A couple renewed their wedding vows in Bermuda exactly 30 years after they tied the knot on the island.

David Lowy, 72, and wife Jane, 66, reaffirmed their love for each other at Horseshoe Bay on Thursday, during their first trip to Bermuda since they eloped here in 1996.

The couple met through an amateur production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Houston, Texas, in 1990.

They were inspired to get married on the island after hearing the song Down in Bermuda by Jonathan Richman.

Mrs Lowy said: “We were going to get married in the registry office in Bermuda. We just told our family we were going on vacation.”

The couple, who have one 29-year-old daughter, eloped partly as a way to prevent tensions from erupting between family members.

They used hairbands as substitute wedding rings when they officially became husband and wife.

Mrs Lowy recalled: “We’re both shy about these things and get nervous with weddings, so we just wanted to do it this way.”

However, the couple’s 30th anniversary trip was far less spontaneous — they agreed to celebrate the occasion in Bermuda soon after arriving on the island to get married.

Mrs Lowy recalled: “In the shuttle that was taking us from the airport to where we were going to stay, there was a couple that was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.

“David and I said ‘let’s do that in 30 years’ — so we did. We had this in the back of our minds for all these years.”

The couple, staying at Bermuda Connections Guest House in Southampton, returned to the Registry General’s office on Parliament Street, where they signed their marriage licence 30 years ago, and even reunited with one of their witnesses, Sarah Burchall.

Mr Lowy recalled: “It was great going back the other day, because it was so nostalgic … we remembered the stairs and everything and knew this was the place.”

The couple said the island has gotten much busier.

They were disappointed that the replica of the Deliverance ship in St George's had been demolished, and they could not go on the platform at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

They did not write their own vows in 1996, but did so for the filmed renewal ceremony.

Mr Lowy said he most admires his wife’s beauty, intelligence and musical talents, while Mrs Lowy loves how her husband always makes her laugh and is genuine with his emotions.

When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage, Mrs Lowy said: “Don’t expect to have it your own way all the time. Be flexible and put up with each other.”

Her husband added: “It’s helpful to know one’s own limitations and the limitations of another person, and not expect them to change everything because you don’t think it’s the way it should be done.”