This summer, All Saints’ Anglican Church is offering a vow renewal ceremony, a special opportunity for couples to reaffirm their commitment to one another in the presence of their loved ones and their community.
The ceremony will take place at All Saints’ Anglican Church in Huntsville on July 29 at 11 a.m. An optional reception with light snacks and refreshments will take place afterward on church grounds. Both the ceremony and reception are free of charge.
Reverend Kelly Baetz, at All Saints’ Anglican Church, is the organizer and founder of the event. Baetz said the idea was inspired by a story her husband had once told her.
“He was traveling down in Sarasota, Florida and there was a group of 50 to 100 couples all dressed in traditional wedding gear on the beach and they were having a group renewal of vows, and he told me how lovely he thought that was,” Baetz explains. “And I thought ‘well, why can’t we do that here in Huntsville?’”
The ceremony will be performed in the Anglican tradition and will take place inside the church. Pipe organs will be playing and all couples will say their vows at the same time. Baetz notes that this may be something fun and different for a lot of people, as it differs from the usual private vow renewal ceremonies most couples choose to do.
“Some people do their vow renewals privately or one-on-one with their minister, and that’s great too but I thought ‘let’s open this up and have some fun and just invite everybody who wants to renew their vows,’” Baetz says.
There is no dress code for the ceremony; couples can come dressed in their old wedding gear or dress more casually if they prefer. Couples are welcome to bring guests to the event, as long as they indicate a rough estimate of the number of attendants in their registration.
Attendees are welcome to take photos after the ceremony in or around the church. Baetz points out that the church is also in close proximity to the town docks, which provides a beautiful backdrop for photos. A professional photographer will also be in attendance for anyone interested in their services.
This will be the first vow renewal ceremony at All Saints’ Anglican Church and Baetz hopes to hold it again every year for the foreseeable future.
“I thought deep summer in Muskoka is a great time to do it because families are often together and summer is also a time of many wedding anniversaries,” she says. “It may start small this year, but that’s okay and if people like it, it’s something that we may offer every summer.”
The event is open to anyone regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, etc; the only requirement is that the couple has to already be legally married.
This event is not only a way for couples in the community to gather and celebrate their love for one another, but it is also a way for All Saints’ to show their continued love and support to the community.
“We want to let the community at large know that we are here for them…” Baetz says. “We want them to know that we are supportive of relationships and that we think they’re a really important thing in life.”
Registration deadline is July 15.
To register, call 705-789-2216 or email office@ashweb
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