The answer was so obvious, I’m ashamed to admit I missed it. Last November, I wrote a post about the trend in celebrities renewing their marriage vows not long after their actual wedding. Just recently, I posted a story about the jewel-encrusted “ring pop” Nick Cannon gave to Mariah Carey on the occasion of their second or third vow renewal. They actually intend to renew their vows every year on their anniversary. Is it ultra-romantic, or just a giant waste of money?
When the trend was relatively new, I questioned the reasons why this multi-vow renewal thing was gaining popularity among paparazzi-plagued Hollywood homesteaders.
Let Me Refresh Your Memory
Here’s what I surmised at the time:
“So what’s up? Is it because they have nothing better to do with their money, and it was so much fun the first time? Do they think their marriage will last longer if they renew their vows repeatedly?
I think I have an answer—in Hollywood, one year of marriage is equal to five years of marriage for non-celebrities. Now it begins to make sense. If you think Marc and Jennifer are the only couple to jump on this bandwagon, consider this: Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds just got married a few, short months ago, and they’re already planning a second wedding. So are Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. David (the King of Soccer) and Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham have already renewed their vows, and they’ve been married a whole nine years.”
Don’t get me wrong. As a promoter of unique wedding favors, I should be recommending that everyone, famous and otherwise, have as many weddings and vow renewals as their hearts’ desire. And, of course, it’s the celebrities who can afford a wedding a week, if they want. It just seemed to me that money could be put to better use. As it turns out, these vow renewals make perfect sense. And I win the prize for the most naive person on the planet. I imagine you probably figured it out ages ago.
My Eureka! Moment
Credit Access Hollywood, E! News, Inside Edition, TMZ or one of those other celebrity-driven TV shows for opening my eyes. Ironically, I’m not a dedicated viewer of any of those shows. In fact, I was clicking through channels to see what else was on, and I simply punched into the right program at the right time. They happened to be doing the vow renewal-trend story, so I paused and paid attention. They gave me the correct answer in one word, and I’m thrilled to conclude my quest by giving you the one and only logical answer to this sadly shallow, yet intriguing question:
