Creative Anniversary Gift Ideas

Martin and I have never been big on gift giving.  Now because I grew up watching my dad give jewelry to my mom, obviously that’s what I expect, duh!  But given our young age and vagabond lifestyle, that hasn’t been a very practical option.  Also, Martin has always flat out told me NO.  (do you know the trouble I went through just to get a ring on my finger? Silly boys, don’t they know girls need their sparkle?)  Since we lived in Spain for so many of our anniversaries, we would just take a trip to another country (which to be fair, wins over jewelry any day!) but last year Martin really surprised me by giving me a beautiful Amethyst necklace.  It was pretty special since for so long he trained me to really never expect that.   Then! He got me my favorite earrings at Gaucho for Christmas.  (Guys, I got the man socks. Socks!) So I felt like this year I really had to step it up with my present.  Not knowing where else to starting getting ideas, I looked up what the traditional gift is for each anniversary.  Now here is where I have to explain something.  You see, we have two anniversaries.  Yup.  We got married on March 19th, 2008 and then had our wedding the next year on May 9th, 2009.  So we have two times we get to celebrate!  I chose to gift give for our March anniversary because wood sounded much cooler than flowers or fruit AND I knew that we would have to postpone a fancy date till our May anniversary due to busy schedules.  Now before I tell you what I found for wood – I wanted to give some fun ideas for the first 4 anniversaries too.

1st Anniversary: paper

– Concert tickets

– Boudoir session – give him a “sexy book”

– a cool piece of art – I always turn to Etsy – I love this one from The Little Canoe

2nd Anniversary: cotton

– custom tie or bow tie – use French Knot Studios!

– cotton robe for him + cotton nightie for you + pamper him to a sexy spa night at home

– I adore these custom cotton maps of a special place you have together from House of Whatnot on Etsy

3rd Anniversary: leather

– I think leather is probably the easiest for guys – think wallet, messenger bag, shoes – Etsy is a great resource as always and local spots would include ShopScad and Satchel.

In photo: Messenger bag, wingtip oxfords, snakeskin wallet

4th Anniversary: fruit/flowers or books

– plan a romantic evening in – set a table with flowers and cook together – complete with a fruity dessert

– plant a lemon/lime tree in the backyard

– I think this is the hardest one to stay with the traditional gift for guys so if you’re struggling, go for the book option.

 

5th Anniversary: wood

– Martin loves to cook so I went for something to use in the kitchen – Epicurean makes high quality kitchen utensils from recycled wood and paper.  I went with a set of cutting boards.

– Furniture for your home would be a great present – try antiquing or hitting up flea markets for a piece with history

– I love the idea of finding a cool wood cut/wood block print.  Of course, turn to Etsy – you’ll find lots!

– I had the amazing Audrey of French Knot Studios make a custom tie using a wood print fabric – she even embroidered a sweet message on the inside!

What fun gifts have you given or received in the past?