Celebrating your wedding anniversary

Congratulations on your wedding anniversary. Whether it’s your first anniversary, your 12th or a milestone anniversary, it’s the ideal time to reminisce and share your memories of your marriage so far.

Here at Inspired Occasions, we love helping you to organise the perfect wedding. After all, there’s so much hope and excitement about what the future may hold. But we also love to help happy couples celebrate their anniversaries – hearing the stories of their marriage and learning how they adjusted their expectations as they began their partnership.

That’s why we want to delve into the topic of wedding anniversaries.

How can you celebrate them? Should you involve other people in your celebrations? What are the traditional celebratory themes, and are they still relevant in 2024?

Let’s find out.

wedding anniversary themes

We’re sure that you’ve come across this before. The traditionalists amongst us will almost certainly have heard that your first wedding anniversary is a paper celebration, while your fiftieth is considered your golden anniversary.

But what does this actually mean?

The purpose of a wedding anniversary theme can be traced back to as far as Ancient Rome, but most people believe that it became far more recognisable in Germany in the 18th Century. Here in the UK, the Victorian era is often seen as the time when gift exchanges became more popular. That’s because it was a time when marriages began to be more about love matches.

Tradition tells us that a first-anniversary gift of paper signifies a new beginning, while a 25th-anniversary gift of silver represents enduring strength.

But are those anniversary themes still relevant today? In our experience, they may have different meanings now, especially with many couples being in long-term relationships long before they get married. However, they do pose as inspiration for any anniversary gifts that you may want to buy for your spouse. We like to think of them as a fun jumping-off point, but the most important aspect is choosing something meaningful to you as a couple.

is a wedding anniversary time to include a vow renewal

Vow renewals are beautiful ceremonies where couples reaffirm their commitment to one another. As wedding planners in Devon, we often help couples celebrate a vow renewal ceremony to coincide with a milestone anniversary.

Vow renewals aren’t for everyone, but the beauty of them is that they can be grand events or intimate gatherings. As you’ve already completed the legal paperwork within your original wedding ceremony, you can be more flexible with a vow renewal. Perhaps you want to recommit to one another standing on the beach, or maybe there’s a location that’s meaningful to you as a couple.

Remember, they’re not a requirement for a special anniversary. If you crave a bigger celebration, go for it! But if a quiet dinner feels more “you,” that’s perfectly valid.

Should your wedding anniversary be an intimate dinner or a family celebration?

This is entirely down to your personal preferences. There’s never a right or wrong way to celebrate an anniversary – some couples are happy with a card and an acknowledgement, while others prefer a romantic date night or even a large family party.

What’s important is that you should take the time to think about what is special for you and your spouse.

For example, if you’re thinking about an intimate dinner, can you recreate the meal you had on your first date? Can you surprise your husband or wife with their favourite dish? Perhaps there’s a local restaurant you’ve been meaning to try (either a dine-in experience or even using Deliveroo).

If you’re looking for something to involve your family, your options are endless. You could hire a venue space or choose a restaurant with a private dining facility. You could even ask your guests to reminisce on their favourite memories of you as a couple or even ask them to sign an updated guest book or photo frame in the same way that they may have done on your wedding day.

If you have kids, why not involve them in your celebration?

It might be tempting to book a babysitter so you can have a night to yourselves, but we think there’s something lovely about involving any kids in your celebration. Whether it is your own kids or you’re a blended family, bringing everyone together is a beautiful way to celebrate your personal family unit.

Here are a few little ways that you can all celebrate together.

· Create a Time Capsule: Have the family write letters to your future selves and bury a time capsule to open on a future anniversary.

· Family Scavenger Hunt: Design a scavenger hunt around your love story, with clues hidden in places significant to your relationship.

· Make it a Game Night: Dust off some board games or plan a charades night with moments from your relationship as the theme.

Whatever you choose to do, congratulations on your wedding anniversary.

You might be approaching your first anniversary, or it might be your 25th. Whatever milestone you are celebrating, that’s a considerable achievement.

So, from us here at Inspired Occasions, we’d like to wish you a very happy anniversary! We hope you get to celebrate it in a way that is filled with love and happiness.

Book a call with Inspired Occasions to find out how we can help you

At Inspired Occasions, event planning should be an enjoyable experience. There’s nothing we love more than creating unique and unforgettable events tailored perfectly to your specific dreams. 

If you’re looking for an event planner who listens, offers creative solutions, and goes the extra mile, we’d love to chat! 

Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation, and let’s get started on making your event truly special.

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