I Do – Re Do Champagne and Cake & Vow Renewal A Celebration of all who have married, held their wedding reception, gotten engaged or took their wedding photos at the Peterson-Dumesnil House Sunday, April 19, 2020 2:00 – 5:00 pm Peterson-Dumesnil House 301 S. Peterson Avenue Hosted by the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation The Peterson-Dumesnil House is turning 150 years old! During 2019-2020, the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation board is planning many celebrations. On such celebration is this “I Do – Re Do” Vow Renewal Ceremony. We are inviting all those who got married, held their wedding reception, got engaged or took their official wedding or engagement photos at the house to return for a vow renewal ceremony and reception. 2:00 pm Gathering and Photo Opportunities 2:30 pm Vow Renewal Ceremony 3:00 pm Champagne & Cake Reception Music – Cash Bar – Door Prizes REGISTRATION FREE for all couples who got married, held their wedding reception, got engaged or took their wedding photos at the Peterson-Dumesnil House. $10 for Guests 2nd HONEYMOON DOOR PRIZE FREE for all entrants. Bridal suite with breakfast and more! Do not have to attend the event to register. Need not be present to win. EVENT PHOTOS Event photos will be loaded to a sharable site and free for all to download and share. DOOR PRIZES Throughout the event, door prizes will be given to the newest newlywed, the longest married, attending in wedding dress, couple that traveled the farthest distance to attend, bridal party in original dress, other miscellaneous categories. WHAT Simply put, a vow renewal is a way to celebrate your marriage. Perhaps you’ve made it to 2, 5, 10, 25 or 50 years together and you want the world to know you’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Maybe you want to reaffirm your commitment to each other after a rough period in your relationship. There’s no wrong reason to renew. A vow renewal is an opportunity for a couple to renew the vows that they made to each other when they first got married. It is a way to commemorate a love that has deepened or matured between a couple. A vow renewal ceremony is not meant to be a second wedding. Instead, it is meant to be a more personalized and intimate affair to be celebrated with close friends and family. DRESS Dress is springtime afternoon “tea party” style. Feel free to dress up. If you’re the bride, you could even wear your original wedding gown and/or wedding veil if you’re comfortable with it. Carry flowers or pin a corsage. If you’re the groom, you might wear your original tuxedo or suit (or uniform if you’re in the military), updated with a new tie or vest and a boutonniere in your lapel! WEDDING PARTY The “I Do – Re Do” is a perfect event to ask your original wedding party to join you and celebrate again. It is a way to ask them to stand up for you informally again, They don’t have to wear those outfits again, although they definitely could! FAMILY and FRIENDS Also, invite your children and grandchildren to witness you renewing your vows. You can also invite friends and those special wedding guests that have been with you throughout your marriage journey. CEREMONY Couples will be asked to gather on the driveway to assemble before you walk “down the aisle” to the Rose Garden. A Jefferson County Judge will perform the vow renewal ceremony. This will be a group vow renewal, but there will be a point in the program where you will be able to privately speak to your spouse. This is an opportunity for both of you to really think about how you feel about your relationship, especially if the last time you exchanged vows was decades ago. After you’ve both spoken, exchange rings. These can be your original bands with new engravings (perhaps the date of your vow renewal or a meaningful quotation) or new rings purchased expressly for the reaffirmation (a great time to upgrade those bands, if you want to). This vow renewal ceremony is an opportunity for the couples to reflect on their relationship and be grateful for everything they’ve accomplished together up to this point. VOW RENEWAL CERTIFICATE All couples will receive a Vow Renewal Certificate signed by the presiding Judge to commemorate the event. RECEPTION Of course! After the vow renewal ceremony, there will be a wedding cake and champagne reception. Couples will have the opportunity to stage a photograph of cutting the wedding cake. A cash bar and light appetizers will be available. And of course music in case you want to relive your wedding first dance! PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES The Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation will have a photographer on site and will post all event photos to a sharing site for couples to download for free. Bring your cameras or smart phones and have someone snap photos of you in the Rose Garden, toasting with champagne, cutting the wedding cake, re-inacting your first dance, etc. WHAT TO BRING You might want to bring along your original wedding photo album so you can take guests on a trip down memory lane (if you’ve just eloped, bring the recent pictures), as well as family photos through the years of your marriage. If you are not wanting to wear your wedding dress or veil, you can bring them and hang them in the “Bride’s Room” inside the Peterson-Dumesnil House and take photos. SINGLE SPOUSE If you are a single spouse due to death or divorce, you are welcome to attend. WEDDING PHOTOS We are asking couples to share their wedding photos. Please send a wedding photo in JPEG format with your names and wedding date to: PDHVowRenewal2020@gmail.com. By sending this photo, you are releasing the Peterson-Dumesnil House to use the photo on our web site and in social media. FIRST DANCE WEDDING SONGS We are asking couples to share their first dance wedding songs or romantic songs the couples have enjoyed over the time of their marriage. We will compile a list of these songs and present to our band to play throughout the event. Please send your First Dance Wedding Song to: PDHVowRenewal2020@gmail.com.