Photography by Elizabeth LaDuca Photography

Sharon and her husband were married in October of 2014 and have been enjoying building their life together in a quiet town in Maine. Sharon is the founder of The Bare Bride, a resource for soon-to-be-brides as well as newly married couples that teaches about growing an intentional, relationship- focused wedding and marriage.

Sharon and her husband Jake renewed their vows in an intimate, heartfelt ceremony in Maine this winter. We would love to tell their story to remind couples to reflect in quiet moments and cherish the slow growing trust that comes from a nourished marriage with a focus beyond the wedding day. Their vow renewal story began with a typical Maine morning, preparing for their ceremony together.

After crafting a beautiful breakfast together with local Maine ingredients, and they relaxed in the light-filled living room. Afterwards, they reviewed their vows, and helped each other dress for their ceremony. Sharon wore a beautiful handmade gown, relaxed and ethereal at the same time. They renewed their vows outdoors in a pine forest filled with snow, reading the words they wrote for their wedding, which were beautifully letterpressed on handmade paper. Following their vow renewal, we all returned indoors and celebrated with an intimate dinner and champagne by the fire.

Reflections from Jake

I have always found reflection to be a healing and peaceful process. Being able to revisit where we’ve come from, what we’ve been through, and how the process has shaped who we are today provides not only introspective wisdom, but also helps us recognize the roles others have played in our lives. Weddings are often days when there is no time or energy to allow for such reflection.

Thus, the opportunity to revisit the happiest day of my life on our own terms, in peace and quiet, was more than a reminiscence of the commitments my wife and I vowed to uphold on our wedding day; it was a time to reflect together. In reviewing the couple of years of marriage we have had since our wedding, this day spent together in honor of the sacred vows we made to one another brought a wholeness and peace that I have found to breathe life into to the daily success and growth of our marriage.

Reflections from Sharon

There is something sacred that occurs when vows are exchanged. Waves within are calmed, warmth of light floods in, and two souls are fused with ease. I knew that I wanted to revisit our vows at some point down the road when the concerns and pressures of planning a wedding weren’t on our shoulders and we could speak with a confidence that can only be earned through experience.

Our first two and a half years of marriage brought about unlimited laughter, wild adventure, burdens of grief, fires of romance, and humbling lessons to learn and share. While many would describe those first years as ‘hard’, I prefer to say that they were real and that they were worth it. To slip away for a snowy Maine weekend of slowing down, leaning in, and reflecting on the brief but overflowing journey thus far was a healing experience that felt grounded and intimate in a way that the hustle and bustle of our wedding day did not provide. There is so much time devoted to choosing table linens, assembling favors, and analyzing gown silhouettes. And while those components of a wedding bring beauty and creativity to life in magical ways, they should not be the primary focus and yet, for many, they are.

Imagine what magic might occur if that same amount of time and energy was dedicated to the building of a solid foundation for the vows to rest, root, and grow upon? Through my business, The Bare Bride, I am able to encourage that mindfulness that I sorely missed out on the first time around. By providing a heart-centered resource in a noisy culture of materialism, my hope is that every couple will be able to recognize that it is not their centerpieces that will hold their marriage together ten years down the road but rather the vows that are the beginning, the middle, and the end.