For couples, the honeymoon is no longer necessarily the grand finale of wedding celebrations. Increasingly, romance is being revisited months or even years later, as couples wait for the right time to celebrate their marriage—and their journey together.
According to UK wedding platform Bridebook, one in five couples now waits until their first anniversary to take their honeymoon, allowing time for finances to recover after the expense of the wedding. The shift is also helping fuel interest in anniversary getaways and vow renewals, with couples choosing longer and more indulgent experiences once the wedding itself is behind them.
Eri Maldives is embracing that trend with three vow-renewal experiences designed around different stages of a relationship.
For couples whose weddings were disrupted by the pandemic, Waves of Love offers an opportunity to recreate the beachfront celebration they may have missed. Designed with couples married between 2020 and 2022 in mind, the experience includes a ceremony, ring exchange, symbolic certificate, Bodu Beru drummers, champagne toast and a romantic dinner on the beach.
For couples marking a new chapter, Eternal Love focuses on relationships that have weathered major life changes. A health scare, retirement, relocation, empty nest or other transition can provide a meaningful reason to celebrate a partnership. The package includes a candlelit beach dinner, rose petals, Prosecco, a 45-minute aromatherapy treatment and traditional Maldivian sarongs as keepsakes.
Then there is Ocean Kiss, Eri Maldives’ most extensive vow-renewal package. Designed for milestone anniversaries, it turns the celebration into a full romantic escape, featuring a five-course beachfront dinner with lobster and wine, a floating or lagoon breakfast and a one-hour Balinese massage for two.
Couples can also customize their celebrations with experiences such as a private sunset cruise with champagne and canapés, live music or a DJ, a drone-filmed highlight reel and even a fireworks display.
The appeal of a vow renewal may be less about recreating the wedding day than acknowledging everything that happened afterward. For couples who have built a life together, reaching another anniversary can offer an opportunity to pause, reconnect and celebrate the relationship beyond the original ceremony.
Located in the Maldives, Eri offers white-sand beaches, turquoise lagoons, villas and access to marine experiences, creating a setting designed for couples who want their next “I do” to feel distinctly different from the first.
Beach Villas at Eri Maldives start from £256 per night on a full-board basis when booked directly.