Buying a First Year Paper Anniversary Gift

Anniversaries are a great time to celebrate a union of love, either your own marriage or the marriage of someone close to you. Traditionally, each year's anniversary correlates with a different gift theme. On the list of traditional anniversary gifts, the first wedding anniversary is considered the "paper anniversary". The paper anniversary is probably the one that causes the most confusion when buying an anniversary gift. Below are some gift ideas to spark your creativity when shopping.

Because a paper anniversary is the first anniversary every couple celebrates, most couples are still in the "building" stages of their financial futures. They may be saving for a down payment on a new house, beginning to save for retirement, or trying to meet other financial goals. Therefore, money is always a good choice for this anniversary. While a bit impersonal, money is the one gift that is generally appreciated by all. Savings bonds in particular are great for this first anniversary so that the loving couple can watch their money mature right along with their relationship.

Stationary is another popular paper anniversary gift. While stationary can range in design from modern art themes to cartoon characters, monogrammed stationary with the couple's initials or with just their last name embossed is the best bet. Check out www.finestationary.com for beautiful designs.

Another creative and cute idea is to buy stocks for the anniversary. While this may seem expensive, www.frameastock.com is an innovative company that sells single shares of stock from various companies to commemorate different events. For the first wedding anniversary, they suggest buying a Southwest Airlines stock. Southwest Airlines, who's symbol on the NYSE is "LUV", will remind couples to share their "LUV" together. The company sells other stocks as well that may be sentimental for the couple, like Disney, Home Depot, and various restaurants.

Tickets to an event are another "paper" item that a couple will really enjoy. You could buy them tickets to see their favorite musical act. You could spring for a fun-filled night of laughs by purchasing tickets to a comedy performance. For both concert and comedic performance tickets, check www.ticketmaster.com. Ticketmaster handles the tickets for 1000's of shows all over the country so you are sure to find something great to suit the anniversary couple. Travel tickets are also a great buy for a new couple so that they can spend some quality time together during their anniversary, even if it's just for a weekend.

Some other neat gifts for this special anniversary are books. First editions or signed copies especially of the couple's favorite author or pertaining to a topic they both enjoy are a great choice. To get a copy signed, check an author's website to see if they may be doing a signing at a book store near you or search Ebay.com for signed copies.

Whether you opt for some simple and inexpensive stationary or go all out on buying tickets for an exotic Caribbean getaway, make sure that you put a lot of thought into making that first paper anniversary special.