First comes love, then comes marriage. Then before you know it, you’ve been married a whole year!
Reaching your 1st wedding anniversary is a major milestone in your marriage, and as such, it deserves to be celebrated in the right way. If you didn’t already know, the traditional gift for your 1st wedding anniversary is paper. But there are some other wedding symbols that you may not have heard of that you can take inspiration from.
Whether you’re wanting to stick or tradition or are looking for something a bit more modern, here are the symbols, flowers, colours and gifts for your 1st wedding anniversary.
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Symbols & Gifts for 1st Wedding Anniversary
Traditional Gift – Paper
According to the list of traditional wedding anniversary gifts, your first wedding anniversary calls for a paper themed gift to be exchanged. Paper is representative of how you have both just started your lives together – it’s a clean sheet to create new memories and paint your lives how you want. Your 1st wedding anniversary is a time to look back on the first chapter of your lives and start planning how you want to fill the rest of your book of love.
Modern Gift – Watch
If you can’t find great paper anniversary gifts, there’s always the modern option of gifting a watch. A watch symbolises the passing of time, specifically the past 365 days or 8760 hours you’ve spent as husband and wife.
Gifting your partner a timepiece holds another special message – that you plan to spend the rest of your life with them. You’ve only just completed your first year of marriage together, but a watch anniversary gift is a reminder of all the amazing years together that are still to come.
Flower – Pansy
Pansies are cheerful, bright flowers which make them the ideal flower for your 1st wedding anniversary . Their brightly coloured faces represent all that you have to look forward to in your marriage. However, they are delicate, small flowers, which symbolises that your marriage is still in its beginning stages. As such, it needs lots of care and attention in order for it to flourish.
Did you know that pansies have beautiful edible flowers? Why not use this to your advantage and create a beautifully decorated cake or romantic homemade meal garnished with brightly coloured pansies. Or you could always gift some beautiful potted pansies a houseplant, the perfect addition to your home.
Colour – Yellow
Each wedding anniversary carries its own significant colour, and joyful yellow is the colour associated with the 1st anniversary. Yellow stands for happiness, energy and optimism – something newly married couples are full of! Yellow also represents honour and loyalty, a nod to your long-term commitment to stay true to each other.
1st Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Him
Because paper is an inexpensive, easy-to-come-by material, it can be difficult to come up with special anniversary gifts for him. But don’t worry – these creative 1st anniversary gifts for husbands will have him over-the-moon that he’s settled down with you.
Gift Card
When it comes to finding the perfect paper anniversary gift, it doesn’t get much better than a gift card. You get to spoil them with absolutely anything that he’s interested in. And the best part? It’s just a piece of paper, but it means a whole lot more!
If he’s obsessed with food, why not spoil him with a restaurant gift voucher for a fancy restaurant. He’ll get to taste Gordan Ramsay’s famous beef wellington, or experience dining at the Shard. Hopefully, he’ll take you as his date so you can enjoy the sensational food too!
Got no idea what to get your husband? There’s no shame in gifting them with a monetary gift card. This way the pressure of getting it wrong is off you, and he can get something he really, really wants! There’s really no limit to the amount of happiness a gift card can buy.
Professional Memory Book
While you have only been married for twelve months, I’m sure you have a lifetime of shared memories. From the day you first met, to that first awkward date, and now your first wedding anniversary. Each moment as memorable and meaningful as the next.
To really capture these milestones in your relationship, have your favourite memories transformed into a beautiful photo-illustrated memory book. Working one-on-one with professional writers and interviewers, your most meaningful experiences will be beautifully written in a way that captures your voice and your love.
It’s one of those unique wedding anniversary gifts that can even be handed down to your children, from one generation to the next.
Mail Rail Ride at the Postal Museum
Looking for really unique date ideas in London for your paper anniversary? What better way to celebrate with hubby than with a day out at the ultimate paper destination – London’s Postal Museum!
The increasingly popular museum features a whole host of activities, from interactive galleries to a collection of love letters, written by countless lovers divided by war. The best part is he’ll get to climb aboard a miniature trail for an immersive subterranean rail ride on London’s secret underground 100-year old postal railway.
Bespoke Stationery Set
One of the best first wedding anniversary gifts that really stick to the paper theme is a bespoke stationery set. The joy of having Mr. and Mrs. followed by your shared last name is something that doesn’t get old. And it’s something that you should have proudly printed on your own bespoke stationery set.
No-one does bespoke stationery like Barnard & Westwood. Founded nearly a century ago, the esteemed company was recognised with the grant of a Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen. What really sets them apart is their use of the time-honoured process of die-stamping, which you get to witness in a behind-the-scenes tour of Barnard & Westwood’s London workshop.
The best in the business, they’ve even printed the programmes for the Queen’s coronation anniversary service and the invitation cards for the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
If it’s good enough for Kate and Will, it’s good enough for him.f
1st Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Her
Looking to spoil your Missus? These unique paper anniversary gifts show her how much you love being her husband. Be warned – these gifts set the bar pretty high for anniversary number 2!
Paper Flower Masterclass
Every woman loves receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her wedding anniversary, but unfortunately, fresh flowers only last so long.
For something personal and perfectly paper-themed, surprise her with a private paper floristry masterclass. Held at a location of your choice, it’s a fun-filled activity the two of you can do together as a couple on your special anniversary.
Once you’ve craftily made realistic, stunning paper flowers, take them home for some impressive home decor. They’ll last infinitely longer than a conventional bouquet of roses.
Tickets to the Theatre
Take your favourite culture vulture for a night on the town with a trip to the theatre. Who wouldn’t want to be surprised with front row seats for some world-class theatre? Even if you book the tickets online, make sure you print them out on paper; that way you can stick to the first-anniversary theme.
Before the show, enjoy some romantic pre-theatre dining at one of the city’s best Michelin star restaurants. The whole night of theatrical romance is a great way for the two of you to get out of the house and do something together as a couple. Get excited. Get dolled up. And get the babysitter (or dogsitter) round. Because Mom and Dad are painting the town red!
Customized Wedding Dress Sketch
Just a year ago you shared the most special day of your lives – your wedding day. Remember how incredible the two of you looked, side of side? Remember that wedding dress she wore, the dress she’d been dreaming of since she was a little girl?
As a reminder of how breathtakingly beautiful she looked, surprise her with a customized handmade sketch of her wedding dress. Dreamlines mirrors your wedding attire in a detailed, whimsical fashion style sketch. This sentimental paper anniversary gift is perfect for hanging on your wall at home, a nostalgic token from the day that started the rest of your lives together.
1st Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas for Them
It’s only been 12 months since they received their wedding gifts – what should you gift the happy couple for their 1st anniversary? These paper anniversary gifts celebrate their blossoming love and congratulate them on making it through the first year of marriage.
Art-Focused Break With Private Van Gogh Museum Tour
To really spoil them on your first wedding anniversary, whisk them away to Amsterdam for a cultural van Gogh-inspired getaway they’ll never forget.
How exactly does this tie in with paper? The van Gogh museum is home to the single largest collection of the Dutch master’s work. During his lifetime, van Gogh made almost 1300 works on a variety of paper types during the decade that he worked as an artist, including Old Vineyard with Peasant Woman.
If anything, it’s an excuse to stay in a leading 5-star hotel, enjoy the finest Michelin star cuisine and privately tour the world-famous Van Gogh Museum with your own personal art historian.
I said you have to get creative for wedding anniversaries right?
