I renewed my wedding vows in Times Square on Valentine's Day—here's what it was like

On a freezing February evening in the heart of Times Square, several hundred couples looked into each other's eyes, held hands and renewed their wedding vows. My husband Shane and I were among them. This annual Valentine's evening tradition, called Love in Times Square, welcomes any married couple to renew their vows on the red steps. As soon as we heard about it, we knew we wanted to sign up.

After 11 years married, it was a truly special moment. On our wedding day in our hometown of Pittsburgh, we were surrounded by hundreds of family and friends, many of whom had known us for decades. This time around, we were surrounded by thousands of strangers in our new home of New York. Both experiences have a special place in my heart, and if you're thinking of renewing your vows, I'd highly recommend doing so in Times Square next year. The free ceremony is open to people of all ages, genders, religions, races and backgrounds.

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The evening began with a welcome from Joe Papa, Time Square Alliance's Director of Events, who called it "the most romantic day of the year." He asked the group assembled to raise their hands indicating how long they'd been married. While we may have thought a decade of marriage was pretty impressive, one couple indicated they'd been married 50 years! We also learned that several couples come back year after year to renew their vows at Love in Times Square—a very sweet tradition. We'd all been given light-up heart rings at check-in, making for a sea of glowing red lights across the red steps. 

After the welcome, we were treated to a moving performance of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World." Given the vow renewal's setting in Times Square, a Broadway performance was a special treat. I especially appreciated that A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical was chosen considering the Armstrongs lived in Corona, Queens for their adult lives. 

Next up, an officiant led the crowd through vows, each of us carefully repeating his words aloud. He closed his remarks with: "tonight you have pledged your love once again to each other." I couldn't help but tear up, just like I did on my wedding day. As confetti rained over the crowd, the couples sealed their vows with a kiss.

I didn't realize until the ceremony ended that onlookers had gathered around the red steps to applaud and cheer. I know there's a lot of hate around Valentine's Day, but I love love in all its forms, and it made my heart smile to see others who seemed to share the sentiment. As the events wrapped up, couples snapped photos of each other. I ended up talking to a few people—one couple had come from the west coast and another all the way from Greece for the occasion! Some couples got dressed up in gowns and suits, while others stayed bundled up in jeans and puffer coats.

If I've learned anything about marriage in the past 10 years, it's to dream bigger together.

I removed my warm pink coat for just a few moments to snap some photos showing off my outfit. Just like on my wedding day, I wore something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. On my wedding day a decade ago in a beautiful church on Pittsburgh's North Side, I couldn't have dreamed that we'd someday renew our vows in the center of the universe. But if I've learned anything about marriage in the past 10 years, it's to dream bigger together. So who knows, maybe we'll join the scores of couples who renew their vows in Times Square year after year. Maybe we'll see you there next year. 

Until then, I'll leave you with the gravelly words of Louis Armstrong's character: "Happy Valentine's Day, everybody. I love your love."