Nick and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary September 25, 2016. I know I am a little behind! I will never forget our wedding day. It was absolutely perfect. I think the only negative thing that happened that day is my programs didn’t get handed out. Big deal, right?
In typical Mrs. Anna Panza fashion, I started thinking of ideas for our anniversary months ahead of time. Searching Pinterest to find a creative idea I could put my own spin on. We didn’t save the top tier of our wedding cake and with our plans to pay off major debt this year, a fancy trip wasn’t on our list of desires.
I rounded up 10 ways to celebrate your anniversary to share with you all. Whether it has been one year, ten years, or 6 months, these ideas are sure to help you and your other half create memories together. I love LOVE! I think it should be celebrated every day, but MEGA-celebrated (is that even a word) on anniversaries!
- Didn’t save your wedding cake?! That’s okay! Bake your Own!
The idea of saving the top tier of my wedding cake at the time just didn’t sound appealing. I had heard and read so many people say that their 1st anniversary wedding cake didn’t taste good at all. Besides, I wanted to eat it all.
Our three tiered cake was made up of 3 overall main flavors. A pink rose cake, an almond champagne cake, and a dark chocolate cake. The fillings were almond Bavarian for the rose and champagne cake and the dark chocolate had a peanut butter buttercream.
Search Pinterest for a recipe to replicate your wedding cake. You know I love a great tradition, so if the recipe is a winner, write it down and make cake baking a yearly tradition.
I loved this sweet idea of making a cake with a calendar and using our wedding cake topper. If you aren’t as crafty in the kitchen, head to your local bakery or the bakery that made your cake and ask for a small cake to be made.
- The photo that keeps on telling a story!
I found this idea on Pinterest here. Each year you take a photo of yourself holding last years photo. Next anniversary I will print out the photo above, frame it, and we will take another photo together. Each year you take a photo holding last year’s photo. Such a fun tradition to see how you and your husband grow!
- Put on the works!
Put on your dress, your veil, or your wedding jewelry the day of your anniversary. Headed to work? Wear your wedding pearls with a nice cardigan or blouse. Your veil might be a little overkill at the office, but if you are enjoying dessert at home with your hubby, throw that bad boy on. Don’t forget to take photos!
- Light a flame!
This might be one of my favorite ideas!! Who says number candles were only meant for a birthday party. Stop by the grocery store and grab a numerical candle to light, take a photo with, and then make a wish as a couple.
- A glimpse at the year!
Start a new tradition documenting the year. I made this to add to our yearly scrapbook to remember our first year as a married couple. Document states you have been to, shows you watch, and other fun facts about the year together. Imagine looking back in 20 or 40 years!
- Buy a gift for yourselves off of your wedding registry.
Chances are there were still several gifts you did not receive for your wedding. Maybe it was that oh so fancy serving platter that matches your china, a frame or coffee mug you have been meaning to go in and get. Maybe it was a fancy watercolor wedding portrait you saw on Etsy or a Mrs. _____ shirt you wish you would have bought for your honeymoon. Whatever it was, go get it! - Write a love note!
You have seen it in movies, the girl writes a love note in lipstick. Have you ever tried to get lipstick off of your bathroom mirror?!?! What a mess! You know what works just as great, probably even better? Dry erase marker. The same marker used on the white board in classrooms is perfect for leaving an anniversary message on the mirror for your husband to see!
- Movie night, with your wedding video.
A staple for an anniversary is watching your wedding video! Did you get one?! If you didn’t, do you have footage, photos, or even photos from your honeymoon you could use to make your own video? I love to compile photos and videos in iMovie. You could make your own slide show to watch on your anniversary, if you don’t have a wedding video to view. Pop the popcorn and enjoy a stroll down memory lane.
- Guest book pinata!
Make a guest book piñata for your wedding, if it isn’t too late! I am a little bummed this is the only photo we got of our guest book piñata! Nick worked so hard on it. You can see it there in the background. The purple heart with the N+A! We had our guests write notes or predictions and put them in the Guest Book Piñata. We planned to open it on our first anniversary and that is exactly what we did. It was cute to see the predictions, the kind notes, and someone even put $40. So, whoever that was, THANK YOU!
A piñata isn’t required. You could have people write in a note book, put messages in a bottle, or write notes in sealed envelopes.
- Anniversary wine cork ornament!
This one I think might be one of my favorites. I know I said that already, but have I told you how much I love LOVE?! Instead of throwing out the wine cork from the bottle of wine that you enjoyed together, make an ornament. To make it even more sentimental, add a charm that represents a moment this year, add a charm with the number for the year you are celebrating OR you can do like I did here.
I found this photo frame in the jewelry section at Hobby Lobby and added a wallet size print from our first anniversary. The wine cork hanging from the frame is from the bottle of wine we opened to celebrate our first anniversary. If you are interested, I will do a DIY tutorial on this. Just comment below!
Our wedding was an absolute blast and the best day of our lives! I look forward to many years of celebrating and life changes. I hope you found some inspiration in this blog post for your celebration!
Until next time!
XO, AP
