Of all the anniversaries you will share with your loved one, the one marking the completion of that first year of marriage is probably the most significant.

During your first 12 months together, the chances are that both of you have grown and your lives will have changed. There will have been some adjustments to make and you will have shared some good times and maybe some bad.

As a husband and wife team, you will have come through them stronger with deeper understanding of yourself and your soul-mate. Hopefully you will have added a new dimension of sharing and intimacy within this time period, and come to respect each other’s individually while blending to become a strong loving unit.

The first year of marriage can be one of great enrichment and you should be proud to have reached this milestone together. Now is the perfect time to gratefully acknowledge the benefits that this union has brought to the both of you.

Each couple’s wedding anniversary ideas can be as personal and unique as the circumstances that brought you together. Perhaps you are young childhood sweethearts; on your second or even third marriage; or even a senior couple that has found loving companionship in your golden years. Whatever your circumstances, your first wedding anniversary and how you celebrate it is a reflection of you the couple.

Some First Wedding Anniversary Ideas

1. Many couples celebrate their wedding anniversary by going out to dinner. Why not pack a picnic basket with paper plates, cups and serviettes and have an intimate picnic for two in some secluded spot. If the weather is not favourable you can still have your picnic in the car with the radio playing low in the background.
2. Some couples like to celebrate in the midst of friends and family, so a dinner party including your bridal party and parents may be appropriate. You can save yourselves a lot of work if you make it pot-luck and everyone brings a plate and a bottle something to drink.
3. For the stay-at-home types, a quiet romantic dinner at home may be more suited to you. You don’t need to cook up a feast, some of your favourite dishes will suffice or you can order in. Set the mood with scented candle light, nice music in the background, flowers on the table, and of course a bottle of bubbly.
4. For a really intimate anniversary celebration try a candlelit bubble bath for two. Use scented bath salts, bubble bath and Rose petals. Light scented candles, and have chilled bubbly and chocolate coated strawberries to share.
5. For others, a quiet evening on a rug in front of the fire or under candle light with a favorite bottle of wine while going through your wedding album is a nice way to spend your anniversary. This is also a great opportunity to put together a photo album or scrap-book with photos and mementos of your first year together. The simple act of remembering your year together will bring you closer and strengthen the bond between you.

Some First Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas.

Your first wedding anniversary is most often known as the “Paper Anniversary”, the completion of the first page of your love story. While paper in itself might be relatively inexpensive, you can make it precious by the way you make use of it.

• Personalized note paper or letterheads
• Tickets for a performance; the ballet, a show, or a concert. (Gents, no sports tickets please)
• A scrapbook or photo album
• A book of love poetry or inspirational verse
• A paper tole picture frame
• A perpetual diary or calendar
• A Wedding Anniversary Remembrance book
• A paper flower arrangement
• A card with a hidden personal romantic message
• A framed hand-written love poem or letter.

You see, just because an anniversary is signified by a certain element, it doesn’t mean you are limited to the literal. Use your imagination and creativity to think outside the box and find your perfect romantic wedding anniversary idea.

Romance is about touching the heart. I know that I have said it before but it truly is the small gestures that count.

Romance doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, it just takes a little time and thought.

Here are ten romantic wedding anniversary ideas to start you off..

