Love Is Blind’s Lauren and Cameron Celebrate 5th Anniversary with ‘Intimate’ Vow Renewal — and Usher!

Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton are celebrating five years of wedded bliss!

The Love Is Blind couple — who met and tied the knot on season 1 of the Netflix hit and have become fan favorites ever since — hit their five-year wedding anniversary on Thursday.

“It feels like a flash,” said Lauren, who also celebrates her 36th birthday on Thursday. “Even though I know for some people who’ve been married for 50 years, they’re like, ‘Five years? That’s nothing. That’s just the beginning.’ But we feel so blessed and we’re happy.”

“Every day feels like I fall more and more in love with Cam, which I didn’t even know was possible,” she tells PEOPLE. “So I’m just happy to be where we are now and for our growth and proud of us.”

Cameron, 33, adds: “Five years, it is both a long time and not very much time. Simultaneously, it’s really a matter of perspective. I mean, it’s gone by really quickly, but then there have been times where marriage takes a lot of work. You have to put in a lot to get to a good place, which I feel great about where we are. So, I’m really thankful for those times where it was challenging because it ultimately leads to a stronger marriage.”

In celebrating how far they’ve come, Lauren and Cameron decided to mark this marital milestone a little early by renewing their vows the first weekend of November at Bellagio Resort and Casino. For Lauren, choosing the location was easy. Since she wanted to see Usher in concert, she suggested they jet off to Las Vegas for the celebration.

“Really it started because Lauren wanted to go see Usher,” Cameron jokes. “That’s first and foremost. And then it was just going to be a fun trip to Vegas, we were going to do the cheesy chapel type of thing and have a nice dinner. But then it evolved into a bigger-scale thing, which I think is nice … I think you should really celebrate every milestone of the marriage.”

Lauren also notes that two wanted to celebrate their marriage again — but away from cameras since they were unable to get any real private time the first time around.

“We initially wanted to do another reception or something for our wedding. Because getting married on TV is nice because some things are covered, but you don’t get a chance to really do it how you want to,” she explained. “But then quarantine and COVID happened, so that kind of derailed everything for us…. We’ve been so busy lately, and it’s like, it’s five years. This is the time to finally celebrate it in our own way, in a fun way.”

The vow renewal seen in PEOPLE’s exclusive photos was made special by keeping the invite list contained to Lauren and Cameron’s closest family and friends for an “intimate” celebration.

The two then dressed to the nines, wearing a white wedding gown and traditional black suit for the renewal, before posing for a photoshoot on the rooftop of the Bellagio Resort and Casino.

“We didn’t want it to be a huge blowout thing because I feel like with the show it was kind of that. It was like, cameras, everybody … and it wasn’t really about the intimacy of us really just celebrating our marriage,” Lauren shares. “So that’s what we wanted to do [with this], but in a fun way, in a fun city with our loved ones, but still not lose that intimate feeling of why we’re here and what we’re doing.”

As they reflect on their marriage, Cameron and Lauren can’t help but think back of some of their favorite memories together. For Lauren, she says those include getting their dog Sparx and blending families on their first holiday together.

“We got the dog. We were on the ride home and he was just sitting in our lap and he was looking at Cam all adoringly,” she recounts. “In my mind, it was just a photo memory moment. Like, ‘Oh, I got the dog, I got my husband. This is my vision board coming alive.’ It was such just a happy, joyful memory that I will remember forever ’til I’m 80 and gray.”

“And when we first got married too, and we had our first Thanksgiving, and we actually had a chance to have both sides of our family together for the first time,” she adds. “Everybody was in the house … and it just literally felt like a movie. Us all being there together, so it was beautiful.”

Cameron says his most cherished moments include launching their Quarantine Diaries series on their Hanging with the Hamiltons YouTube channel, as well as a memorable trip to Maine early in their marriage.

“We went to Maine for Christmas, and my mom has this tradition where she does a treasure hunt and puts clues all around and everything,” he explains. “At the end, there was a treasure box and there was some scratch-off tickets inside. Everyone got one. Lauren scratched hers, she wound up winning like $5,000.”

Lauren confirms, “It was $5,000. I said, ‘Oh, I made the right decision. I married the right man, I got $5,000. I got a puppy.’ I hit the lottery in more ways than one. Can life get any better?”

Like every couple, the pair have also weathered some challenges, including adjusting to being married to someone who also shares their “alpha” style. But the pair say they’ve made it through by listening, prioritizing each other and putting in the work.

“I went from being by myself, kind of a hermit, to life changing instantly,” Lauren explains. “It took a minute for me to get over that and not isolate, and really realize, ‘OK, you have a partner now, you have a husband.’ And five years later, I feel like I’ve made some good ground.”

As for their favorite thing about each other five years later, the two can’t help but get choked up while discussing how much they mean to each other.

“Cameron is honestly very loving,” Lauren says through her happy tears. “He’s so selfless, and I really appreciate that. Because my past relationships were not that way. So I know what it’s like to not have it, so I’m grateful.”

“For me, I think how down Cam is for my family,” Lauren adds. “He’s so loving to my parents, my brother. He’s so patient with us even on holidays when we get drunk and argue … him and my dad will have their own side conversations. He’ll go check on them. It’s really a beautiful thing. And it’s not just because of me. It’s like he literally goes above and beyond to, thank God, have those relationships. So it’s sweet.”

Adds Cameron, “This is hard to express, but I think even more this year have learned that Lauren is very consistent in who she is, which I really love … and just the things that she’s willing to do for our marriage.”

“She’s made a lot of sacrifices in many ways … the selflessness that [she has] shown this year has been huge and it was deeper than I have ever seen,” he adds. “I’m just very grateful for her as a partner.”