1st wedding anniversary gift ideas
![First anniversary ideas. Outline of the number 1 (for 1st anniversary) filled pieces of paper (for the traditional 1st anniversary gift) against a turquoise background](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1-anniv-ideas.jpg)
Traditional: Paper
Modern: Clocks
Read on for unique ideas for giving 1st anniversary gifts—as well writing anniversary messages and celebrating the happy occasion.
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.
1st anniversary gifts and ideas for spouses
What to give
Budget
- Grab a pen and some stationery and write the kind of love letter that will be tucked away forever. Need help getting started? Try these tips from Hallmark writer Keely Chace.
- Give a book of romantic “love coupons,” purchased or homemade, that can be redeemed for back rubs, chores or other favors.
- Give your mate a pack of beautiful stationery.
Splurge
- Get matching smart watches or find an antique or vintage clock for your wall or mantel.
- Take out a full-page ad in the local newspaper wishing your partner a happy anniversary and sharing your love for him or her with the world.
- Don’t forget the card! Your paper anniversary is not complete without telling your partner just how much their love means.
- And for more ideas, see what to write in an anniversary card and how to write a love letter.
What to write
What to write in a 1st anniversary card
- “This first year has been so full of love—I can’t wait to see where the other years take us!”
- “When I saw you on our wedding day, my heart was bursting with love…and somehow I love you even more a year later.”
- “Everything I fell in love with is still there, and in this past year, I’ve found even more reasons to love you.”
What to write about in a 1st anniversary love letter
- Your favorite memory from this past year
- What you’ve learned about your partner this year
- A goal (or wish or promise) for your next year of marriage
How to celebrate
- Relive your honeymoon at home (recreate your favorite meals and the ambiance of the restaurant) or by visiting restaurants and attractions, if they’re nearby.
- Don’t forget to eat that cake you froze from your wedding day. (Or, if you didn’t, track down a cake that’s similar to your wedding cake and feed each other a slice.)
- Print out your vows on paper—the traditional first anniversary gift—and frame them.
For more ideas, check out these creative anniversary dates and anniversary traditions.
1st anniversary gifts and ideas for friends and family
- People appreciate personalization, so give note cards or stationery printed with the couples’ names or initials. A pack of stamps makes a thoughtful addition.
- Print your favorite wedding photo and send it in the perfect paper anniversary gift—a card.
- Give a subscription to a magazine or newspaper you think they’d both enjoy.
What to write
- “Hope today is the perfect excuse to drop everything else and focus on the two of you.”
- “So happy to have shared your special day a year ago—here’s to a beautiful couple!”
- “May your love and happiness grow, year after year!”
Shop 1st Anniversary Gifts
You may also like
See more-
Gifting Grandparent gift ideas they’ll love and remember
Here are some tips and suggestions for grandparent gifts—what you can give to the persons who give so much to us.
-
Faith Joanne Eschrich: Angels Everywhere
Hallmark Artist Joanne Eschrich's belief in the angels around us inspired her collection for Hallmark Gold Crown stor...
-
Care & Concern How to support friends with anxiety and depression
Advice on what to say and how to support friends with anxiety and depression directly from people who went through it.
-
Care & Concern How to support a friend with cancer or serious illness
What to say and how to support friends with cancer or a serious illness directly from people who went through it.
-
Halloween Halloween treat boxes
Download these fun Halloween printables to make your own little monsters—Halloween treat boxes, we mean.
-
Easter History of Easter
Learn about the history of Easter, including the origin of the Easter Bunny and Easter egg traditions plus other inte...
-
Faith How to be a godparent
Honored? Humbled? Terrified? Here’s a few must-have tips on how to be a godparent whether you’re preparing for a bapt...
-
Breakfast Chinese five spice donuts
With their warm, spicy-sweet flavors, these Chinese five spice donuts will disappear from your breakfast table in no ...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Lemon ricotta bruschetta
Put a little zest in your bruschetta. Our deliciously different lemon ricotta bruschetta offers a tasty twist on trad...
-
Dessert Baby shower dessert: Diaper strawberry tarts
Planning a baby shower dessert or baby's first birthday party? These little diaper strawberry tarts are sure to get a...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Halloween bone breadsticks
These Halloween bone breadsticks are a great example of taking an everyday favorite and reimagining it as a creepy Ha...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Ham and cheese crescent rolls
These ham and cheese crescent rolls are flaky, filled with ham and cheese goodness and a fun alternative to classic d...
-
Dessert Homemade blueberry pie
Homemade blueberry pie provides the perfect finale to a Fourth of July celebration or any other occasion. Bursting wi...
-
Dessert Raspberry buckle
A buckle is so named because the top buckles when it cooks. It is a type of cake with fruit dropped into the batter. ...
-
Dessert Raspberry linzer cookies
Linzer cookies are fruit tarts in cookie form. Our raspberry linzer cookies feature a raspberry jam filling and a dai...
-
Dessert Penguin ice cream bars
To make our fun penguin ice cream bars, you do more assembling than cooking, which makes it a great holiday activity ...
-
Dessert Peanut butter spiders
Looking for a fun, creative and creepy treat for your loved ones this Halloween? Look no further. Our peanut butter s...
-
Drinks White hot chocolate
Warm your insides with our yummy white hot chocolate. With bits of white chocolate, milk, half-and-half, vanilla extr...