The Best 1-Year Anniversary Gift Ideas to Celebrate the Marriage Milestone

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One-year anniversary gifts can be symbolic for a variety of reasons, so putting a lot of thought into choosing your first anniversary gifts is always a good idea. Most obviously, this present is a chance to express appreciation for your partner and to commemorate your first year of marriage together. Perhaps more importantly, since it’s the first of hopefully many annual celebrations, it can be especially memorable and set the tone on this special occasion for years to come.

As you begin browsing, you’ll find that there are both traditional and modern first-year anniversary gift options. Traditionally, one-year anniversary gifts are made with paper, a material that’s fitting given that it’s delicate, yet with careful preservation can last a lifetime. The modern first year gift is a clock, which is also appropriate as it indicates the passage of time and can encourage reflection on the change that comes with it. Other popular sources of inspiration for this milestone anniversary gift include the first year metal (gold), the first year color (yellow), and the first year flower (carnations).

Keeping all this in mind, we’ve gathered the below list of the most meaningful and sentimental ideas for your one-year anniversary. Whether you opt for something traditional, modern, or totally unique, you’ll be starting your marriage off on the right foot by taking care to choose something extra special for your loved one.

Color Series Photo Book

Save a spot next to your wedding album for a photo book showcasing your first year of memories as a married couple. Choose between gold, silver, and copper foil and from a number of colors for the soft-touch cover, as well as from three shapes for the die-cut design.

Carnation 3D Art

While you can also choose her birth flower or her personal favorite bloom, this handmade, paper quilled carnation is a thoughtful present that checks off not one, but two traditional first-year anniversary gift themes.

Watercolor Venue Portrait

Your spouse will be touched to see a one-of-a-kind watercolor rendering of your wedding venue. You can personalize this gift further with custom text and your choice of a high-quality frame.

Gold Heart Stud Earrings

Thank her for opening your heart with these lightweight, 18k gold-plated heart stud earrings. They'll make a statement on date night while still being a classic she can wear to work and on weekends.

Lucky Copper 2023 Penny

They can carry a piece of your 2023 nuptials with them always with this lucky penny engraved with a sweet message. You can also customize it with your full wedding date and your initials.

The Athena

This elegant floral arrangement is bursting with romance, and can be a sweet reminder of the earliest stages in your relationship. It's especially fitting for a one-year anniversary since it includes carnations, the official flower, as well as roses and delphinium.

Custom Photo Cufflinks

He can wear his heart on his sleeve with these handmade cufflinks, which can be personalized with a photo from your wedding or your first year of marriage.

Victoria Frame

Putting your favorite wedding photo in a frame is a simple yet heartfelt gesture you can pull off quickly. When you choose a frame that's as elegant as this one, it'll feel all the more polished.

Chlo Shirt

In addition to surprising her with anniversary date night plans, giving her a festive top to wear out is a romantic gesture. This blouse from Sezane is embroidered with gold hearts to celebrate the occasion, and is made from 100% organic cotton.

Customized Song Lyrics Canvas

If your partner gets all the feels every time your wedding song comes on, they're sure to love a print customized with the lyrics. Along with your names and wedding date, the center also features a photo of you for added personalization.

Small Cabana Zip-Top Pouch

This pouch comes in four color combinations, and can be monogrammed with her initials (or her favorite emoji). It can fit essentials like her makeup, phone, and chargers, and features a durable, protective coating so she can use it again and again.

The Adventure Challenge Scrapbook

Fill your second year of marriage with zany adventures with this challenge scrapbook, which features different couples' activities in a variety of categories to scratch off. For example, one game is to bake a cake together, except the person with less experience is blindfolded, and the other can only read the instructions.

Personalized Faux Bois Vase

With or without a bouquet of fresh flowers, this personalized vase will make him or her smile on your anniversary. Handcrafted from stoneware clay and designed to look like initials carved into a tree, it's a gift that will last just as long.

Super-Plush Robe

If you're missing the spa treatments from your honeymoon, plush robes might be the next best thing for you and your spouse. These ones from Brooklinen are made from 100% Turkish cotton, and are ideal for both drying off and lounging around the house.

Carnation Flower Grow Kit

Plant the seeds together using the included glass bottle and soil-less growing medium, and watch these carnations grow along with your love. Once they've bloomed, you can reuse the bottle as a vase.

Men's Black Leather Strap Watch 44mm

This leather watch with gold hardware is a versatile piece he can use for so many occasions. One 5-star reviewer wrote, "Beautiful, classic and timeless watch. My husband loves everything about the watch. He can easily read the dial, wear it with casual clothes or a suit and says it is very comfortable."

Providence Woven Picnic Basket Set

This basket comes with everything you need for a romantic picnic for two, including ceramic plates, wine glasses, cutlery, and a waiter-style corkscrew.

Date Night In: An Activity Journal for Couples

If your favorite place to hang out as a couple is your living room, this date night journal offers romantic activities to reignite the sparks without having to leave your home.

Our Vows Art Print

It's been a year since you exchanged vows, so a refresher can't hurt. This art print displays both of your vows along with your names and wedding date, so you can keep coming back to the promises you made to one another.

Hand Casting Kit

Over 31,000 people gave this hand casting kit a 5-star review, and the number is growing as it continues to go viral on social media. The kit can capture you and your sweetheart holding hands in impressive detail, making a unique 3D treasure.

Restore 2

This smart device is much more than an alarm clock, given all of its functionality designed to promote healthier sleeping habits. Its features include soft light, calming sleep sounds, and gentle morning "sunrise" alarms to ease into the day.

