Hello!
So, this is my first post. I have done some lurking and haven't seen any answers to the following questions...so I do hope I'm following the proper etiquette for The Knot Community.
Anyway, my situation is somewhat unique. To make a long story short, we never had a wedding. We did the deed quickly at a courthouse before he deployed...I don't even have a picture of that day, and to make things even better, the folks handling our paperwork in the Army actually lost our pretty marriage certificate. We planned on having our actual ceremony when he got back, but life apparently had other plans for us (extremely premature birth of our daughter meant quite a lot of bills to pay!). So we will be having a vow renewal ceremony on our fifth wedding anniversary so that we can FINALLY celebrate with friends and family.
Now, I know there's some stigma when it comes to hosting vow renewals. I'm trying my best to balance etiquette with actually having the "wedding" I've always wanted, so keep that in mind when reading my following questions, please.
1. Save the Dates. Here's the wording I've come up with:
"Bride" and "Groom" were married in a private ceremony on "wedding date." Please Save the date to celebrate with us as we renew our vows on the fifth anniversary of our marriage.
Is this decent wording?
2. Because I want to pay homage to the fact that I don't want people to think I'm throwing myself a "second wedding," I was thinking it would be fun to have a "white" theme and ask all guests to show up in white attire. It's a summer outdoor event. I've read in the FAQ page that you're not supposed to mention attire requirements in invitations...so how do you go about mentioning a theme like this?
Sorry for the long post, and I really appreciate any help. Thanks!