A Lakeside Vow Renewal in Arkansas

Planning a Vow Renewal in Arkansas

This family of four travelled to Arkansas from Texas for a fun adventure to celebrate the 10th anniversary of B + E’s wedding day. B wanted to surprise E with a sunrise vow renewal by a beautiful lake in Eureka Springs, as a way to commemorate this big milestone for their family and reflect on how much their marriage has grown since it began 10 years ago.

She packed their vow books from 10 years ago and some nice outfits for the four of them for ‘family pictures’. It wasn’t until the five of us reached the lake that she pulled out their vows and announced her surprise to him. He wasn’t expecting it at all (woohoo, mission accomplished!) and was so happy at the thought of them getting to reflect on what they had written to each other 10 years before. The kids held on to them as B + E read their original vows to each other, and spoke new vows for the next 10 years of marriage.

After saying their vows to each other, we explored the lake as the sun rose over the water. The kids checked out cool mushrooms and plants growing out of the lake, mom and dad took pictures together, and then we ended our early morning playing on the playground before parting ways for mom and dad to take the kids out to breakfast. It was a beautiful morning spent with a lovely family, and an honor to hear refreshed vows between two lovers that have brought two kids and a lot of good memories into the world. I hope their boys will look back at these photos another 10 years from now and be so glad they got to be present for this moment!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Why You Should Renew Your Vows
• How to Renew Vows
• Where to Renew Vows in Arkansas
• What to Do During Your Vow Renewal
• When to Renew Your Vows
• Vow Renewal Vendors

Why You Should Renew Your Vows

Renewing your vows is a way for you and your spouse to honor the beginning of your marriage, and reflect on the growth you’ve made up to this point. It’s a chance to remind yourselves of how far you’ve come and to make new vows to each other based on the challenges and hardships you’ve faced together since wedding day.

For many couples, it’s also a chance to celebrate your love in a way you may have not been able to do when you first got married. My own husband and I had to cancel our destination elopement plans due to serious health issues I was facing, and are planning on a vow renewal in the near-future. I’ve photographed renewals for couples in similar positions, and for couples who just hit a string of bad luck on their wedding day and didn’t have the day they were hoping for. No matter the reason behind choosing to renew your vows, it’s a chance to intentionally make your flame brighter together and enjoy a new adventure.

How to Plan a Vow Renewal

I photograph quite a few vow renewals each year, especially for out of state couples that come to Arkansas to celebrate an anniversary getaway. Renewing your vows can be a much more laid back experience than a wedding day, or it can be even more extravagant than the day you originally got married. In this case, B + E chose a quiet foggy morning by a lake, which was a total 180 from the big wedding day they put together a decade prior.

Decide When to Renew Your Vows

There’s no set timeline to when you should renew your vows. I’ve had couples do their 10th anniversary, 2nd, 30th, any various date. What matters is the reason behind it. It’s a chance to celebrate your love, a milestone you’ve accomplished together, or to celebrate that the two of you survived a very difficult hardship. There are so many wonderful reasons to celebrate, and there’s truly no timeline rule to planning a vow renewal.

Decide How You Want to Celebrate

I often find couples want this to be a much more intimate and unique way to spend a day together in comparison to a big wedding event. It’s often just the two of them, but I’ve had couples bring along their kids, a couple friends, or their immediate family. Some choose a stunning venue that can be rented for a small group, others choose to adventure outdoors. It’s all in the experience you want to have, and where you imagine that experience taking place.

Best Spots to Renew Your Vows in Arkansas

There are so many beautiful venues and scenic locations to renew your vows in the Natural State. They’re often times the same places couples choose to elope or host micro-weddings, since many couples renewing vows tend to have smaller events the second time around. Some of the top picks are:

• Cooper Chapel
• St. Catherine’s at Bell Gable
• Petit Jean State Park
• Mount Magazine State Park
• Garvan Gardens
• Thorncrown Chapel
• Eureka Springs
• Ponca
• Anthony Chapel

You can check out more info about these spots and find guides for each one on my Best Places to Elope in Arkansas blog!

