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 gave my husband a big framed world map for our first anniversary that we can add push pins to all the places we’ve been together. We both love it and I think we will have it forever!
LOVE that idea so much, Caroline!!
For our paper anniversary my husband and I gave each other a year of dates! We wrote 12 date ideas on little slips of paper. Then we put them in a jar with cash (more paper!). We’ve gone on one date every month and it’s been such a great way to make sure we’re spending meaningful time together each month.
Y’all are so creative! LOVE that idea, too, Valery!!
I got my husband a subscription to a journal he was always tracking down/borrowing, but for something less academic you could consider a magazine subscription!
Oh, so I’ve got to get silverware for our upcoming anniversary. Didn’t know that.