The traditional 1 year anniversary gift is paper. These 1st anniversary gift ideas go far beyond traditional!
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Hi there! I can’t even fathom that Ryan’s and my 1 year Anniversary is less than a month away! I have no clue where the time went. Yes, I guess I’m one of those people who now asks that question all the time; maybe it’s a part of getting older? 🙂
As our 1 year approaches, I’ve been trying to conjure up original gift ideas for him that fall into the traditional 1 year Anniversary gift of Paper. Paper? Hmmm, I don’t really get it, but I enjoy tradition so I’ll play along. When I was thinking about paper gifts literally, I was at a loss. Stationary? Definitely not. Ryan doesn’t do the snail mail thing, other than birthday or holiday cards. Nice business cards? No; he is provided those by his company. Time to think outside of the box. I still haven’t decided what his paper gift will be, but today I’m sharing some of the ideas I’ve come across so far. If you have a 1 year Anniversary coming up and are stumped with the paper, I hope this round up will give you some inspiration.
Framed Wedding Vows
This wedding photo with wedding vows I found on Etsy is BRILLIANT! Ryan and I both wrote our vows, which was both difficult and also the most special part of our wedding. I still get my sap on when I think of the amazing words that Ryan spoke to me on our special day.
Photo Book
We have still never gotten around to putting together a wedding album. We have our favorite wedding pictures already displayed in the house on our wedding gallery wall, so I’m thinking an album may just collect dust somewhere. What could be an option, however, is a photo book with a collection of pictures from our honeymoon. We had a wonderful time in the Dominican Republic, and have some great photos that chronicle our adventure (above are a few of my faves). Above our pics is a beautiful example of a Shutterfly honeymoon photo book I found on One Wed.
Framed Event Tickets
I don’t ever keep ticket stubs, but this idea from Two Twenty One would be a cute way to capture the memory of a favorite concert or sporting event that the 2 of you enjoyed together.
Actual Event Tickets
If you’ve hung out with me on the blog before, you might remember that Ryan and I are big Ohio State fans (we both went to school there). Big. Huge. Although our Anniversary doesn’t fall during a sports season that we follow, if your husband has a favorite team or band, a pair of tickets for you to enjoy an event together would be a winner for him (and you 😉 ).
His Own Love Note Mail Box
This idea was originally from my 14 Days of Valentine’s post (see how it works), but it would make a great 1 year anniversary gift as well; it’s pretty much ALL paper. Paper cardboard box, paper decoupaged on the cardboard box, and a notepad. The mailbox is a gift that keeps on giving.
A Watercolor of Your Home
I discovered the amazing Waterlogue smart phone app via Thistlewood Farms. I love this idea! We moved into our first home together last year, and using this app to create a watercolor of our house would be a special keepsake. A wedding photo would be perfect as well! I always wished that I could paint with water colors (or paint at all for that matter!); I guess this is the next best thing? The app takes any photo that you upload and gives you many watercolor style options to create a one-of-a-kind, unique work of art.
All About Us Book
Marriage takes effort to maintain; this collaborative journal as a 1 year Anniversary gift would create a great bonding experience, keeping a couple in tune with the things that matter to each other. There are a lot of great questions to pose to each other, some of them serious, some funny (i.e. what movie best describes your most dramatic breakup?) This workbook may reveal some things you never knew about your husband!
Post -its Heart
How cute is this?! What a great way to start the day, to walk into the bathroom to be greeted by a heart full of post-it’s with love notes on each one! Image from Life Lives Here.
Journal
For a wedding gift I gave Ryan a journal that I wrote in each day from the day of our engagement up through our wedding day. In it I wrote a different reason each day that I couldn’t wait to marry him (I’m not gonna lie, my memory abandons me sometimes so there may have been some accidental repeats 😉 ). I’m too late to do this one, but it would be a really special gift to do the same thing for the 1st year of marriage, listing 365 days worth of reasons why you’re so glad you married him. I love this journal from Zazzle.
Old Fashioned Love Letter
The forgotten art of an actual, handwritten, stamped letter! How much do stamps even cost these days?! Drop a good ‘ol fashioned love letter in the snail mail for him to receive on your Anniversary (remember not to get the mail that day yourself!)
Have you gifted any of the traditonal yearly Anniversary items? What did you come up with for paper? Please weigh in! I’d love to hear your thoughts on these or other ideas in the comments below! Helllpp! 😉
Cheryl says
My husband got me a special gift certificate (paper) for an anniversary sundial (a cool clock that uses the sun) and did both traditional and modern 1st anniversary gifts in one! I thought he was pretty clever doing that, but the sundial was wonderful – it is made of glass and sits on the windowsill indoors in our family room, and it makes beautiful rainbows in the room whenever the sun shines. It also has a personalized date line that the time shadow follows on our anniversary day each year. I don’t remember what it’s called but you can find it online with a search. I thought it was a brilliant idea!
Lydia says
Hi Cheryl! Wow that is a very special gift and a creative husband (aka KEEPER! ;). Thanks so much for sharing, have a great weekend!
Patti says
Last year for our 30th wedding anniversary we celebrated by renewing our vows and having a small party with friends, I think I might use some of these ideas to commemorate our new “first” anniversary.
Lydia says
That’s amazing Patti! Congratulations on 30 years, that’s incredible! And how special to commemorate your new anniversary, I love your story, thanks so much for sharing it!
Erica Broker says
I have one to share that my sister in law received. It was a Dreamlines sketch of her wedding dress. My husband then gave me a sketch of my dress and his suit on our wedding day. Just amazing! <3
Lydia says
Hey Erica, thanks for sharing! I had never heard of Dreamlines so just looked it up. That’s an amazing idea! And what a sweet gift from your hubby!
Check out what Erica is talking about here. It’s a great addition to the list!
Bethany Lotulelei says
So many good ideas! I have only been married three months, but I am already looking forward to our 1st anniversary. 🙂
Lydia says
Thanks Bethany! And congratulations! 🙂
Cassidy Sanderson says
Hello, I was curious if your husband loved the idea of the wedding vows printed?? I am thinking of doing that for my husband
Lydia says
He did love it Cassidy! We read our vows to each other again after he opened the gift, it was a perfect moment!
Elaine Parisi says
Happy anniversary Lydia and Ryan! There is nothing better than a love letter that can be cherished for life! It’s the reasons behind the daily “I love you” that we all love to hear. My vote is to get the pen and paper out and start writing!
Lydia Nordhoff says
Thanks so much Elaine, and great advise!