Paper anniversary gifts: 30 first anniversary ideas for him or her
Thirty ways to mark your first year, and why a book might be the most fitting paper gift of all.
30 ideas ·
Your first anniversary is the one where everything is still new: the first year of shared calendars, the first holidays as a couple, the first arguments you got through. The tradition for it is paper, and it's a good one. Paper is where people have always written down the things that matter.
In the US, the traditional first anniversary gift is paper, the modern gift is a clock, and the flower is the carnation. Some British lists give cotton for the first year and paper for the second, so in the UK either works. These 30 ideas cover paper gifts, gifts made of words, ideas for him, ideas for her, ideas for a boyfriend or girlfriend after a year together, and experiences.
Writing a card to go with it? Our guide to what to write in an anniversary card has first anniversary messages, and 100 reasons I love you has plenty to borrow.
Make it a book: Years of Reasons holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Paper anniversary gifts
Paper can be the whole gift or just what holds it. These are paper gifts worth keeping.
- A book of reasons you love them with "our 1st year" on the cover: fifty reasons from your first year, one per page. It's paper, and it's the gift.
- A map print of the place you met, got engaged or married, with the spot marked and the date underneath.
- Your wedding vows, or the first message you ever sent each other, printed and framed.
- A star map of the sky on your wedding night, or the night you met.
- Tickets to a show, a concert or a game, printed and tucked into a card.
- An illustration of your first home, or the place you married.
- A bouquet of paper flowers that will still look the same on your 50th.
- A year's subscription to the magazine they always borrow, with your note on the first issue.
Gifts made of words
Paper is the tradition because it holds words, and after a year together you have plenty to say.
- A love letter for each month of your first year, twelve envelopes to read in order over dinner.
- A jar of folded notes, one for every week of the year ahead: memories, reasons and small jokes.
- A set of open-when letters for your second year: open when you miss me, when we've argued, when it's your birthday.
- A photo book of the year, captioned by hand, with a blank last page for next year.
- A notebook of things they said this year that you never want to forget.
- A letter to be opened on your tenth anniversary, sealed and dated.
Paper anniversary gifts for him
He may not have asked for anything, which is why a paper gift lands: it's about him, not something he'd buy.
- A book of fifty reasons you love him, for the shelf he'll pretend not to look at.
- A framed print of the stadium, course or trail he loves, with the date of your first visit together.
- A notebook with the first page already written by you.
- A newspaper from the day you married, or the day he was born.
- Tickets to see a band you both love, with the stubs framed afterward beside a photo from the night.
Paper anniversary gifts for her
The first anniversary gifts she'll keep are the ones that show you were paying attention all year.
- A book of what you love about her, from your first date to your first year married.
- Your wedding vows framed in your own handwriting.
- Carnations, the first anniversary flower, or paper ones that last, with a card about your wedding day.
- A little recipe book of the meals you cooked together this year.
- Tickets to the place she's always wanted to go, printed and folded into a paper airplane.
For a boyfriend or girlfriend, one year in
If it's a year of dating rather than marriage, the same idea works: something that shows the year mattered.
- A scrapbook of your first year, with the ticket stubs, receipts and photos, and a caption for each.
- A book of fifty reasons you love them, written from your first twelve months together.
- Your first date, recreated down to the same table and the same order.
Experiences for your first anniversary
- A night back at the hotel from your wedding night, or a cabin you've never been to.
- A cooking class or a wine tasting, with the menu framed afterward.
- The top tier of your wedding cake, if it's still in the freezer, eaten with your wedding video on.
Why paper for the first anniversary?
The traditional gifts start with the most delicate material and grow stronger each year: paper, then cotton and leather, and eventually silver and gold. Paper comes first because a new marriage is still being written. It's a blank page, and the gift is what you put on it.
That's why a book suits it so well. Fifty reasons from your first year, one per page, is the paper anniversary taken literally, and it's the one gift on this list that means more every time it's read.
Whatever you choose, write something on it. A paper gift without words is just paper. If you want the words to be the gift, Years of Reasons puts fifty reasons in a book with "our 1st year" on the cover, the two of you illustrated in the style you choose.
Further along? There are 10 year anniversary gifts for your tenth, and a list of anniversary gifts by year from paper to diamond.
Questions people ask
What is the traditional first anniversary gift?+
Paper. The modern gift is a clock and the flower is the carnation. Some British lists give cotton for the first anniversary and paper for the second.
What is a good paper anniversary gift for him?+
Something personal on paper: a book of fifty reasons you love him with "our 1st year" on the cover, a map print of where you met, or tickets to something you'll both enjoy.
What is a good paper anniversary gift for her?+
A framed copy of your vows, carnations or a bouquet of paper flowers, or a book of what you love about her, written from your first year together.
What should I get for a 1 year anniversary if we're not married?+
The same ideas work for a boyfriend or girlfriend: a scrapbook of your first year, your first date recreated, or a book of fifty reasons from your first twelve months together.
