I remember feeling a lot of pressure as the date of my first wedding anniversary neared. It seemed like a momentous occasion, and I wanted to celebrate it in a meaningful, memorable way! In the end, I’m not sure if our celebration counted as “momentous,” but it was very us — we spent the day at the beach, then splurged on a nice dinner out where we exchanged heartfelt letters, a nod to the traditional first anniversary gift of paper.
Ever since, we’ve loved combining an adventure, delicious food, quality time, and a gift keyed to the traditional anniversary gifts to mark another year of marriage. If you need a refresher, here you go:
To our sweet brides who were married last year: this one’s for you! We’ve brainstormed a few of our favorite and most creative “paper” anniversary gifts to give and to get, and here they are…
— An album of wedding photos. In addition to the options from your photographer, we love Artifact Uprising and MILK Books.
— A book of Instagram photos from your first year. Chat Books makes it so easy to upload right from your phone!
— A framed keepsake. Maybe your wedding invitation, an art print, or a favorite photograph from your wedding or first year as married people. More ideas here.
— Art from your hand-lettered wedding vows. John and I are still completely charmed by the watercolors Simply Jessica Marie made for us!
— A book. You could exchange favorite novels, buy a new devotional to do together, pick out a gorgeous coffee table volume, try a new cookbook, or look for a rare first edition.
— Stationery. There are gorgeous readymade options available, or you could order a monogrammed version or even commission a set with your likeness!
— A brush lettering kit. So you can create your own beautiful works of art on paper.
— A custom painting to commemorate your first home. We love the sweet versions drawn up by Little House Shop.
— A board game to play together. Cardboard is pretty much paper, right? :) Or these pretty playing cards.
— Tickets. Plane tickets, tickets to a show, tickets to a game… the possibilities are endless!
— A sweet card. To tell him how much you love him. Because really, isn’t that the best gift, anyway? We love Shannon Kirsten’s designs.
What do you think, friends? Any suggestions to add to our list? I’d love to hear!!
I really like the idea of a painting. I’ve found some artists that will make a collage painting from pictures of details of your wedding. It’s a nice alternative if portraits aren’t your style.
A nice monogrammed robe (maybe coordinating his and hers) is also a nice splurge, for all those Sunday mornings spent lounging around.
Big fan of both Biscuit and Heirloomed!!
[…] When you see a show that has you smiling through tears, you know it’s a winner. Also, the second anniversary gift is cotton, and Will read my mind and got me these pajamas with my monogram embroidered on them! I got to […]