When it comes time to celebrate your first anniversary with your significant other, there's a potential to feel overwhelmed. Since you've never celebrated an anniversary before, there might be a sense of pressure to get it perfectly right. The thing is, though, you don't have to get it perfect! The beauty of the first anniversary is that you get to start new traditions together as a couple. This is really exciting when you think about it. So if your first anniversary is coming and you're not sure what to do, here are some creative first anniversary date ideas to consider.
The thing about planning something sweet and celebratory of your relationship is that there seems to be pressure to spend a ton of money, surprise your partner, and get them the perfect gift or experience. You definitely don't have to do any of these things, if your heart is in the place of celebrating this person you can do that in so many different, lovely, ways. When it comes to these pressures, it's a great idea to talk to your partner about what they want to do for your special day. You should also have a sense of suggestions for them about what you're hoping to do. Surprises can often lead to miscommunication and disappointment if you don't at least talk about expectations a little bit. So if you're set on a surprise, you can still talk about your anniversary plans with bae without giving everything away. This is a great time to ask if your partner hates things like being sung to in a crowded restaurant or if big public displays of affection stress your partner out. If so, then you'll know not to have the mariachi band serenade bae during dessert.
Your anniversary is likely to be a memorable time no matter what you do because you're celebrating a whole year together with someone important to you. For more ideas, check out the following!
If you and bae really love to learn together, you could enroll in a class together especially if it's something that one or both of you have been wanting to do for a while. You could also celebrate your anniversary by enrolling in classes for a skill that you could use on a trip. For instance, you could take scuba diving or snorkeling classes together to prep for a trip later on. Another example could be learning a certain kind of dance together or language.
Gift idea: If your partner has ever mentioned wanting to learn more about something, get them a book about it with a note about how you believe they can do anything they put their mind to.
OK, hear me out on this one. If you and bae are adventurous, maybe go all out on your anniversary this year. You could try a high ropes course, obstacle course run like a Tough Mudder, or even go bungee jumping or indoor skydiving. This could be a fun way to get a thrill with your sweetheart.
Gift idea: Get your bae tickets to indoor skydiving and a card that says, "Falling for you."
Eating in, is well, in right now! If you have a talent for cooking, consider taking the money you would spend on a fancy restaurant and see what it could buy at home. You can cook up a dinner at home, with candlelight, rose petals, and more! If you don't have a talent for cooking, though, you could still totally do this. Meal kit services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and more have deals where you can order a meal kit right to your door. (Hello Fresh also has a wine service if that intrigues you.)
Gift idea: This date idea could help you save money on a date out on the town so that you could spend it on a classic piece of jewelry. Mejuri offers delicate fine jewelry without the markups.
If you and your sweetheart are interested in doing something fun for your anniversary, but maybe not super serious, consider Goat Yoga. At Hello Critter, you can take a session of yoga in the company of some friendly goats. Golden Road Brewing has even partnered with this studio to offer some brews after your session with your new hoofed friends.
Gift idea: A great gift pairing for this zany date idea could be an equally zany set of matching underwear. MeUndies offers an array of fun patterns and sets that you can specifically order in a partner package.
Get out into nature and star gaze, camp, or find an affordable cabin on Airbnb. If you do it on the night of your anniversary, the sky's stars will likely be similar to the night you made it official between each other. You could also pack a romantic picnic to eat on a hike too!
Gift idea: You can get a print of the exact way the stars looked on any specific date, which is a great gift for a partner that loves anything to do with stars, astrology, or just someone that loves something sentimental. My Sky Moment offers prints, framing, and you can chose any date that you'd like to commemorate — even the exact moment of your first kiss.
If you express yourself best via words, consider writing your partner a sweet love note at the start of every month. Then when your anniversary comes around you could give the bundle of letters to them, or you could arrange them into a scrapbook. You could do this over a candlelit dinner, or take them out dancing somewhere. If your partner also loves writing or reading, you could take a tour of a historical library or museum near where you live.
Gift idea: Consider getting them a journal that the two of you could write memories in together or a customized wax seal for sealing letters with wax and a kiss.
Your first anniversary is such a joyful celebration of the life you've started together. Celebrating this can be as simple as spending quality time together or getting creative about combing your interests into a fun-filled date. Hopefully, whatever you end up doing, it'll be a great time.
