Anniversary List of Years Gifts - The 1st

If you are looking forward to an approaching anniversary, stay tuned to our ongoing series of Anniversary List of Years Gifts.  We will cover the Anniversaries one year at a time, and as always, give you some great ideas.

Anniversaries are typically celebrated either with traditional or modern gifts, which ever fits the couple’s tastes best is acceptable, or go the distance and get both.

The first anniversary is marked by the traditional gift of paper (Hey, it’s only been one year of marriage – You’ve got to hang in longer than that to get the big gifts ).  Regardless, if you do a little brainstorming and creative thinking, there are some really cool ways to give paper.  Here is the list we came up with:

Cards

Pretty obvious.  You were probably going to do this anyway, but you can make it special by making your own card, writing a poem or note in the card and making it personal.

Cards could even be recipe cards, business cards, or try coupon cards that are redeemable either with you or a favorite store.  You could even print gift cards online and give those, or put them in your anniversary card.

Money

Definitely made of paper – and it goes nicely in a handmade card.  Just explain why you gave the money, so there’s no reason to think you didn’t put any effort into your gift.

A Letter

Write down some great memories from your first year together.  Talk about good times, talk about special times, talk about the future.  Share your ideas and the things you look forward to.  It’s not that difficult, just make it heart felt.  Then post it on a mirror, a pillow, a counter, or mail it to arrive on the anniversary date!

A Poem

If you’re good with words, this is a great way to express your feelings of your first year together.

Note(s)

Sticky notes could be a fun way to express yourself on your first anniversary.  Leave them in all kinds of fun places to be found through out the day.  Little nice thoughts, sayings, quotes, happy faces, hearts will all make for a fun first anniversary, and the fun will build as more notes are discovered.  You’ll probably even enjoy trying to find places to put them.  (Bonus: Give a scrapbook at the end of the day to put all the notes in.  The scrap book is paper too!)

Drawing

Make the drawing yourself, if you’re talented, or have someone do it for you.  You can find caricature places at the mall.  Or find a local artist to do the drawing for you.

Painting

There’s probably a special or fun painting that would look good in your house.  The first anniversary would be a great time to get it!

Pictures

Gather up some pictures from your first year together, put them in a collage or in a nice picture frame.  We prefer personalized picture frames.

Tickets

Lots of options here.  Shows, movies, airplane, boat, cruise, etc.

Diary/Notebook

How about getting two nice journals/diaries, and writing down thoughts ideas, memories, and sharing them for your second anniversary!  A year long project that will surely draw you closer together.

Books

If you guys enjoy reading, then giving a new book is a great gift.  Maybe get two copies, and you can both read and talk about the story.  Or, if you’re interested in getting to know your better half a little bit more, then maybe working through some relationship books together would be fun.

We’ll wrap up our 1st Anniversary List of Years gift post with a mention that if you want to give a modern gift, instead of a traditional gift, for your first anniversary, then a clock is the gift of choice.

Whichever method you choose, traditional or modern, there are lots of great gifts to celebrate one year of marriage.

Happy Anniversary!

P.S.- If you’re running out of time before your anniversary, see our last minute gift ideas for anniversary.

Last Minute Gift Ideas For Anniversary

If you’re looking for last minute gift ideas for anniversary, we’d be willing to bet you’re a guy who just realized your anniversary is fast approaching (we’re guys we know how these things go ). But you can apply these ideas either way.

If you still have a day or two, great, you have plenty of time. If your anniversary is today, don’t worry, you’ll be able to make it happen.

Candle Light Dinner

Let’s face it – the lady’s love the romance – so turn it on. Then decide which method to follow.

Do It Yourself

This requires a little more time and planning, but the results will rank much higher on the romance scale. Get some candles, cook her favorite dish, turn the lights down, and spend some time with your spouse (Tip – Spend a little extra and get some wine or champagne – something you wouldn’t normally buy – Bonus points!)

Go Out

If you don’t already know where to go, ask around and find a nice quiet restaurant to eat dinner at. Tell them it’s you’re anniversary, and see if you can get candles and a special table.

Once you’ve got your plan together, tell her you’ve got a surprise, and tell her what time to be ready. Give her as much time as you can to build anticipation and excitement. (More Romance! And don’t forget a romantic anniversary card to give her before you eat)

Add A Movie

Whatever time of year it is, there’s always a romance/date film playing in the theaters. (If you want to save some cash, the rental store is just as good of an option – just choose something mushy ). Take her to the theater after dinner and when you’re in line, tell her that you thought it would be nice to see the new date film. Instant Brownie points!

The Icing on the Cake

When it’s time for your date, make sure you bring some flowers – No need to be extravagant – less is more (in fact a single rose is ideal.) If you still have a few days before your anniversary, 1-800-flowers can usually get flowers delivered in time. Send them to her work if you can, so all her friends will see how great her husband is.

Bonus

Put an Amazon gift card inside her Anniversary card. You can get them for any of her favorite stores, and you can print it off instantly from your computer – Perfect for the last minute!

When it comes to last minute gift ideas for anniversary, a romantic dinner with flowers and a card will go a long ways to remind her how special she is.

Happy Anniversary!

P.S. – Make sure your flowers and gift card are ready before you go to dinner. Your wife will love it.

P.P.S. – My wife was just reading this over my shoulder and I got a hug and kiss.  “You’re so sweet babe.”  Imagine the results after executing this romantic evening

Custom Photo Frame

I look around our home and see a few remnants of our wedding day from seven years ago.  There are the keepsakes from the wedding itself (Candles, the flute set,  etc.), the hand made photo album filled with photos, and a few appliances that we didn’t have at the time.

What’s the point?  If you want to give a lasting gift, make it meaningful and filled with memories.  And make it a personalized wedding gift.  The hand made photo album made by our friends was great.  It’s classy, nice, one of a kind, and you always need a place to store photos.

That’s what makes the custom photo frames at personalization mall a great wedding gift.

You can customize it to say anything you’d like.  The names of the bride and groom being customary.  But experiment and try some different ideas.  You might be surprised with what you can come up with (I actually enjoyed trying different sayings using their preview option).

The only draw back is the 13 character limit.  Although, I found that the names of most of the couples I knew would fit within that limit.  If your special couple won’t fit, then it’s time to get creative.  They’ll love the gift even more!

Giving a custom photo frame on that special day is the best way to show the couple you are thinking about them, and to give them something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Here’s to the Newly Weds!

P.S.-  Rather than just give the bride and groom an empty photo frame, get it early.  Then coordinate with their parents to get copies of photos.  You’ll have a unique gift they can hang on their wall in their first apartment, and they’ll still have it when they buy their first home!

There are many different ways to personalize a gift for Mom.  Get creative and be imaginative.  The more thought that you put in at this stage, the more dramatic your result will be when she opens her gift on Mother’s day.

Think about special memories, special hobbies, things she likes to do and have, places she likes to go.  Really the possibilities are endless, but definitely get creative.  This is what adds the flare to your gift.  Showing her that you put extra effort will really make your gift stand out to Mom for years to come.

Several years ago, we got Mom a Mother’s ring with the birthstones of each of the kids embedded around the band, along with her birthstone.  She still wears it to this day because every time she sees the birthstones, she is reminded of one of her children.  This is the sort of emotional and sentimental gift that Mom’s love to hang on to.

This year, give her something that shows her how special she is to you.  Use your imagination, dig into your creativity, and get something sure to create instant sentimental value for Mom.

Personalized Mother’s Day gifts are the best way to tell your Mom how special she is to you.  Take the time to make sure you get her something special for Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day!