Vow Renewals: Renew your vows in Santorini

Santorini tours is here to help you enjoy the special moments of your life.

Vow renewal is a unique gesture of everlasting love for married couples. You can celebrate the years of your common life in marriage and renew your commitment to each other, your beliefs to one another. Vow renewals may coincide with a special wedding anniversary.

Very often couples celebrate their anniversaries with very special ceremonies, close to friends and relatives. For many, the vows are the gift they offer to each other and share with their loved ones. Greece is the ideal destination, with the light and the landscape, to highlight the image of fellowship and commitment full of inspiration and gratitude.

The Greek island of Santorini always was and still remains a romantic destination – peaceful and spectacular. It’s ideal for a honeymoon, no matter how many years you have spend in the wedding.

Why you should renew your marriage?

Wedding renewal is a process absolutely necessary to be done by all couples regardless of their problems. Many scholars, psychologists and marriage counselors who deal with relationship issues are accustomed to saying that the process of renewing a relationship must be done before the couple really needs it.

This is because in most cases unfortunately, the couple makes a decision to deal with marriage renewal when it is too late, this occurs very often when the couple avoids to cope with the issues and continue to ignore then and ultimately enter a state of denial. However, all these can be avoided if you make a wedding renewal to a romantic place and spent some quality time with each other, away from your every day routine.

Leaving our relationship and marriage unattended and without giving the proper time to it, is the worst that we can do. Just think that the relationship is a living organism or like your external appearance. So as you care about your external appearance, by refreshing it regularly, in the same manner you should approach your relationship or marriage.

When is the right time to make your vow renewals?

It can be the prelude of a celebration. It can be done in the early years of married life or later.

First and foremost is the expression of commitment and love in the relationship. Time does not matter.

What you will need for your vow renewal ceremony?

The only thing you need to do is to choose the perfect location for you and your partner!

There are no legal requirements for this type of ceremony. Usually couples are preparing some of their own texts or phrases, but we can show you some samples.

Couples can ask a member of their family or a friend to run the ceremony. Alternatively, this can be done by someone of the local people.

Activities and tours in Santorini for you guests

The Vow Renewal ceremony in Santorini can be combined with vacations. There is a great number of things to see and things to do in this Greek island.

You can book now some special private guided tours in Santorini for you and your guests and you are going to have very special moments. Bellow there is a list with our suggestions:

Private transfers for your guests in Santorini

You can also offer Santorini private transfers to your guest with luxury mini buses.

Where to Hold a Vow Renewal in Santorini

Because a renewal has no legal requirements, the choice of place is almost entirely free. That is the great advantage of a vow renewal in Santorini over a legal wedding here: you can hold it wherever the view and the light are right, subject only to the owner’s permission.

A caldera terrace for a vow renewal in Santorini. The classic setting: a hotel or villa terrace on the rim at Imerovigli, Firostefani or Oia, with the volcano behind you. Most rim hotels host small ceremonies for their guests.

A private villa. The most personal option for a vow renewal in Santorini, with full control over timing, guests, food and music.

A restaurant for a vow renewal in Santorini. Several caldera restaurants will host a short ceremony followed by dinner, which keeps the whole evening in one place.

A winery vow renewal in Santorini. Vineyard terraces and old cave cellars suit couples who want something less expected. Several estates welcome small private events.

A beach vow renewal in Santorini. Black sand at sunset on the east or south coast. Quieter, cheaper, and far more relaxed than the rim.

A vow renewal in Santorini on a private boat. The caldera from the water, with the cliff behind and nobody else in sight. Ideal for couples on their own or with a handful of guests.

Public viewpoints for a vow renewal in Santorini. Beautiful, but public. Ceremonies in public spaces may need municipal permission, and you cannot control crowds at sunset.

Churches and a vow renewal in Santorini. Orthodox churches do not hold symbolic renewal ceremonies. A blessing may be possible for Orthodox couples by arrangement with a local priest, but this is a religious matter rather than an event booking.

