Can she and Mark renew their vows a record breaking 100 times? Clare Rigden reports.
Denise Duffield-Thomas had dreamed of walking down the aisle and saying “I do” to her Prince Charming, but she never imagined she’d do it again and again, in some of the world’s most exotic places.
Denise, originally from the NSW Central Coast, and her husband Mark, from the UK, beat 30,000 other entrants to win a job as “honeymoon testers” for an Irish wedding website. Since May, they have been halfway around the world and renewed their vows an amazing 46 times – putting them on track for a Guinness World Record.
“In the final interview, they asked if we had any fun ideas for things we could do on our trip testing honeymoon destinations,” says Denise, 30. “I had this idea it would be fun if we renewed our vows in every country, and they ran with it.”
The couple were sure they could land a world record for the most wedding vow renewals … but then discovered they’d have to say “I do” 100 times to overtake Tennessee couple Lauren and David Blair’s tally.
“I was like, ‘What on Earth have we let ourselves in for?’,” says Denise. The couple wed for the first time in August last year in the UK. They then travelled to Australia, where Denise put her dress on for the second time in front of family and friends. But little did she know she’d be doing this over and over again in the year to come!
