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First Anniversary (Paper) Gift Ideas

Your first wedding anniversary is an important milestone in your married life. If you’re approaching this occasion – congratulations – now’s the time to celebrate the love you share and celebrate your special day with a first wedding anniversary present. 

It’s also said that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Perhaps this is because there is a lot of change that you both need to adjust to. From changing your last name to deciding whether you should share your finances to getting used to living together (if you didn’t before) there is a lot to consider in that first year of marriage and for some, it is harder than others.

It is no surprise then that paper is the gift for your first year anniversary. Although all speculative, it is thought that paper symbolises a clean slate for you both to make your mark upon. You are now free to write your future together.

Paper also represents the fragility of the first year of marriage. You are experiencing a lot of new ‘firsts’ and some may be harder to deal with than others. Paper rips easily so this suggests that your married life is in the ‘delicate’ stages. As the years go on the gifts to symbolise anniversaries become a lot more lavish, for example, gold for 50 years together and diamond for 60 years. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials and symbolise that marriage becomes stronger over time.

Your first year of marriage will probably have flown by, so you’ll want to take some time to celebrate together. The most important thing to do is take some time to spend together, but you’ll also want to look for first-anniversary gift ideas.

You may be wondering how to give the gift of paper in a unique and creative way. This is why we have put together these personalised paper wedding anniversary gift ideas to help you feel inspired.

Personalised Book

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All personalised gifts add meaning and ensure you give something your partner will adore for the long term. If you choose to gift a book, you have a myriad of options unique to you available to work with. 

You could take the opportunity to get hands-on and be creative with a craft project. How about pulling together a book of all the readings at your wedding, the lyrics to your first dance song, the speeches, the menus and the order of the day? This forms a personalised scrapbook commemorating the most special day of your life together.

If this idea doesn’t feel quite right, do they have a favourite book? You could take their most loved piece of literature and customise a book cover especially for them. You can even have classic novels personalised to make your partner the main character – an adorable and fun keepsake to add to your list of paper anniversary ideas.

 Paper Illustration

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A framed paper illustration is a fantastic gift to add to your list of first anniversary ideas. Again, if you’re feeling in the mood to get crafty yourself, you could add a special touch by making this present yourself. Get your hands on a pretty frame and some high-quality craft paper. If you’re not confident with your drawing skills then you could research some lovely stencils. 

Alternatively, there are so many small businesses online offering this kind of precious gift. Search through Etsy or Not on the High Street and you’ll be sure to find a beautiful design to suit your love story.

Map to Your Heart

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There really is something special about framing personalised gifts to give as presents. It makes for a really popular and well-received first wedding anniversary gift. 

Another of these ideas is framing a map within the shape of a love heart. When it comes to first-anniversary paper gifts, finding your wedding venue on a map and framing it centrally within a heart is a thoughtful gift for the occasion.

Cufflinks

paper

Are you looking for paper wedding anniversary gifts for him? If so, personalised cufflinks are a great idea. Envelope-shaped cufflinks with wedding dates on are a keepsake your other half will treasure for a long time and can wear on special occasions or for future anniversaries. 

Another lovely idea is paper aeroplane-shaped cufflinks with an engraving – classic and thoughtful.

Message In a Bottle

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Tied up with a delicate piece of ribbon in a clear glass bottle, a sentimental message for your partner is a beautiful first year wedding anniversary gift – especially if it’s presented in this special way. 

Again, as with the paper illustration, there are a number of independent online stores that will be able to provide this gorgeous gift for you. However, you could have a go at creating this yourself

Love Notes

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Another opportunity to get creative. Choose a box, large enough to become a home for your love notes from a stationery or craft shop. Pick up a high-quality pen that will write effectively on the lid of your box and then you can brand it as you wish. Have fun creating your love notes. You can come up with a theme – possibly something along the lines of one note per month to open on the date of your anniversary? Or even something along the lines of ’10 reasons I love you’ with 10 individual notes for your other half to open.

Other first wedding anniversary gift ideas 

If these ideas haven’t captured your imagination, hopefully, they’ve helped you think outside the box when it comes to gifting something special for your one-year anniversary present. Here are a handful of extra paper anniversary ideas:

  • Personalised photo album
  • Personalised notebook
  • Framed print of your wedding day
  • Framed lyrics of your first dance song
  • Prints of any of your wedding literature
  • Tickets for a holiday/day out/concert/event

We hope we’ve managed to help inspire your 1st anniversary gift ideas. If you’re still looking for a present to strike the right tone for your other half, check out more unique ideas for anniversary gifts here.