IT'S ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER `I DO'.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

For Valentine's Day, candy is dandy, but wouldn't it be more romantic to say ``I do'' all over again?

John and Dorothy Wagoner of Burbank think so. They're among two dozen or more couples - including their church's husband-and-wife ministers - who'll renew their wedding vows in a public ceremony Saturday at the Burbank Church of Religious Science.

For the Wagoners, this rededication comes nearly 52 years after they originally promised to love and cherish each other for a lifetime. But they've renewed those promises each February since they joined the church in 1992.

``We do it 'cause we love each other, and we're devoted to each other,'' said Dorothy Wagoner. ``We want to say the words again.''

The free ceremony - open to congregation members and nonmembers alike - will begin at 3 p.m. on Valentine's Day at the church, 260 N. Pass Ave., Burbank. A tea-dance reception, complete with wedding cake and live music for the newly re-weds and their guests, will follow.

``Valentine's Day is all about love, and this special ceremony is our gift to all who want to celebrate love in a meaningful way,'' said the Rev. Marlene Morris, the church's senior pastor.

``What better way to say `I love you' than to ask, `Would you marry me again?' '' said the Rev. Roger Aldi, the church's junior pastor - and Morris' husband. ``We want couples to remember the feeling that they had when they got married in the first place.''

Iowa beginnings

For Dorothy, 79, and John, 78, the familiar words will take them back to Marshalltown, Iowa, a small town about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines, where the bank clerk married the ex-sailor on April 21, 1946.

With World War II on the horizon, friends introduced them; their first date was a double date at the movies. Attraction turned to affection, and when John joined the Navy and was shipped to the South Pacific in 1942, Dorothy promised to wait for him.

She did - and on their wedding day, she was radiant in a white dress; he was full of pride in a dark suit.

Although the Burbank church invites all brides and grooms to wear at the renewal-of-vows ceremony what they wore on their original wedding day, John's suit is long gone and Dorothy says her dress ``is a little dilapidated and old.''

``And,'' she adds, with a laugh, ``I've gained a little weight. I took it out two years ago, before our 50th anniversary, and I couldn't even get one leg in it.''

But the Wagoners won't be the only couples not wearing their original wedding attire, said Aldi.

``The brides show up in everything from monster formal gowns they've saved to whatever,'' he said. ``One couple I remember vividly. She had on a gorgeous gown with a flowing train, and he had on a morning suit - a cutaway. Other couples show up in shorts. We don't care what they wear. We're here to love people, not their attire.''

Both Morris and Aldi will officiate at the Valentine's Day ceremony as well as renew their own vows. The two were married 10 years ago on Feb. 14.

Aldi, 54, had been a radio news reporter for decades when he fell in love with Morris, 52, who was his minister - and he became a minister himself five years ago. The ceremony will be only part of the ministers' anniversary celebration. After the service and reception are over, they'll go back to the Burbank restaurant where they had their first date to dine on shrimp and champagne.

A church tradition

This is the 10th Valentine's Day the church has welcomed couples of any faith to renew their wedding vows before an audience of as many as 200 people. Every year, 15 to 35 couples have taken part, ranging from 2-months-married newlyweds to a couple married 62 years.

Although California law does not recognize their union, gay couples are also welcome to renew their commitment to their partners, said Aldi.

``Most churches don't recognize the spiritual union of same-sex couples, but we've got several in our congregation, and we're trying to be inclusionary, not exclusionary,'' he said. ``There are an infinite number of expressions of love, and who am I to judge how you should express that love?''

One final note for guys who are still trying to decide what to get for their honey for Valentine's Day: The ceremony, flowers, wedding cake and reception are all free.

That alone might make a renewal of vows seem a good idea, Aldi said.

``Guys who sign themselves and their wives up for this are going to score lots of points - and they don't even have to shop.''

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Photo: Dorothy and John Wagoner, married nearly 52 years, will renew their wedding vows in a public ceremony Saturday. ``We do it 'cause we love each other, and we're devoted to each other,'' says Dorothy. ``We want to say the words again.''

John McCoy/Daily News