Who here is celebrating a first anniversary soon? If you raised your hand, I have some great gift ideas for you!
Professional Wedding Album
The traditional first anniversary gift is paper and when Justin and I celebrated year one, we figured that a professional photo album was pretty close to paper. It turned out beautifully and our photographer Beth Insalaco did an amazing job with the design. I’m so glad that we have such a nice keepsake from our big day. The pages are thick, the cover is soft leather, and the colors and images are crisp. Definitely worth the splurge! My iPhone photo doesn’t do it justice.
Plane Tickets
Surprise your sweetie with that honeymoon you didn’t get to take or the long weekend you both need.
Spa Day
A gift certificate for a couples massage sounds like a great, relaxing way to celebrate your anniversary.
Vow Print
There are lots of these custom vow prints available on Etsy, but Jenna Sue Design’s is my favorite. The layout is clean, the script font is the right amount of fancy, and there are lots of color options for both the background and the text. If you wrote your own vows, this is the perfect memento.
Love Letters
If you’re super ahead of the game, write your other half a love letter every day during your first year of marriage. Have them printed on beautiful paper and bound to make the most romantic book ever.
Chic Stationery
Bring back the fine art of letter writing with a personalized stationery suite, including note cards, a note pad, and maybe even a Mont Blanc pen if you’re feeling extra fancy. I’m absolutely loving the latest foil-stamped collection from Minted, available in all sorts of designs and colors and able to be customized with your sweetie’s name.
Event Tickets
Ladies, surprise your hubby with front row concert tickets or backstage passes. Gentlemen, I know most of you might not enjoy sitting through a musical, but I bet your wife would love it. Treat her to a night of dinner and Broadway in the Cultural District.
Photo or Coffee Table Book
Mixbook has made photo books super easy to make and one of images from your first year as husband and wife is a great gift idea. Or find one full of works from your spouse’s favorite artist or images of their favorite city.
Boudoir Session
Speaking of photos, step in front of the camera again but this time for a boudoir session. Boudoir photography has many forms and it doesn’t have to be overtly sexy! There are many styles out there and you’re bound to find something that fits your comfort zone. Make a for-his-eyes-only photo book with all of the amazing proofs! A special thanks to the Girlfriend Experience Boudoir for this suggestion!
Homemade Card
Bust out your scissors, rubber cement, and construction paper. Get crafty and make a card instead of buying one. Write a heartfelt message instead and I guarantee that card will be the most meaningful one you ever give to your sweetie.
What about you? What did you and your spouse gift to each other on your first anniversary? Did you stick with tradition, or did you go rogue? Comment below!
There is an artist on Etsy that hand cuts maps of a special place to has significance for you both. We got married in Columbus, OH so she hand cut the city (streets, waterways, etc.) and placed a heart at the intersection where our ceremony location was. It’s one of our favorite pieces of art in our home now. Find her https://www.etsy.com/shop/themadmapper.
Great idea, Kristen! I love this!
My husband got me a (paper) gift certificate for an anniversary sundial (a cool clock that uses the sun to tell time) and did both traditional and modern first anniversary gifts in one! He found the sundial online and it sits on the windowsill in our family room and makes rainbows on the floor when the sun shines, and when we had it made, the guy who made it for us added a special date line that the time shadow follows on our anniversary day every year. It was a great gift, very clever and appropriate – and with something like that in our house, maybe he won’t ever forget our anniversary lol!
Awww, this is a great idea! I love that you were able to incorporate both the traditional and modern gift idea, and that it hold such a special place in your home now!
We went to a wedding and the bride received a sketch of her dress and his suit, from the groom. It was a Dreamlines artist created sketch. My perfect hubs gave me a sketch for our one year. So glad he paid attention. <3
that’s so SWEET!!! i’ve seen those dress sketches and they’re always so beautiful!