Celebrating our First Anniversary!

My husband and I just celebrated our first anniversary (check out our wedding featured on The Knotty Bride!). While we would consider ourselves to be NOT so traditional, I wanted to give traditional anniversary gift giving a try. We pulled up the list to find that the first year of marriage is represented by....paper.

Great, I LOVE paper. He should have it easy on this one. I love notecards, fun calendars, prints, letterpressed coasters...the list could go on and on. Now, what to give him? Here are some ideas that I threw around that might help you with your first anniversary gift:

• Concert tickets Unfortunately, I didn't see any shows, performances or events in the upcoming calendar that were fitting. Check Live Nation to see who is playing in your area.
• Plane tickets Sure, a bit more costly! But, if you have the budget, how fun would it be to take a weekend trip? We are headed to Europe in a few weeks for our belated honeymoon, so another trip was not in our cards. I like Kayak for deal shopping.
• Photo book Recap your first year of marriage with a book of photos. If you take the amount of photos that my husband and I do (instagram: marit522), you could fill up a book pretty easily. 
• Print How about some sentimental wall art? Make it yourself (get creative with photos, wedding songs or your vows!) or buy it online. If you had a destination wedding, maybe find a cool vintage travel poster. Highlight how or where you met – you're sure to find something on Etsy!
• Jewelry There are tons of options that use paper. I had cufflinks made for our wedding out of maps of our engagement location. Chart Metalworks can make earrings, rings, pendants, keychains...you name it!
• Get crafty If you have a limited budget, make something. Paper flowers are beautiful (and they never die!) – you probably have enough leftover invitations to make a meaningful bouquet. Or give paper making a try – hop on Pinterest for lots of paper craft ideas.

So, what did we end up with? I had a map made by a FABULOUS etsy seller highlighting Pemaquid Harbor, Maine – where we got engaged and married. The little "islands" almost in the middle are the exact rocks where he proposed. The water depths are reflected by different paper colors and textures to create a true work of art.

I can't wait to hang this in our house! You can pick from ready-made locations or customize your own (location AND color). I really can't say enough nice things about working with Marnie to create this. She was so friendly and responsive!

Dave also bought something to decorate our walls. While Maine is a special place for us, so is Ohio. It's where we met, on a random night through two separate work happy hours. I absolutely love this. Find your state here!

 

Dave broke the rules and bought me another present (how lucky am I?). My new lobster trap ring is so perfectly me.

 

We rounded out our night with an amazing dinner at Flour & Water in San Francisco, followed by drinks at Homestead. To stay with tradition, we came home and ate wedding cake and sipped champagne. 

Next year...cotton. Any ideas?