1. Buy a pack of sticky glow in the dark stars. Stick them to the ceiling above your bed spelling out “I love you” or “Happy Anniversary”. When you turn out the lights your “secret” message will appear.
2. Buy a bunch of 11 fresh roses and 1 artificial one placed in the middle of the bouquet. Attach a card saying: “I will love you until the last rose fades”
3. Buy a card with plenty of verses written in it and underscore letters throughout the verses spelling out a secret message like “I love you”. The underlined letters and spaces will peak your mate’s curiosity and with a bit of luck they will figure it out and write them down. Spend a bit of time to encode a proper message like: “Dear …. I love you honey”
4. If your partner packs a lunch for work, slip in a love note where they will find it in their lunch box. If they don’t take lunch, slip it somewhere where they will find it during the day like inside a day planner, a pocket, a purse or wallet.
5. Leave a long stem rose somewhere your partner will find it. Attach a note saying: “Thank you for coming into my life”
6. Buy a charm bracelet with one charm for every year you have been married. Remove all the charms and wrap them separately from the bracelet. Hide the charms in various places at home (underwear draw, makeup bag, bathroom shelf, kitchen drawer), in her car or purse, and at her work (you may need help from her work colleagues for this one). Give her the bracelet on waking the morning of your anniversary and let her discover the others as the day continues. You can continue to buy a new charm each anniversary.
7. Buy two champagne flutes and have them engraved with your names and wedding date. When you take her out to dinner have the waiter bring them out to use them for your champagne.
8. Create a love montage by collecting photos and mementos such as ticket stubs and anything else that has special meaning for the both of you. Get them professionally mounted in a picture frame or do it yourself.
9. If you have access to a Spa, create a romantic atmosphere by placing lit candles around it and rose petals in the water. Serve champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. If you don’t have a spa the same can be done in a bath but add bubble bath and scented bath salts.
10. This is a lovely idea if you have children and can arrange and over night sitter:
    Book a night at a hotel and dinner in the hotel restaurant. Pack an overnight bag for you both. During the meal excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and sneak out to check-in and take your bags up. Sprinkle rose petals over the bed and leave some nice lingerie at the end of the bed. After dinner take your partner up to the room.

With some thoughtful consideration and advanced preparation you can create a memorable and romantic wedding anniversary

Here’s a wonderfully romantic wedding anniversary idea…

What I Love about You

This is much more than just another book to give. This one allows you to become the co-author and personalize it for your loved one. You fill in the blanks to give it extra special meaning.

Remember to buy it ahead of time and personalize it before you wrap it up.

I am sure your partner will just love the personal touch this book will give.

The handsome Prince married the beautiful Princess and they both lived happily ever after…

At least that is what the Fairy-tales say.

However fairy-tales don’t tell us how they lived happily ever after or give us magical wedding anniversary ideas. You now find yourselves living where the fairytale ends and real life begins.

Waking up with your loved-one beside you the morning after is wonderful and deeply satisfying.

You soon settle into the daily routine of work, living and raising a family. Sadly domestic bliss can slowly squeeze out the magic. But you have the perfect opportunity to bring that magic back into your lives each year on your wedding anniversary.

How do you keep the fairy-tale romance alive year after year with each wedding anniversary? Ideas for weddings abound; a whole industry has evolved around the “Big Day”. So where do you go for wedding anniversary ideas?

This is where your knowledge of your loved one and your creativity come into play.

A friend once told me “It’s not the size of the wand… it’s the skill of the magician!” of course she wasn’t talking about wedding anniversaries at the time, (I’ll leave it up to your imagination to guess what she was talking about), but the principle applies here.

You don’t have to impress your spouse with the most lavish anniversary date or gift.

Remember, Romance Is About Touching The Heart.

It may sound cliché but it truly is the small gestures that count. The things you say and do which reward you with a contented smile, a squeal of delight, a dreamy far way look, or a spontaneous embrace. This is the skill of the magician.

“Little things” does not imply no effort required. Advanced preparation and thought are needed for you to create a memorable celebration of you wedding day

The most endearing quality of a life partner is the effort they take to learn what is important to you and honour that. The simple act of observing gives powerful insight into how to touch the heart of your loved one with your gestures of love.

When looking for specific help for celebrating each wedding anniversary in a memorable way, I recommend the Wedding Anniversary Idea Book. It offers planning tips, how to select and present gifts, food preparation and serving tips and offers great ideas for milestone anniversaries like your 25^th or 50^th Wedding Anniversaries. Included are topics on reaffirming marriage vows and handling special situations.

You can have a happily ever after with a little effort and some thoughtful wedding anniversary ideas