Most vow renewals cost between $1,000 and $10,000 or more, and none of it is legally required. Here is where the money goes, from Las Vegas chapels at $159 to St. Lucia resort packages and backyard ceremonies.
The short list
- A vow renewal is symbolic, not legal: no license, officiant, witnesses or paperwork are required, and most renewals cost $1,000 to $10,000 or more.
- Las Vegas packages start at $89 for a drive-thru and $159 for a simple chapel, while a diner reception runs $1,616 and an event center reception starts at $4,999 for up to 225 guests.
- At a St. Lucia resort, a renewal package starts at $799 or is free with a 7-night stay in certain rooms, and extra guests cost $15 to $89 per person.
- Guest count moves the budget faster than any other decision, so trim the list before cutting photography or the trip itself.
- The only certificate involved is a keepsake; Clark County’s vow renewal certificate costs $21 and cannot be used to prove you are married.
A vow renewal comes with a pricing perk most celebrations lack: nothing is legally required, so every dollar you spend is a choice. That does not make it cheap. Most couples spend between $1,000 and $10,000 or more, shaped by the guest list, the setting, and how much goes into photos, food and travel. Here is where the money goes, line by line.
What a Vow Renewal Actually Is (and Isn’t Legally)
A vow renewal is a symbolic ceremony for a couple who is already married. It honors what the marriage has become, which is why the legal side is so light. There is no license to buy, no county filing, no witnesses required, and no licensed officiant. A friend can lead the ceremony, a child can do a reading, a religious leader can offer a blessing, or you can simply speak without anyone officiating.
A legal wedding runs on paperwork instead: a marriage license legally allows you to marry, and a marriage certificate proves you got married. Most licenses are valid for 30 days to a year, depending on the state that issued them. A renewal skips all of that, one reason the budget can bend so far in either direction.
The only paper involved is decorative. Many officiants fill out a keepsake certificate the couple can display at home. Some counties sell their own version: the Clark County Clerk’s Office in Nevada offers a Certificate of Vow Renewal for $21. It is not a record of marriage, cannot be used to prove you are married, and the fee does not cover the ceremony.
What Couples Typically Spend, Line by Line
Most renewals run between $1,000 and $10,000 or higher. The table shows where the money tends to go, with published package figures where they exist.
| Line item | What couples typically pay | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Total budget | $1,000 to $10,000 or more | Guests, venue, photos, food, travel |
| Ceremony venue | Free in a backyard; $89 to $399 for Las Vegas basics | Setting, day of week, package inclusions |
| Reception space | $1,616 for a small diner reception; from $4,999 for an event center | Capacity and catering |
| Officiant | $0 with a friend or relative | No licensed officiant is required |
| Photography | Often bundled into chapel packages | Hours of coverage, image formats |
| Flowers and attire | Bundled or tiered by package | Corsage versus bouquet, fresh flowers |
| Extra guests | $15 to $89 per person at some resorts | Head count drives the total fastest |
The spread is the point. In Las Vegas, a drive-thru renewal starts at $89, a simple chapel ceremony from $159, and an outdoor setting from $399; many include limo rides, professional photos, and fresh flowers. Attach a party and the number climbs: a ceremony plus small reception in a retro 1950s diner runs $1,616, while an all-inclusive ceremony and reception in an event center starts at $4,999 for up to 225 guests.
Venue Costs: Backyard, Restaurant, Chapel or Destination
A backyard costs nothing to book. No legal rules apply, so approval is whatever your town generally requires for gatherings, and the money moves into rentals, food, and seating instead. A restaurant private room trades decor for a food and beverage minimum. A chapel sells predictability: one price covering the room, music, and often photos and flowers.
Destination renewals bundle the ceremony into a trip. At Coconut Bay Resort in St. Lucia, the Everlasting package starts at $799, or is included at no charge when you book a 7-night stay in certain room categories. It covers an oceanfront gazebo ceremony, a one-tier cake with sparkling wine, and an official vow renewal certificate. The True Love package runs $1,799 for up to 10 guests and adds a tropical bouquet, a two-tier cake, a private three-course dinner reception, and an island tour. Weighing a renewal against a full second wedding abroad? Our line-by-line look at the cost of a Caribbean destination wedding shows what the legal version adds.