The honest choice. For two people, a boat or a quiet terrace. For a group, a villa or a restaurant. A vow renewal in Santorini is most memorable where you are not sharing the view with strangers.

Planning the Day

A renewal is simpler than a wedding, but the island still has practical constraints. These are the details that decide how a vow renewal in Santorini actually goes.

The best month for a vow renewal in Santorini. May, June, September and early October give warm evenings, good light and fewer crowds. July and August are hot and windy, and the best terraces are booked months ahead.

The time of day. Late afternoon into sunset is the favourite for a vow renewal in Santorini. Early morning is the photographers’ secret: soft light, empty lanes and no heat.

The wind and a vow renewal in Santorini. The meltemi blows hardest in July and August. It moves hair, veils and flowers, and can make a cliff-edge ceremony uncomfortable. Have a sheltered alternative.

Who leads a vow renewal in Santorini. A family member or friend, a professional celebrant, or a local person, as mentioned above. Independent celebrants on the island will help write the words if you want them to.

The vows at a vow renewal in Santorini. Your own words are the heart of it. Short, specific and personal works better than long and formal.

A photographer. Book early. The best ones for a vow renewal in Santorini are in demand all season and know which terraces work at which hour.

Flowers for a vow renewal in Santorini. Local florists work with the island’s white, blue and natural palette. Keep it light; the landscape does most of the work.

What to wear for a vow renewal in Santorini. Light fabrics, and shoes you can manage on steps and cobbles. Heels and cliff-top paths are a poor combination.

Guests at a vow renewal in Santorini. Small groups are easier to host and to move around. Large groups need transport arranged, as the island has very few taxis.

Transport for guests. Private transfers or minibuses between the hotel, the ceremony and dinner remove the biggest logistical problem.

Dinner after a vow renewal in Santorini. Book the restaurant at the same time as the venue. Good tables at sunset go weeks ahead.

Budget. The venue, photographer, celebrant and dinner are the main costs. A couple on their own can keep a vow renewal in Santorini very simple; a large group adds transport and catering.

No paperwork. A symbolic renewal needs no documents, which is exactly what makes it easy to organise from abroad.

Ideas That Make It Yours

The ceremony itself takes minutes. What people remember is the day around it. These are the touches that couples tell us made their vow renewal in Santorini special.

A sunrise vow renewal in Santorini, at Oia. Just the two of you and a photographer, before the village wakes, followed by breakfast on a terrace.

A caldera cruise after a vow renewal in Santorini. A private boat at sunset with the guests, swimming stops and dinner on board.

A winery toast. Assyrtiko or Vinsanto at an estate, with the vineyard as the backdrop to the photographs.

Children at a vow renewal in Santorini. Many couples involve their children in reading, carrying rings or saying a few words, which suits the spirit of a renewal.

Original rings, or new ones. Some couples re-exchange their wedding rings; others add an eternity band.

The same date. Holding a vow renewal in Santorini on the exact wedding anniversary gives the day its own meaning.

A letter read aloud at a vow renewal in Santorini. Writing to each other in advance and reading the letters during the ceremony.

A private tour the next day. Oia, Akrotiri, the inland villages and a winery, at your own pace with a driver.

Vow Renewal in Santorini: Quick Answers

Is a vow renewal legally binding? No. It is symbolic, which is why it needs no documents.

How long does a vow renewal in Santorini take? Usually fifteen to thirty minutes.

Can we hold a vow renewal in Santorini alone? Yes. Many couples renew with only a photographer present.

When should we book a vow renewal in Santorini? Venue and photographer three to six months ahead for summer; less for spring and autumn.

Can our guests join tours? Yes. Private tours and transfers for the whole group can be arranged around the day, and our private tours and activities page lists the options. A vow renewal in Santorini works best when the rest of the week is taken care of too.