Buying a Traditional First Anniversary Gift

The traditional gift for a first anniversary celebration is paper. This does not necessarily mean that the only appropriate gift is stationery. In fact it can be a fun challenge to stay within the parameters of a traditional gift of paper, while still being original and creative in the choice. Thinking beyond the basics will produce a memorable and special gift for the newly-wedded couple.

Photo Albums and Memory Boxes

Photo albums are a great choice for staying within the paper theme and giving the new couple a meaningful gift. Many young couples will have lots of wedding pictures and albums, but they may not have any albums that are not wedding themed in which to keep their other special pictures from the first years of their marriage. Photo printer paper or credit for picture printing services is a good companion to this gift, since many people tend not to print out the digital pictures they take.

Memory boxes that are made of cardboard fit into the paper rule and are very nice to have, in order to hold both pictures and mementos. They are the perfect place to store small keepsakes from trips and special dates or times together. A young couple will enjoy having a safe place to save ticket stubs, matchbooks, programs, small gifts and many other things that will be a joy to look through in the years to come.

Books and Magazines

Cookbooks and books on home organization are fun gifts for the First Anniversary of a newly married couple. After a year of married life, they can be even more useful, since the couple can use them to address the challenges or please the preferences they've learned about in the previous year. Magazines are a fun gift, since they will please the recipient for a whole year to follow. If the couple has any particular hobbies that they enjoy together, that's a great theme for choosing a magazine, such as gardening, green living, hiking, or travel.

Blessings Jar

A blessings jar is an inexpensive, but very intimate and heartfelt gift. Slips of paper are gathered and then memories or special compliments are written on the slips. They can be folded into shapes like stars, curled up, or just left plain, and they are placed into a pretty jar decorated with ribbons or beads. The papers can lists reasons the couple belong together, ways in which they bring joy into others' lives, memories from the past year, their engagement and wedding, or just encouragement and advice on marriage. A nice touch is to make sure there are 365 of them, which will allow the couple to have a blessing for every day of their second year of marriage.

Artwork

Many couples celebrating their first year of marriage are not yet completely established in their homes and may enjoy having some good artwork for their walls and decorating. This can take many forms, from original paintings, to nice framed prints, or perhaps even a good wedding photo blown up and framed nicely. Their wedding invitation, with a program from the ceremony, and a snapshot of them at the reception would make a great collection of things to have matted and framed at a custom framing shop. This can be an expensive prospect, so many new couples don't have the means to do it themselves, though they'd love to display their memories in such a way. Posters, prints and paintings that reflect their tastes or common interests are good choices for an anniversary gift of artwork as well

Keeping alive the tradition of buying specific kinds of gifts for a couple each year of their marriage can be a fun and meaningful way to celebrate their love for each other and their family and friends. Sticking to traditions can also bring about even more interesting gift-giving, since structure offers a secure framework for creativity.