What to Do During Your Vow Renewal

• Read your original vows to each other and/or write new ones
• Celebrate with cake and drinks
• Go on an adventure; kayaking, caving, waterfall chasing, rock climbing, etc.
• Rent a cabin with a firepit and a hot tub for a relaxing weekend
• Do something that’s personable and unique to you guys that you’ve always done together

Best Time to Renew Your Vows in Arkansas

As I mentioned above, there is no timeline to when you should renew vows, in terms of how many years you’ve been together. This is about what time in the year is best to enjoy those Arkansas views and the weather! Some couples choose to renew their vows exactly on their anniversary, others choose a new date because it works better with logistics they have to consider. Either way, you can get a month to month description of Arkansas weather below to get an idea of what you can expect for your date, or to help you pick a new date to celebrate!

Spring (March-May)

March: Early March it’s likely to still be mildly chilly outside with temps in the 50s °F, and the trees will probably still be bare most if not all the month. We see warmer temps around the 70s °F and foliage slowly growing back usually by mid to late March.

April: It’s averaging in the upper 70s °F almost daily, and the greenery has fully grown back usually by mid-April if not sooner. Hotter temps in the 80s and 90s °F may occasionally happen, especially as the month progresses. This is generally when we get our waterfall season (aka more rain to get our rain-dependent waterfalls flowing).

May: It might be hitting 100°F with intense humidity a few times in the month, but the average is generally in the 80s °F. Either way this can be a rough month if you have any health conditions that make the heat difficult for you, or if you’re prone to sweating. If you plan on renewing vows outdoors, sunrise is a great alternative to the usual sunset timelines so you can still have fun and beat the heat!

Summer (June-August)

June: It’s going to be mildly less hot than the rest of the summer, with better potential of frequent days happening that will be under 90°F. Some years, most if not all of June feels fantastic. June usually brings lots of storms, so inclement weather risk can be increased, but at the benefit that the rivers and local waterfalls are usually flowing! Sunrise renewals are recommended for outdoor renewals to be ahead of the mid-day heat.

July & August: Temps are going to start averaging 90-115°. It’s a very dry time of year with little rain, so rain-dependent waterfalls tend to be dried up and even sections of our rivers. If you renew vows outdoors in this timeframe, it’s recommended to go at sunrise and pace yourself with breaks in A/C if possible!

Fall (September-October):

September: It’s still going to be pretty hot in September usually, with days averaging around 80-100 °F with humidity. This is still a popular time for couples to opt for sunrise for outdoor adventures to avoid those hotter days.

October: Early October can still be around 80°F. By mid to late October we start to see temps drop to around the 70s °F. Late October is when we most often see color change in the trees.

November: In early November fall colors are still usually lasting in the trees, but by mid-month they are normally gone or just about to be. Temps generally average in the 60s °F in November, until the late month where it will drop into the 50s/60s °F. Rainfall can sometimes pick back up this time of year, which means waterfalls may be flowing.

Winter (December-February):

December: It’ usually only mildly chilly in Arkansas, with temps averaging in the 50s/60s °F and gradually dropping to maybe the upper 40s °F by the end of the month. Inclement road conditions almost never happen in December – even by the very end of the month it’s unlikely.

January: Temps average around the 50s and 40s °F, but sometimes we get cold snaps that bring ice storms or snow. Temps can drop close to 0°F during these snaps. We normally get one of these winter storms once every year or two. This can be a slightly risky month to plan because of the potential of winter storms, so having a backup plan if you’re renewing vows in an area on a steep winding road doesn’t hurt.

February: This can be a very back and forth month with temps dropping in the 30s then rising into the 70s a few days later. This is a finnicky month to track, but we usually don’t get those ice storms like in January, especially the later into February we get.

A Photographer + Planning Assistant For Your Vow Renewal

If you’re considering a vow renewal in Arkansas, I’d love to help you plan the special occasion and document the celebration for you! I’ve been photographing couples for 15 years, and have worked exclusively with eloping couples, and similarly couples renewing their vows, for the last 10 years. I know so many amazing spots and would be happy to help you pick an area that fits your vision best, get you set up with the best vendors that you’d like to help you put this together, and create magical photos to help you remember this experience.