1st Wedding Anniversary Traditions

The Paper Anniversary If you didn't know yet, your first wedding anniversary is also known as the paper anniversary. Wedding anniversaries are known after what gift it is traditional to give your spouse, so the first anniversary is the paper anniversary because it is customary to gift each other with a paper gift. No, this does not mean hand your spouse a piece of printer paper and be done with it! The first year of marriage is considered the adjustment year. You are adjusting to living together, sharing bank accounts, responsibilities, budgets, etc. You may or may not be financially secure. The paper gift plays off of all of this. It may seem limiting, but this is where creativity can blossom...and it can help your better-half who may or may not have a clue what to do! A Few Gift Ideas...

1. Print and Frame Your Wedding Vows:
   It is cute, simple, and cost efficient! This gift works best for couples that wrote their own vows for their wedding day. You can bring out the copies you had and get them reprinted with a more ornate design and frame them in your house. House guests will love seeing them up and it will be a great reminder to you and your children what it is to love.
2. Create or Buy Paper Jewelry:
   
3. This is a great option to give to your wife, but can work great for husbands too with cuff links and tie pins. You could also do key chains, but that may be prone to take on more damage than it can handle. A really great place to find these handmade gifts is on Etsy!
4. A Nice Journal:
   
5. What better way to mark your first anniversary than with a gift that encourages and allows you to write a history of thoughts, experiences, and the love you have to reminisce over in the years to come? Write in a sweet inscription inside on the front cover to make this gift extra special
6. A Decorative World Map: 
   This can hang in your office or living room as a reminder to adventure together. You can even go so far as to include point pins and mark the spots on the map that you have been together, want to go together, and are in the process of planning to go together. (Blue, Red, Green?).

There really are endless possibilities, but just like with any gift, we encourage you to be creative and to think about what will put a smile on your spouses face.