When we first got married in 2003, our wedding was small and simple. That suited us (and our budget!) at the time, and we didn’t want a big fuss (we wanted a marriage, not a big wedding). Now, in 2026, we’re in a completely different place. We feel more confident, more settled, and more ourselves. This time, we wanted to create something that truly reflects who we are as a couple - relaxed, meaningful, a little bit magical… and full of joy.

We’re also incredibly proud of our relationship and how far we’ve come. We’ve grown together - while so many couples grow apart - and we want to celebrate that love, and re-commit to each other in a way that feels meaningful and special, surrounded by those closest to us.

So, exactly 23 years after our original wedding, we did exactly that - we held what became affectionately known as Wedding²: an outdoor festival-style vow renewal in Northamptonshire.

If you're searching for vow renewal ideas, wondering how to plan a vow renewal, or looking for inspiration for an outdoor vow renewal or outdoor wedding in Northamptonshire, I hope our experience helps.

Planning Wedding²

We began planning about a year before the big day, and unlike a traditional wedding, there were no expectations or pressure. We could simply create a day that reflected us, who we are, and the things we love (outdoors, nature, dancing and of course, the people we love most).

The first big decision was: who did we want to celebrate with?

We both have huge families (there’s over 50 first cousins between us!) so decided to only invite close family
All of our friends were invited
We wanted to have a Best Man (in fact my hubby chose two) plus Bridesmaids and all the other wedding ‘party’ VIPs

Creating a Festival Vibe…

Arts & Crafts table

Guests could paint wooden keyrings, bookmarks or pebbles to take home. Children loved it, but so did the adults.

Selfie Station

Complete with Hawaiian leis, oversized glasses, funny signs and colourful headbands. This was a lovely idea, although I do wish we'd encouraged more people to make use of it.

Tattoo & Glitter Station

Temporary tattoos and face glitter added exactly the relaxed festival vibe we'd hoped for and were enjoyed by guests of all ages.

Bucket List Station

Guests could write ideas for adventures they'd like us to experience in the years ahead and post them into a bucket.

TIP: this was a great idea, but we didn’t highlight it in any way and didn’t get a lot of cards filled out - so if you love this idea, don't forget to mention it during the day so guests know it's there!

Games, Snacks & Recovery Station

We had board games and outdoor games (Giant Connect Four, Lawn Darts, Bowls - to name a few). We also created a snack station, and a "Recovery Station" with favours: little essentials for the following morning (tea bags, face masks, and lavender incense).

The Details That Made It Feel Like Us

Looking back, it's often the little things people commented on most.

We decorated the tipis with colourful bunting, dreamcatchers, macramé hangings and artificial flowers.

Choosing artificial flowers meant everything could be reused or sold afterwards, making it a little more sustainable. As it happened, the weather was incredibly warm, so they also looked perfect all day long.

One of my talented friends, Cat, hand-painted our blackboard welcome sign with the day's timings, decorating it with beautiful nature-inspired illustrations.

Inside the tipis, we displayed framed photographs from throughout our lives together: photos of each of our beloved pets, our daughter, and an album with photos from the first wedding that guests enjoyed flicking through during the day.

Table decor for our festival wedding theme

Each place setting included:

A handwritten kraft name card, written by me in white pen
A stem of lavender
A botanical napkin
A circular jute placemat
A photo quiz where guests guessed where we'd been
The children each received a personalised activity pack (kindly made by my generous friend Charlotte), tailored to their age and packed with fun things to do

The tables were finished with sage green runners, LED candles and little terracotta pots filled with fresh thyme and oregano (which smelled gorgeous).

A Ceremony That Reflected Our Story

One of the biggest advantages of a vow renewal is that there are no rules.

Rather than hiding away before the ceremony like a traditional bride, I greeted guests as they arrived. It immediately created the relaxed atmosphere we'd hoped for (and meant that I didn’t miss the first hour of the day!)

Our ceremony was led by our friend Rachael, who is a celebrant, it was deeply personal from beginning to end. She did a brilliant job telling our story and we couldn't recommend her more highly. Yes, we're a little biased because she's our friend - but she truly was exceptional.

We decided the men in the wedding party would walk down the aisle too. Chloe, our daughter and my Maid of Honour, walked Nathaniel down the aisle, while our Best Men made everyone laugh with a perfectly timed hip bump before taking their seats.

During the ceremony we exchanged new rings and took part in a handfasting ceremony, with Chloe playing an important role.

One of the most emotional moments came when my dad performed a reading he'd written himself - an amusing poem of sorts, based on Angels by Robbie Williams, cleverly reworking the lyrics… Combined with Rachael's beautiful words, there were very few dry eyes.

Relaxed Food, Great Music and Plenty of Dancing

Rather than a formal wedding breakfast, we opted for freshly cooked pizzas and colourful salads.

The Stanwick Lakes team ran a bar throughout the day and even served ice creams, which were very welcome in the summer heat.

Wedding cake (kindly paid for my by mum - just like she did at the first wedding!) followed as dessert, before our evening celebrations really got going.

Our DJ was fantastic - we highly recommend Disco Rocks if you’re in Northamptonshire. Nathaniel and I didn’t have a first dance the first time around - so we started the dancing with Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale. We'd secretly learnt a little routine for the first verse and chorus before inviting everyone else onto the dance floor.

Dancing has always brought me joy, and having all of our favourite people on the dance floor together was one of my favourite memories of the day.

Capturing the Day Naturally

One decision we're especially pleased with was choosing a photographer whose style matched our personalities.

Our photographer, Jordan, was absolutely brilliant. If you're looking for a relaxed wedding photographer in Northamptonshire who captures genuine moments rather than endless posed shots, we couldn't recommend her more.

Rather than lots of formal group photographs, we asked her to focus on candid, informal images without lots of posing. The result is a collection of photographs that genuinely captures how the day felt: laughter, conversations, hugs, happy tears and spontaneous moments we'd completely forgotten about. Looking through them takes us straight back.

What Surprised us Most

…was how relaxed we felt. Because there was no pressure to follow traditions, we spent far more time actually talking to our guests, laughing, dancing and soaking it all in. The day felt less like hosting an event and more like celebrating with the people we love most.

Would We Recommend a Vow Renewal?

As we walked into our hotel room that evening, Nathaniel turned to me and simply said, "That was worth every penny!" 😆
I couldn't have summed it up any better. We had the best day.

Planning a vow renewal feels wonderfully different to planning a wedding.

The pressure disappears. There are no traditions you have to follow. No expectations. No rules.

Instead, you celebrate your relationship exactly as it is today, with all the memories, adventures and challenges that have shaped it.

Wedding² wasn't about trying to relive the past. It was about celebrating everything we'd built together since saying "I do" for the first time. Looking around at the people we love most, surrounded by nature, laughter and music, it felt exactly right. I wouldn't change a single thing. Twenty-three years after saying "I do" for the first time, we got to celebrate not just the day we married, but the life we've built together since 💞

Our Wedding² Suppliers

If you're planning an outdoor wedding or vow renewal in Northamptonshire, these are the wonderful people and businesses who helped bring our day to life:

Our Outdoor Vow Renewal in Northamptonshire

Planning Wedding²