Personalized Anniversary Pushpin World Map

This mounted map comes with 100 pushpins to start marking all of the places you've traveled as a couple. It can be personalized with your names and anniversary date, plus it comes framed and ready to be displayed right away.

Wedding Anniversary Journal

Start an anniversary tradition with this keepsake journal, which includes guided prompts and photo space for every anniversary up to your 70th. You can take turns filling it out, or complete it together as a way to celebrate and reflect on your time together.

Winc Subscription

With a one, two, or three-month subscription to Winc, you'll be able to explore new wines, conveniently shipped to your door, as a couple. Each shipment comes with four bottles that will be specifically matched to your palettes based on an online quiz.

What I Love About You Today Pad

A simple yet still sentimental gift, this note pad offers daily prompts that you can fill out to make each other feel loved. Wrap it up, or surprise them by filling out the first page already.

New York Times Custom Front Page Puzzle

Commemorate your wedding day, or another significant milestone, with this custom 500-piece puzzle that features the cover of the New York Times on a date of your choice.

Santal 33 Eau de Parfum

Cult fragrance house Le Labo makes unisex scents that your spouse will love wearing and you'll love smelling. Santal 33 is one of the most popular scents for beginners, and one previous customer wrote, "I'd take a bath in this scent if I could afford it."

Retro Flip Down Clock

Reminiscent of the clocks found in old train stations, this clock features rolling flaps that mark the minutes as they go by. It's both a whimsical and practical take on the modern one-year gift.

Letters to My Love

This popular set of love letters has over 2,000 5-star reviews, as well as Oprah's endorsement, and includes 12 prompts to help express your love. Buy it advance, then fill it out and give the completed letters to your partner.

Always Blooming

This 2024 planner features a gorgeous cover design and several sections for organizing everything from to-do lists, to scheduling, wish lists, notes, monthly goals, and more.

90-Minute Hourglass Sand Timer

This sand timer doubles as an attractive piece of home decor, and a reminder to reflect on your time together as a couple.

Love Lingual: Card Game

With nearly 9,000 5-star Amazon reviews, this card game has proven to be a hit amongst dating and married couples alike. With questions inspired by couples psychologists, the game is designed to bring you closer in areas such as family, intimacy, couple, individual, and past and future.

The Daily Refresh Skincare Set

This approachable starter set makes a useful gift for men who are looking to develop a skincare routine. It comes with Kiehl's refreshing gel cleanser, as well as a revitalizing, vitamin-infused moisturizer.

Nano Gold Repair Collagen Face Mask

Custom Anniversary Sign

This sign is made with a mix of license plates that form your anniversary date. They can be from a random assortment of states, or you can specify all the states included if they have special significance to you.

Custom Stationery

This simple stationery design features your names in jewel-toned print, and is ideal for writing everything from letters to thank you notes from your household.

Philodendron Green

If you don't love the idea of gifting flowers that will wilt after a few days, opt for an anniversary plant to symbolize the continual growth of your relationship. This one only requires watering every 1-2 weeks, and even has heart-shaped leaves.

Fiorella Flutes, Set of 4

Add some ornate champagne flutes to your collection that you can break out for special occasions (such as future anniversaries). This set of four crystalline glass flutes features elegant, ornate gold etchings of florals and vines.

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

An ultra modern take on the first year anniversary clock, an Apple Watch not only tells time, but has apps for everything from heart rate monitoring, to sleep tracking, and text messaging.

The Carry-On

Away luggage has become extremely popular thanks to its durable shell suitcases, with built-in features including a combination lock, laundry bag, and 360 degree wheels. Buy it for an upcoming trip, or as inspiration to book your next getaway together.

Cloud X 3

Cameo Scented Candle

Set the mood for your anniversary evening with this luxurious, hand-poured candle. This scent is highly rated and has notes of ginger, rose, vanilla, and musk, but there are dozens of others to choose from if they love a particular kind of fragrance.

Intersection of Love Photo Print

This personalized print is understated enough to appeal to spouses with even the most minimalist decor style. The street signs, printed with both of your names and significant dates, commemorate the moment when the two of you first crossed paths.

A Charmed Life 3-Piece Catch-All

A place to store wedding rings or other fine jewelry, this three-piece catch-all offers various surfaces, and a sweet message to top it off.

First Anniversary Ornament

If your anniversary falls around the holidays (or even if it doesn't), this paper ornament could be the perfect addition to your Christmas tree this year. It comes in your choice of paper color, as well as charms customized with your initials, anniversary date, and anniversary year.

Henry TENCEL Modal Long PJ Set

They could always use a cozy set of pajamas, and this one comes highly rated. One happy customer wrote, "My husband loves these PJ’s! This is his first pair, but he’ll now be a customer for life."

In the Wild Throw Blanket

For the spouse that values their relaxation time, these thick, microfiber throw blankets will make cuddling up together all the more enjoyable. One 5-star reviewer wrote, "This blanket is beautiful and the softest I’ve purchased. Definitely a favorite. We’ll eventually buy more for all our rooms."

Provençal Dinnerware Collection

For the spouse who's happiest when hosting guests, this bright stoneware collection will give them another reason to throw a dinner party. Inspired by the French countryside, the sets are customizable depending on the exact plates and bowls you need.

Theragun Mini

Give the gift of unlimited massages with a Theragun mini, which releases muscle tension and is small and portable enough to be with them wherever they go. Since it decreases soreness and increases mobility, it's especially helpful for active spouses.

Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style

This classic coffee table book showcases gorgeous interiors from top designers, as well as a look into the homes of celebrities such as Barack and Michelle Obama, David Bowie, and Truman Capote. Especially if you're looking for interior design inspiration for a new home, it makes a stylish and exciting present.

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