Strafford News

Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on August 26.

DOVER – Jewelry Creations hosted the area’s first community vow renewal ceremony on Saturday, August 7 at Waldron Court, located immediately next to the store’s location at 388 Central Avenue in downtown Dover.

The vow renewal ceremony was a fun way to celebrate marriage for eight happy couples on that day, reaffirming their love and commitment.

Among the eight couples was Donna and Phil Rinaldi, who’ve been married 51 years.

“People often ask us how we have managed 51 years together,” said Donna Rinaldi. “We make sure we respect each other every day by being kind and saying thanks for all the little things we do for each other that easily get overlooked.”

Kelly Glennon, who owns Jewelry Creations along with her husband Doug, is also a New Hampshire justice of the peace. She came up with the idea, hosted the event, and she hopes to do it in future years. This event was a part of a special way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jewelry Creations.

“The motivating factor was to really just celebrate love,” says Kelly Glennon. “The pandemic has been so hard for so many reasons, but I know how much my love and appreciation for Doug grew throughout the past year. He provided support, strength and encouragement. I know so many couples felt the same, so it just seemed like the perfect time to honor and celebrate love. I wasn’t planning to make this an annual event, but after seeing the excitement and emotion during this ceremony, I can’t wait to do it again!

“We celebrated with 8 couples. We had two couples celebrating 51 years of marriage, which really warmed my heart. We also had a couple celebrating one year of marriage. They had to cancel their big wedding due to the pandemic and chose to marry at town hall. They said our vow renewal ceremony was extra special for them and they were super emotional during the ceremony. Seeing their faces only reinforced to me how special the event truly was.”

“Kelly did a fantastic job with the vows,” says Rinaldi. “She captured what we believe in that marriage is the beginning of a grand adventure with joys, blessings and challenges. Phil and I would love to attend next year, to see others renewing their vows in this special way and we hope the numbers grow over the years.”

Original source can be found here.