I am Tying the Knot..again!

Many couples want to celebrate and reaffirm their love and commitment for one another by renewing their marriage vows, either privately or publicly. A renewal of your wedding vows is NOT a legal ceremony. It is only a symbolic, sentimental ceremony.

I did suggest to hubby to have our marriage vows renewed, but he dismissed the idea. He thinks that is like making a mockery out of the sanctity of the nuptial agreement. Well, I could not help but to take it personally, so I snorted back, "Eleh..of course la you rasa macam tu sebab kena kahwin balik dengan I, cuba dengan orang lain!". Then, I hid myself in a corner to lick my wounds. I knew this was a self-inflicted injury, but I did not care. He should have just played along with the idea. Layan je..

Anyway, here are some reasons why people opted to renew their marriage vows:

1. You were married in a different country and want to celebrate your marriage locally with family and friends.

2. It is a special anniversary, such as your 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, etc.

3. You and your spouse have had a difficult time and want to start fresh.

4. The two of you want to make a public statement of your love and commitment to each other.

I do not think we have such practises here, especially among the Malays. But, I personally see no harm in doing this. I know it would incur cost and all, but if it is to strengthen the love between the husband and wife, I see why not.

But I also wonder if this practise would help to heal heartbreaks caused by partners who went astray. Can this assist the couple to start afresh? What if the problem reoccurs, will the couple opt to renew their vows again?

My idea of an ideal solemnation of the wedding vow (i.e renewal of the vow) would be for the couple to reaffirm the magnitude and strength of their enduring love in the presence of their children, families and close friends. This is the time when the couple would pause and reflect on issues like the 'where have we been and where are we going to'. I believe it would be nice to have your children to witness this too.

Sometimes a marriage withers as it ages. The fire that once sets the two hearts aglow with passion now is reduced to ambers hidden under the cold hard coal. The question is, can the renewal of the marriage vow help to rekinder this passion?

To sum up, perhaps it is fair for me to share how hubby reacted to this idea, he said, "Buat apa lagi, sayang, ni anak dah empat orang dah ni, nak prove the love apa lagi?". Malaslah orang lelaki ni, layan je la, bukan nak buat betul-betul pun. I just want to make believe.