Officiants, Photography and Flowers on a Renewal Budget
Because no licensed officiant is required, this line can be zero. Many vow renewals are led by a friend or relative with a connection to the couple, and whoever leads it completes and returns no legal documents. If you want a keepsake certificate anyway, check whether the package includes one.
Little trick: Some counties sell a keepsake vow renewal certificate directly. Clark County’s costs $21 and is available any day of the year at the Marriage License Bureau, which is open from 8 a.m. until midnight.
Photography and flowers are the first two lines worth pricing separately. Las Vegas packages frequently bundle professional photography, with full-coverage sets in color, black and white, and sepia, plus fresh flowers. Resort packages tier the florals: the lower St. Lucia option includes a bridal corsage, while the higher tier moves up to a tropical bouquet. Buying both a la carte typically costs more than a package that already includes them, so compare inclusions line by line.
The Guest List Multiplier: Feeding and Housing People
The guest count moves the budget faster than any other decision. Resorts price it directly: extra guests at the St. Lucia packages cost $15 to $89 per person, depending on the tier. The Las Vegas event center covers up to 225 guests at its starting rate. A backyard renewal flips the model, with the couple absorbing food and drink costs per head instead.
Housing guests is the quieter expense. Once people travel in, someone fields questions about where to stay and what things cost, and the answers shape whether guests come at all. A small renewal with a full weekend of activities can quietly cost attendees more than the couple spends on the event, so it is kind to be explicit about expectations early.
Combining the Renewal With an Anniversary Trip
For many couples the trip is the celebration, and the ceremony is one evening of it. Destination vow renewals are popular precisely because they pair a milestone with a vacation. Princess Cruises reports that renewal bookings jumped 218% compared with the year before, and The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study found that experience and authenticity now outrank extravagance and scale as top priorities.
Planning it as a trip first keeps the budget honest. Choose the destination and dates with the same steps you would use for any milestone anniversary, then price the ceremony as an add-on. Our guide to planning a milestone anniversary trip walks through that order. Read the fine print on package rates, since a free renewal tied to a 7-night stay is exactly the kind of offer that comes with conditions.
Where to Cut and Where Not To
The guest list is the biggest lever, and trimming it saves on food, seating, invitations, and space in one move. Package tiers are another: pick the tier that matches what you actually want rather than paying for the full list. A weekday or off-season date can lower venue minimums as well.
Photography is the common place not to cut, since the images outlast the cake. The trip itself is the other: the ceremony lasts an afternoon, but the surrounding days are what you will remember. If the two of you split trip costs differently, settle the approach before any deposits, using our guide to budgeting a trip as a couple.
Keep reading
- Before You Book Your Anniversary Trip: The Fine Print Checklist: cancellation windows, deposit rules and rate types to check before putting a fixed-date ceremony on the calendar.
- Getting Married in a National Park: Permits, Fees and Etiquette: useful if your renewal revisits a park, since a legal wedding on public land carries permit rules a renewal does not.
- How a Hotel Room Block Works for a Destination Wedding: the mechanics of reserving rooms for a group, which apply when guests travel in for a destination renewal.
Couples often ask
Do we need a marriage license to renew our vows?
No. A vow renewal is symbolic because you are already legally married, so there is no license, filing or officiant requirement. Legal weddings are the ones that require a license, and most licenses are valid for 30 days to a year, depending on the state that issued them.
Can anyone officiate a vow renewal?
Yes. Because no legal documents are involved, a friend or relative can lead the ceremony, and many do. Officiants sometimes fill out a decorative keepsake certificate, which is not a legal record.
Is a vow renewal certificate proof of marriage?
No. Clark County’s $21 Certificate of Vow Renewal, for example, is not a record of marriage and cannot be used to prove you are married. Your marriage certificate from the state where you married is the proof, and you can request copies from that state’s vital records office.
How much should we budget for a vow renewal?
Most vow renewals run $1,000 to $10,000 or more depending on guest count, venue, photography, food and travel. Small ceremony-only packages can cost a few hundred dollars, and a backyard celebration can cost less.
Entry rules, fees, permits and tax figures change. Confirm details with the State Department, the park, the resort or a tax professional before you rely on them. This guide is general information.