How To Celebrate Your First Wedding Anniversary: 10 Exciting Ideas
Where on earth has the time gone? It has almost been an entire year since you married the love of your life. Although your celebration may not be as spectacular as your wedding day, celebrating your first wedding anniversary with your partner is just as important. Spending some quality time together allows you to reminisce on the amazing year you have spent together and create even more plans for the future. Our blog is full of 10 exciting ideas on how to celebrate your first wedding anniversary.
1) Rewind the clock by visiting the location of your wedding
You can revisit the location of your wedding. If you got married at a restaurant, book a table. Order dishes that were served on the day and drink the champagne you toasted with.
If you got married at a hotel, book a room for the night and leave your partner an invitation at home telling them to meet you there. If this invitation can match the wedding stationary, even better! When they arrive, have the room decorated with candles and rose petals with your first dance song playing, run a hot bubble bath for two and order room service.
2) Share your first dance… again!
For a hassle-free, purse-friendly option, simply compile a list of all of your favourite romantic songs that played at your wedding, starting with your first dance song, and take a spin across your living room floor. You could even dress up in your wedding dress and suit to top it all off. Don’t forget the champagne or cocktails – What better excuse to break out that crystal you received as a wedding gift?
3) Look through your wedding blooper-reel
We’re sure you have looked through your wedding photo album a million times already, so why not look back on some forgotten memories. Look through the funny, imperfect photos you put to the side and relive the day from a different perspective. Maybe even ask your photographer ahead of time if they kept any hilariously terrible photos which didn’t make it to you.
4) Plan a picnic
If your anniversary falls in the summer, take a trip somewhere picturesque and have a picnic. Even better if you saved any items from your wedding which could come in handy, e.g. crystal glassware, cake toppers, and maybe even bring your wedding album to flick through while the sun sets.
If your anniversary falls in the wintertime, set up a rug indoors, turn down the lights and put up fairy lights, play some romantic music and eat from a picnic hamper on the living room floor. Clipping some little photos of you both along the fairy lights is also a thoughtful touch.
5) Take a second honeymoon
The bliss of your honeymoon probably feels so far away by now. Get out of town and spend some quality time together without distractions. It does not have to be as grand as your actual honeymoon, just somewhere that means a lot to the two of you where you can make even more memories together.
6) Share the top tier of your wedding cake
Many couples follow the tradition of freezing the top tier of their wedding cake to then share together on the first anniversary. Alternatively, you could ask the bakery to recreate a smaller version of your wedding cake instead, or have cupcakes made in the same flavours and decorative theme. You could even incorporate the cupcakes with the picnic idea!
7) Host an anniversary party
Invite your nearest and dearest to celebrate your first year of marriage with you. Ask everyone to share their favourite moments with you from your big day, and in the year since. If you can, try to recreate the wedding menu and make it a dinner party to remember. Another amazing touch would be the dried wedding bouquets as the centrepiece for the table.
If you need help throwing a party, why not check out our amazing suppliers to help make it a party to remember?
8) Recreate your very first date
No matter what you did for your first date, try to do the exact same. If you went to the movies, rent the same film to watch at home or go see a new one at the cinema. If you went out for dinner or for a drink, visit the same restaurant or bar.
9) Start a new anniversary tradition
Create a new tradition by doing something you never did when you were dating. This could be something as simple as going shopping for a new potted plant, booking a wine-tasting, visiting a new city, or going to a local concert of a band you both haven’t heard of before! Strive to then make this happen every single year going forward.
10) Buy your partner a gift
A gift is the perfect way to celebrate your first wedding anniversary. It does not need to be expensive, although it can be.
Buying a gift that symbolises your love for one another will be a prised possession for years to come. Some of our favourite gift ides include:
Gift 1… Putting pen to paper
Paper is a traditional gift for a first wedding anniversary. Write your partner a funny haiku, a list of things you love about them, or leave a love note somewhere in the house for them to find. You can also frame your piece of work and hang it in your house.
Gift 2… A framed map
Behind every crumped train ticket, empty wine bottle and Instagram location tag, there’s a beautiful story. Why not get your partner a personalised map by the book of everyone.
Gift 3… Buy a star
Why not name a star after your partner so that there is also a part of them in our galaxy? You can do this through Star Name Registry.
Gift 4… Personalised wedding venue illustration
Created By Magic are able to create a personalised illustration of your wedding venue. Surprise you partner with a unique gift and a lovely keepsake.
Gift 5…. A customer portrait
Why not celebrate your first anniversary by having a one of a kind, customer portrait created of you and your partner. Etsy has some great options available.