Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by Janell
Happy anniversary! The wedding has been and gone, and now marks one full year of the two of you being married. Congratulations! But then comes the realization that first anniversaries are all to do with paper; how do you find a good gift when paper is the thing you have to work with?!
Don’t panic – we’ve got a few ideas you’re probably going to want to know about. First anniversaries can be a bit tricky to gauge gift-wise, but they’re not impossible. Check out our list for a bit of much-needed inspiration!
Make an Album
Of all your special moments thus far as a couple, including your wedding shots and all the embarrassing stuff either of you would rather forget were ever caught on camera! After all, this album is just for the two of you and is an intimate insight into how your relationship has progressed.
You’re allowed to have a laugh with each other over some silly pics, as well as plenty of romantic ones, and even a couple of naughty ones!
Perfume
When you go shopping for a new fragrance, a lot of people spray the tester bottle either into the air and let it waft, or straight onto the skin of their wrist. Both ways aren’t quite great! The first one can actually leave you with very little of the actual scent to enjoy, and the second could cause any number of skin problems if you’re allergic to the ingredients!
That’s why paper testers come by the bagful around the perfume department. That’s also why a new bottle of scent could very well be the perfect first anniversary gift! You could grab their favorite from the cabinet, or you could take that scent and find something a bit fresher and richer, like a nice bottle of Inis Fragrance for those who love a beachy smell.
This way, you get your partner something thoughtful that still has a paper connection, and they’ll actually be able to make use of the gift!
Their Favorite Book
If your partner has one, let them know you pay attention to what they read (and how crammed the bookshelf is) by celebrating that.
Buy them some of the author’s new books, or even try to hunt down an original release of the book if it has a bit of a vintage edge.
You could also take lines from the book and make up a collage that you can then frame, or if you’re a bit creative yourself, doodle some of the scenes or characters and throw those in too.
Paper is a tricky gift reference to buy for in the modern age. What can you do with paper that a bunch of flowers wouldn’t do just as well? And hey, that’s an idea – why not make some paper flowers your partner can keep forever? But in truth, no matter what you get your partner for your first anniversary, when there’s some thought involved, they’re going to treasure it.