SENIORS SAY 'I DO' ALL OVER AGAIN.Byline: Marcia Schnedler Universal Press Syndicate Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, is the world's largest independent syndicate and provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comics, and various other content. Some senior travelers choose a secluded se·clud·ed adj. 1. Removed or remote from others; solitary. 2. Screened from view; sequestered. se·clud hideaway in which to renew their marriage vows Marriage vows are promises a couple makes to each other during a wedding ceremony. Civil ceremonies often allow couple's to choose their own vows, although many civil marriage vows are adapted from the traditional Catholic wedding vow "To have and to hold, from this day or enjoy a second honeymoon Second Honeymoon was a game show modeled on The Newlywed Game in which three couples & their children answered questions to win (as the title says) a second honeymoon. . Others use the event as an excuse to party with family and friends. Whatever choice they make, vow renewals aren't just for couples who wed a quarter- or half-century ago. One pair of 50-plus travelers renewed their vows just 26 hours after their marriage. On June 3, 1994, Dale and Anna Piper of Newville, Pa., drove to Winchester, Va., to get married after dating for about nine years. No blood tests or waiting period are required in that state, so they could tie the knot at 4 p.m. that same day. At 6 p.m. the next day, they and 21 other couples renewed their vows on the Winchester courthouse steps as part of a promotion tied to the 25th anniversary of the state's "Virginia Is for Lovers Virginia is for Lovers is the tourism and travel slogan of the state of Virginia. Used since 1969, it has become a well recognized and often imitated part of American jargon. For example, New York drew on its success to create the I Love New York logo nearly a decade later in 1977. " slogan. It's rare for senior travelers to combine their wedding and vow-renewal ceremonies on a single weekend as the Pipers did. Most are like Rosemary and Sam Anderson Sam Anderson is an American actor from Wahpeton, North Dakota. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. During the 1970s, Sam taught drama at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California. He married in 1985 and is the father of twins. , from Edmonton, Alberta, the parents of five boys 14 to 23, who decided to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary by renewing vows during a 10-day Caribbean cruise on Holland America Line's Ryndam. Like an increasing number of cruise lines
Name Headquarters A'rosa Europe NCL America America AIDA Cruises Europe American Cruise Lines America , resorts and hotels, Holland America markets a vow-renewal package. "We had a family dinner with both sets of parents and our kids to celebrate at home, then went off by ourselves on the cruise," Rosemary said. "After champagne and hors d'oeuvres with several other couples also celebrating their 25th, the captain took us aside to say our vows privately," Rosemary recounts. When couples like the Andersons are planning second honeymoons, they often splurge for the trip they've always dreamed about, says Geri Bain, travel editor of Modern Bride magazine. "Some may have eloped or had a small wedding the first time, so the second time they're going all out," says Pinkie Crowe, director of weddings and romance for Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows in Hawaii. Often, the couple is celebrating a major anniversary. But sometimes the vow renewal or second honeymoon is triggered by an event such as a serious illness or new start for a marriage that was almost on the rocks. Most often, couples renew vows in the same slightly exotic places people go to get married, such as the Caribbean, says Sally Kilbridge, travel editor of Bride's magazine. But second-honeymooners can also travel for vow renewals to places they couldn't have been legally married, such as France or Tahiti, which have two-month residency A duration of stay required by state and local laws that entitles a person to the legal protection and benefits provided by applicable statutes. States have required state residency for a variety of rights, including the right to vote, the right to run for public office, the requirements. "It's also difficult to have a wedding on ships, since marriages at sea aren't legally recognized," Kilbridge says. "The wedding must be in a U.S. port. But vow renewals can be done any time during a cruise." |
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