Anniversaries are special days when we get to celebrate getting to share our lives with our favorite human, and a chance to shower them with even more love, attention, and presents than usual. Things like flowers and great food is a given, but what else can you do to make this day special and memorable for both yourself and your partner?
If you’re wondering about what flowers to pick for an anniversary, or what kind of presents you can give to your partner on this special day, we have some great ideas and advice. The key is to remember that even though there are certain traditions you can follow, the day is about making your partner feel special, loved, happy, and to show them how well you know them and how well you listen. This can be done by thoughtful presents and personal dates and plans, so don’t hesitate to lean into the dynamic of your marriage, or to reference personal jokes in your anniversary plans. You can even forego traditional wedding flowers for a bouquet of their favorite ones.
The final verdict before we dive into the world of gift-giving is that you shouldn’t forget what this day is really about – celebrating your wedding – and get too caught up in what you should do versus what other people normally do.
Choosing the Right Bouquet
There’s a certain symbolism to the language of flowers, and if you want to add a few extra ones to a bouquet of your partner’s favorite flowers, or if you’re thinking about doing something more traditional, you can learn a bit about the symbolism behind different flowers to make your choice.
Think About What They Mean
The most obvious choice for a bouquet would be roses, and while yellow roses are the traditional anniversary flower, there are other options to consider, and different colored roses mean different things.
Red roses, obviously, represent passion and love. Yellow flowers signify happiness, and pink roses stand for innocence, well wishes, and love.
On the other hand, flowers like hydrangeas and lilies all have their own meanings ranging from faithfulness and fidelity to keeping promises, and you can pick the one that suits what you want to say to your partner.
Your Anniversary Milestone
If you’re still confused, consider this – for every year for your marriage, there’s a traditional flower you can give your partner that signifies a different message, appropriate for each year. This is one of those rare occasions where traditions are actually helpful, so here’s a list of flowers traditionally exchanged on respective wedding anniversaries.
- Carnations: These are usually given on the first anniversary, and while red carnations represent admiration, white represent purity, and pink carnations promise your partner that you’ll never forget them.
- Lily of The Valley: This flower signifies never ending love, happiness, and purity of heart.
- Sunflowers: Giving your partner sunflowers is like telling them that you’re their devout admirer.
- Hydrangeas: These flowers are great for expressing gratefulness and pride – two things you might wish to tell your partner you feel about them.
- Daisies: Ever since victorian times, daisies have been a way of telling someone else that you think they have “as many virtues as the flower has petals”.
These are the flowers traditionally given on the first five anniversaries, though there is one flower even for the 50th anniversary!
Stylish Jewelry
If there’s one thing that’s going to last through the test of time it’s some good quality jewelry. It doesn’t have to be anything generic though – you can get your partner high quality jewelry that features some of their favorite fandoms, help them replace a beloved piece that was stolen, lost, or damaged and surprise them with it, or you can even get something matching for both you and your partner – who said you had to stop at the wedding bands?
You get extra points if you notice if there’s any piece your partner wants and hasn’t bought for themself, or get a meaningful message embossed or printed on the jewelry.
A Romantic Photoshoot
Recreating old photoshoots or getting new ones to commemorate an important occasion is a great idea, and it might be just the thing to do on your anniversary – an anniversary photo shoot. It can either be on the same theme as your wedding photo shoot, or you can take inspiration from other wedding photo shoots to choose a theme for yourself.
This can be a really good confidence booster, as well as helping you and your partner bond over an activity that is both meaningful and fun.
Household Appliances
Let’s face it, no matter how romantic the day is going to be, you are a married couple at the end of the day, and that means you can’t let this opportunity to get presents that you’ll both find useful go. If there’s a particular blender, toaster, washing machine, or coffee maker one or both of you has wanted for a while but couldn’t justify buying, well, now’s your chance.