5 Paper Gift Ideas for Your First Wedding Anniversary

Your first wedding anniversary. It’s a very important milestone and the first chance for you to look back on and celebrate your wedding day. But what gift do you give your spouse? Traditionally, the first wedding anniversary is paper, because the strong fibres are meant to represent your strengthening marriage over the years to come. Of course, giving your partner a value pack of A4 probably isn’t the best option, no matter how cost-effective! However, with it being the first anniversary a lot of couples like to do something special and mark it with a gift under the traditional theme. So what are the options? You may be surprised to know that there are plenty more choices than simply investing in a quality card for the occasion! Read on for five first wedding anniversary gift ideas that will fit the traditional paper theme and put a smile on your partner’s face!

Five 1st Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas

1. Prints

A failsafe first-anniversary gift always has to be a personalised print. What better than a unique piece of artwork that you can display in your home together? There are loads of approaches you can take when it comes to what you include on your print, whether it’s related to your wedding or your relationship in general, there’s an option for every couple. There’s a print out there for almost every couple, whether you include song lyrics, poems, book extracts, or quotes. You could even combine it with a picture of your wedding day to give it an extra special touch. Think about:

• Do you have ‘a song?’ What song did you have as your first dance? There are so many wonderful designs of song lyric prints out there for you to give your other half a memento of that special song. If they’re a music fan, you could even go a step further with a print of the sheet music!
• Did you have a reading during your wedding ceremony? You could find a calligraphy print of the quote or poem that was part of your special day.
• There’s plenty of sites out there that will create a print from words, phrases, dates, and pretty much everything else related to your relationship too. Check out sites like Not on the High Street for ideas.

2. Tickets

When it comes to first wedding anniversary gifts, tickets are a fantastic option. Not only does it satisfy the paper theme, but it will also give you both a wonderful memory to look back on. If your other half isn’t particularly interested in any music or comedy acts (or you have very different tastes!), you can still treat them to an experience day or trip away. Great ideas for a first wedding anniversary can include a romantic meal for two, a spa break, or even a luxury city break. If you want to keep within the paper theme, there’s plenty of online tools around where you can actually create a ‘ticket’ for your gift – much more creative than just a print out of the confirmation email!

3. Get Creative

Okay, so the option may not be for everyone, but if you have a particular creative talent at your disposal, what better way to show your love for your spouse by giving them something homemade? If you’re lucky enough to have any musical talents, you could perhaps learn their favourite song and play it for them. You could maybe even go a step further and write a song for them! If you’re a dab hand with a paintbrush, perhaps create a piece of artwork they’ll love, like a sketch of your wedding venue. You could even create your own calligraphy print using some of the ideas from above.

Even if you’re not the most artistic, scrapbooks are a wonderful way of displaying all of the memories you’ve made together in your first year, and even better, you can add to them in the years to come. Stores such as Hobbycraft or Amazon will be well equipped with everything you need to get started, and you can use Pinterest for plenty of inspiration. If you’re not quite brave enough to make something yourself, there’s a handful of the first anniversary-themed scrapbooks out there that you can fill in with your own memories and photos.

4. Books & Stationery

Is your spouse a bit of a bookworm? If you know there’s a classic novel that they love, look into maybe finding a first edition or a themed gift around it. Perhaps there’s simply a book they’ve had their eye on for a while and never got round to getting it for themselves? You could perhaps even take a humorous approach with a comedy or parody book on love and marriage – provided you know their sense of humor of course!

Do they love to write or perhaps have a bit of a stationery addiction? A personalised notebook is also a lovely paper gift you can give them on your first anniversary, and even better, there are thousands of different designs out there you can choose from. If you want to kick things up a notch, perhaps write them a message on the first page, or you could even combine it with the tickets option and write what you’ve got planned for the occasion.

5. Clocks

A more modern alternative to the traditional paper gift for a first wedding anniversary is clocks and watches. Why? They represent the endless love and time you’ll spend together in your marriage. I don’t mean a cheap wall clock from eBay either! If they’ve got a particular love of antiques or quirky designs you could do a little research to find something truly unique that they’ll love, or you can find plenty of personalised designs out there too.

If you’re not sure a clock is a right way to go as a gift but you quite like the time theme, why not go for a wristwatch? Whether or not you choose something for them to wear on special occasions or something stylish for every day, it’ll be a fabulous memento that will remind them of you every time! You could also find some models and ideas from www.thewatchcompany.com that will cater to your partner’s preferences and style.

Whatever gift you give your spouse, and whatever you do on your first anniversary, it really is something to be celebrated, so make sure you don’t let the occasion pass by! Even if you’ve opted not to do gifts, at the very least arrange to do something special, even if it’s just dinner with a nice bottle of wine!