Looking for a great 1st anniversary gift or ways to celebrate your marriage? To help, we researched the best gift ideas out there (for him + her) and created this list.
1st Wedding Anniversary: Everything you NEED to know
1st Wedding Anniversary Traditions
- Traditional Gift – Paper/ Cotton
- Contemporary/Modern Gift – Clocks/ Plastic
- Gemstone – Mother of Pearl/ Peridot/ Gold
- Flower – Carnation/ Pansy
- Color – Yellow Gold
Let’s look at these in more detail:
1st Anniversary Traditional Gift – Paper/ Cotton
While the traditional first anniversary gift is paper, there’s also a modern option — that of a clock! It’s not a stretch to see why a clock is a suitable symbolic gift: time is precious, just like your relationship.
Looking for an unforgettable 1st anniversary gift? The Camellia Bees Paper Rose Box, filled with unique handmade forever roses, is a perfect choice. These timeless white flowers celebrate the 'Paper Anniversary' beautifully, capturing the essence of your love story in every petal.
1st Anniversary Contemporary/Modern Gift – Clocks/ Plastic
The clock represents the movement of time, and with time comes good times, change, and challenge. Time is precious; just like your relationship. The clock is another reminder to spend time nurturing your relationship for the years to come.
In search of a timeless anniversary gift? The Heather Strike and Chime wall and mantel clock is an excellent choice. With its polished metal gold base, rotating crystalline pendulum, and melodious Westminster chime, this clock, complete with a personalized gold engraving plate, will mark the passing hours of your love with elegance and charm.
1st Anniversary Gemstone – Mother of Pearl/ Peridot/ Gold
Gold – the metal – is the traditional recommendation for the first wedding anniversary. But there are many beautiful, gold-colored gemstones that can also symbolize the golden glow of your first year together. These include citrine, yellow topaz, golden South Sea cultured pearls, yellow sapphire, amber, zircon and even two garnet species: grossularite and spessartine.
Looking for a dazzling anniversary gift? Check out this 7 Diamond Stacking Ring, crafted from your choice of 10k solid yellow, white, or rose gold. Designed in Los Angeles, this delicate piece, adorned with stunning VS1 white diamonds, is sure to make your love sparkle even brighter.
Of course, you’ll want to set your wedding anniversary gemstone in a precious metal. Gold has been used in decorative objects since 4000 B.C. The color probably symbolized the sun and the power of life to our ancestors, and ancient Egyptians and Sumerians created masterful pieces using the metal. Yellow gold is probably the best-known version of gold. Rose gold is made by adding copper to molten gold. White gold is made by adding nickel, palladium or platinum.
1st Anniversary Flower – Carnation/ Pansy
The pansy is ideal for DIY wedding centerpieces and comes in many color combinations.
Searching for a captivating anniversary gift? Consider the Plum Sunset Bouquet, an extraordinary blend of yellow daisies, plum carnations, and soft pastel hues that capture the charm of a tranquil sunset. This enduring bouquet, teeming with classic flowers, promises to remain vibrant and charming, just like your love, long after the sun goes down.
1st Anniversary Color – Yellow Gold
Yellow is a vivid colour that is frequently associated with pleasure and vitality. As a result, for couples that seek a long and happy marriage, a yellow wedding theme is an ideal choice. Yellow is a vibrant colour that lends life to any space it is in and is ideal for establishing the tone for a happy celebration.
Looking for an exquisite anniversary gift? Consider the unique Evermore Rose, a preserved yellow beauty sourced from the finest roses in Ecuador. Housed in a handmade keepsake jar, this one-of-a-kind, romantic gift is perfect for a wife or girlfriend, serving as a forever reminder of your enduring love on her desk or any cherished spot.
How to Celebrate a 1st Anniversary
This is, in many ways, the most significant wedding anniversary you will celebrate – the first of anything invariably provides an indelible snapshot of wonderful memories for your photo album.
After 12 months together as a married couple, you will know your partner, and their interests, much better. So how about combining a romantic holiday together, in an exotic setting, with an excursion and associated activity that accommodates your shared tastes and preferences.
Perhaps visit a cultured pearl farm by the sea or take a skin-diving course together so you can later search for your own precious gemstones.
Closer to home, modern-day gifts for him or her could be a concert ticket or a night at the theatre, followed by a candlelit dinner near a river or lake. Clinking Champagne glasses as the flickering flames reflect off the glistening waters – with oysters as a sumptuous aperitif, of course.
1st Anniversary Celebration Ideas
Here are some different ways to celebrate your 1st wedding anniversary:
- Watch your wedding video.
- Sort through your wedding photos.
- Reread (or rewrite) your vows.
- Bake something together.
- Have a candlelit dinner.
- Call in the caterers.
- Order gifts to be delivered on the day.
- Retrace your first dance steps.
- Host a wedding movie night.
- Decorate for the anniversary year.
- Actually use your wedding presents.
- Get gardening.
- Swap (but don’t open) love letters.
- Have a photoshoot.
- Play the numbers game.
- Hold a wine tasting.
- Do a puzzle of your wedding photo.
- Quiz each other.
- Draw each other’s portrait.
- Make future plans.
- Throw a surprise party.
- Board games.
- Kitchenware.
- Cookbooks.
- Massage oil and bars.
- Sweet treats.
- Gadgets.
- Artwork.
- Photo albums or frames.
- Champagne.
1st Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
Looking for gift ideas to celebrate a 1st year anniversary? Here’s some ideas:
Clocks are also an excellent gift with modern connotations but traditional appeal. Whether it is an antique clock, a novelty timepiece or an alarm set, the tick-tocking sound will start marking off the wonderful times in your new marital relationship – helping to register the many great memories since you exchanged your vows.
Gold is – perhaps surprisingly – a typical precious metal for those celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary. Pearls are the traditional jewellery: a smooth, lustrous gemstone representative of the first 12 months of your married lives together.
The classic pansy is a relatively small and fragile flower, which marks 1st wedding anniversary celebrations in perfect fashion. Like a pansy, the beginning of a marriage can prove to be quite delicate.
1st Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Him
- Date Night Cards
- Reasons I Love You Notes
- Tickets for a Special Experience
- Personalised Scratch The World Travel Map
- Paper clock
- Wrist watch
1st Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Her
- Custom Wedding Venue Portrait
- Scented Ceramic Candle
- Travel Guide Book from Lonely Planet
- A Special Edition Book
- Reading Subscription
- A personalized dinner invitation
1st Wedding Anniversary FAQs
Got questions about your 1st year wedding anniversary? We’ve got you covered:
What is the 1st wedding anniversary called?
The 1st wedding anniversary is known as the Paper Anniversary.
What is the 1st wedding anniversary gemstone?
The 1st wedding anniversary gemstone is Mother of Pearl, an iridescent substance that forms on the inner layer of shells.
What is the 1st wedding anniversary symbol?
The 1st wedding anniversary is symbolised by paper.
What is the 1st wedding anniversary colour?
The colour synonymous with the 1st wedding anniversary is yellow.
What are the traditional and modern gifts for a 1st wedding anniversary?
The traditional gift for the 1st wedding anniversary is paper, and the modern gift is a clock.
What is the 1st year anniversary flower?
The classic flower for 1st wedding anniversary celebrations is the Pansy, Pansies are used to symbolize loving feelings.
