10 Traditional 1st Anniversary Gift Ideas

Can you believe it is going on a year since you took the plunge and exchanged vows? Congratulations on your upcoming one year wedding anniversary. Now you need to make another decision, do you want to be a hopeless romantic and follow the traditional anniversary gift list?

The "Traditional Anniversary Gift List" is a list of the wedding anniversaries and the materials for each year one through fifteen and every five years thereafter. The "list" was comprised of various anniversary traditions and was approved by the late Mrs. Emily Post which was known as "the last word" in etiquette.

The first wedding anniversary gift is "paper" according to the traditional gift list. I have a theory that the 1st is paper because newlywed couples don´t have a lot of money. Regardless of why paper was chosen for the first anniversary gift, if you´re going to be a true romantic you´ll need to find a meaningful gift of paper. Finding a unique and thoughtful gift of paper can be a little intimidating at first, so here is a list of good ideas to get you started.

A first name meaning print with both names. When framed these prints make very nice gifts showing the meaning and origins of their first names.

A "Message is a Bottle", this can be a very romantic and exciting gift item. Imagine the look on their face when they open the box or even better yet when they find the bottle that you planted somewhere they will find it. Then upon removing the cork and reading the message they realize it was written for them.

Paper roses, this could be the perfect gift for a first anniversary. You get the wow factor of roses and the romance of following tradition with the paper.

Poetry, this is another great gift idea as you get romantic poetry printed on paper. If you´re not very poetic don´t worry, you can find fill in the blanks type poetry and there are also shops that specialize in creating poetry for customers.

Favorite photos framed, a nice do it yourself gift can be a single photo or a collage.

Art print/poster, this item can be as cheap as a poster from the local department store or as expensive as a signed and numbered art print. Movie posters are great for movie buffs.

A love letter. Great as a standalone gift and as an adjunct for other gifts. If you´re not good at expressing feelings and putting them on paper don´t worry, there are tons of free love letters online that you can rewrite and make your own.

Tickets to a show or sporting event, it´s the thought that counts so get paper tickets to an event that they would like.

Love Coupons, a fun gift that you can make yourself quite easily. Just Google "love coupons" and you´ll find lots of free printable love coupons, most have a fill in the blanks form for names and values. You can make the coupon redeemable for something like a massage or breakfast in bed or whatever you want.

Greatest _____ Awards, you can make a Greatest Spouse, Lover, Friend or whatever want award. There are lots of free printable awards certificates online, all you need to do is fill in the blanks and print then frame or roll into a scroll and you have a thoughtful gift of paper.