By Evan Money
How can a Life Coach be proud of the fact that he’s getting married for the 16th time? Well, in my case, I’m marrying the same woman! You see, my bride and I remarry in a different state or country ever year, and this year is number 16! We are not alone, however, as celebrities like Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are following our lead and doing the same exact thing.
Whenever my bride and I share this story, most people respond by saying they would really like to do follow suit or that it sounds really romantic. Guess what? It really is! And I highly recommend it for everyone, not just my clients. Here’s my story:
Related: “Get Married This Year: 365 Days to ‘I Do’”
It all started 15 years ago when I heard a story about a successful business man who was married for 25 years, and he and his wife renewed there vows every year. As a newlywed and young businessman, it sounded like this idea would be a big help in having a successful marriage, something my bride and I desperately wanted. It seemed to us that most married people were divorced or miserable. We wanted to “live happily ever after,” so rather than just saying, “Oh, that sounds like a good idea,” my wife and I chose to take action.
We just happened to be in Paris for our anniversary the next year. However it’s not as romantic as you think, since we were chaperones for a group of high school students on a tour. My business had yet to take off, and money was really tight, but a funny thing happens when you make a real commitment — you can always find a way. So, lo and behold, my bride and I found ourselves in the City of Love for our first vow renewal. It was really pretty simple, as we had a small private ceremony in the gardens of Versailles (a famous French mansion) that lasted about five minutes. Simple , short and sweet, but our married lives were changed forever from that day forward.
When we returned home, we became so excited to plan our next renewal. We still didn’t have any money, so we just needed to get creative, take action and find a way. We chose Arizona for our second renewal simply because we could drive there and not have to pay for airfare. We had some wealthy friends with a ranch in the city of Carefree and we had a fun ceremony on their private lake. My bride’s bouquet was made of peacock feathers since they had a few of the majestic birds on the property. This ceremony was much bigger and more exciting, thanks to our friends help, and yet again, our married lives were changed forever. It seemed after each ceremony, our marriage bond became stronger and stronger. We were truly living happily ever after!
Related: Khloe Kardashian Gives Tips for a Happy Marriage
Through the years as my business has grown, along with my love for my bride, we were able to do more exotic yet still highly creative vow renewals. Number 14 was in the Bahamas at the famous Atlantis resort. A friend of mine is one of the dolphin trainers, so we were able to have the ceremony in the water with the dolphins by our side. I had my best “mammal” and my bride had her brides “mammal.” It was so amazing!
For those who have really connected with this idea, but are still having doubts or letting your limiting beliefs get in the way, I want to encourage you with these final thoughts:
If your limiting beliefs are around finances: If you’re not willing to invest in your relationship, what else is there to invest in? The returns on renewing your vows is 1,000% more than the stock market or real estate.
If your limiting beliefs are about time: I have two young children that we home school, I run multi-million dollar corporations, I lead a non-profit, I volunteer with foster kids and even teach a high school class on entrepreneurship at a private school. Even with those commitments, every year my bride and I prioritize our time so we can leave the country or state and take two to five days for marital bliss.
Finally, for any of the guys that may be reading: Why would you only settle for one honeymoon in life? I’m on honeymoon number 16, and they just keep getting better!
Evan Money is the #1 Online Life Coach and the author of the runaway hit Take Action Now — How to Live Your Dreams in Less than 3 Weeks!
