No one said a vow renewal needs to be traditional!
When we got married in 2020, it was just me, my husband, a screen, and the silence of pandemic isolation. Our wedding, our baby shower, even my 30th birthday—all on Zoom. I always told myself I’d find a way to reclaim the moments COVID quietly stole from us.
Five years later, I did just that—with a vow renewal at the arcade.
Yep, you read that right. We celebrated five years of marriage not at a ballroom or banquet hall, but at Game Over, a local arcade in Alton, Illinois (just about 20 minutes outside of St. Louis). It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t viral. But it was perfect.
We kept it small and intimate—about 20 of our closest friends. We wrote our own vows this time, surrounded by laughter, flashing game lights, and the smell of pizza. Everyone got game cards, the kids ran around joyfully, and we took some of my favorite family photos ever. It was fun, affordable, and completely us.
The Budget Breakdown
We spent about $1,000 total—and that included my dress, my husband’s suit, pizza for our guests, the game cards, and even our daughter’s outfit.
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My husband’s suit and my dress? Both came from FashionNova.com, and we spent less than $200 total.
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Our daughter’s outfit came from Once Upon a Child—one of my favorite places for budget-friendly, secondhand kids’ clothes.
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And Game Over gave us the creative space and fun environment we wanted—for just $450 with game cards and pizza for everyone.
- Our cake was from Walmart. Honey, it was cute and under $50
- The rest of the budget was on decor, gifts, and photography with my close friends.
Listen, this was a vibe on a budget.
Why We Chose This
I wanted something that felt celebratory but not exclusive. Something that let us honor our marriage while letting our daughter be part of it, too. As a millennial mama, I know how easy it is to put your marriage on the back burner when you’re parenting, building, and just trying to stay afloat. But this time, we chose each other—and let our child witness it.
We didn’t have a flower girl. We didn’t have a DJ. What we did have was a community, a vibe, and a moment to breathe together, laugh together, and recommit—with tokens in one hand and toddler snacks in the other.
What I Want Other Mamas to Know
You don’t need thousands of dollars or a viral moment to create something meaningful. You can still do something beautiful, budget-conscious, and family-centered. You can dress up. You can cry happy tears. You can laugh so hard your mascara runs. You can renew your love—without excluding the littles who made you a mama in the first place.
This vow renewal was about reclaiming joy. About honoring our journey. About showing our daughter what love looks like—imperfect, evolving, and worth celebrating.
I’m so grateful to Game Over for giving us the space to just be ourselves, have fun, and celebrate our love—without breaking the bank. We made memories that will stay with us forever. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters most.
Because even when life goes off script, we get to write new vows. And this time, we wrote them with glitter, giggles, and game tokens.
