel.

For this couple's tenth ceremony, we closed with a reading called The Giraffe and the Monkey, by Daniel Thompson — a poem that has nothing to do with mountains or grand romantic gestures, and everything to do with finding someone you can be completely unglamorous with.

That's the job, really — finding the words, rituals, or readings that sound like you and no one else, rather than borrowing generic language about love and marriage. It's what makes a symbolic wedding ceremony feel personal, whether it's a vow renewal, an elopement, or a full wedding ceremony.

The giraffe and the monkey - Daniel Thompson

Wherever we go
Whatever we do
Whenever there’s me
I hope that there’s you.

Now Money is Funny, it can make people odd.
You forget to be happy, and you live for your job
And fashion, is a passion, beset with a flaw
You can dress to excess, but you’ll always need more.

And a muscle toned body, may sound like a dream
But no body is better, than chocolate ice cream
What I’m trying to say, is that happiness grows
Not through your wages, or body or clothes.

But in laughter and love, and in sharing your life.
In the arms of another as husband and wife.
So when you find someone who’s weird just like you
Who laughs when you’re stupid and who makes you laugh too.

When you sit on the sofa, not hiding your flaws.
As imperfectly perfect, as the hand that holds yours.
When the fortune of kings, or purse of a beggar.
Won’t change how it feels, just being together.

When a cuddle and cuppa is all that you need….

Well then…
you’ve found something quite special indeed.

Wherever we go
Whatever we do
Whenever there’s me
I hope that there’s you.

How It Works:

From your story to your ceremony

Every vow renewal ceremony we write, as your dedicated vow renewal celebrant in the Dolomites, starts the same way, with two conversations rather than answering an e-mail.

The first meeting is about you — not the event, the two of you. How you met, what your relationship has actually been like, the moments that mattered, the running jokes, what's changed and what hasn't over the years. No agenda beyond getting to know your story properly, because that story is where everything else comes from.

The second meeting is about the ceremony itself — structure, rituals, readings, the shape of the day. This is where your story from the first conversation turns into something real: which moment gets a ritual built around it, which reading fits how you actually talk to each other, how the ceremony should feel from the first word to the last. Nothing generic, nothing borrowed from a template — just your story, structured.

Two meetings, and by the end of the second one, you're not looking at a script that could belong to any couple. You're looking at yours.

Planning Your Own Vow Renewal in the Dolomites

Whether you're marking a 10th anniversary or a 50th, whether this is your first renewal or your tenth, the ingredients that matter are the same: honesty, a place that means something to you, and people (or just each other) to say it in front of.

We plan and celebrate vow renewals, symbolic ceremonies, and intimate elopements across the Dolomites — from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Lago di Braies, Alta Badia, and Val Gardena — and we'd love to help you shape yours!

Contact us and explain us your idea!

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FAQ - Vows renewals

What is a vow renewal ceremony?
A vows renewal is a symbolic ceremony in which a couple reaffirms the promises they made on their wedding day. It has no legal standing — no paperwork, no witness signatures — which is exactly what makes it flexible enough to be as intimate or as elaborate as a couple wants.

Do you need a legal officiant for a vow renewal in Italy?
No. Because a vow renewal isn't a legal ceremony, you don't need a registered officiant — you're free to choose a symbolic ceremony celebrant who can write and perform a ceremony built entirely around your story, wherever in Italy you'd like to hold it.

How is a vow renewal different from a wedding ceremony?
The structure can look similar — a welcome, a story, vows, a ritual, a closing — but the tone shifts. A vow renewal isn't about a couple beginning their life together; it's about checking back in with a promise made years earlier and finding it still true.

How long does a vow renewal ceremony take?
Most symbolic vow renewal ceremonies in the Dolomites run ~20 minutes, though this can flex depending on how many readings, rituals, or personal vows a couple wants to include.

Can we have a vow renewal ceremony with just the two of us?
Yes. Many couples choose an intimate elopement-style vow renewal with no guests at all — just the couple, a celebrant, and a beautiful spot in the Dolomites at sunrise or sunset.

Where in the Dolomites can we hold a vow renewal ceremony?
Popular locations include Passo Giau, Lago di Braies, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Alta Badia, and Val Gardena — each offering a different landscape and atmosphere, from dramatic mountain passes to quiet alpine lakes.

How far in advance should we plan a vow renewal in the Dolomites?
It depends on the season and location, but reaching out a few months ahead gives enough time for two proper planning conversations — one about your story, one about the ceremony itself — plus logistics like permits, timing, and weather-dependent locations.

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