What is a Paper Anniversary? 5 Gifts to Say “I love you” and Keep the Tradition Alive

The one-year wedding anniversary is also known as the “paper anniversary.” Why? Paper is symbolic of the fragility and freshness of your union. Just like a blank sheet of paper, it’s still crisp, clean and holds endless possibilities. 

Paper is the foundation of every great story and you’ve just made it through Chapter 1.

Why is the Paper Anniversary Such an Important Milestone?

It’s easy to compare yourself to other couples who have seemingly been together for ages, but your first year in marriage is an occasion worth celebrating. During this time, you inevitably hit some snags and experience the growing pains that come with formalizing your commitment.

Whether you dated your wife for months or years—lived together or separately—before getting married, marriage has a way of changing your perspective on everything. Once upon a time, there was “me”, “myself” and mine. Now, there’s “we”, “us” and ours. All of the decisions you once made alone must now take your partner into consideration.

We're going to share paper anniversary gift ideas for your wife that take the idea of a paper gift to a new level. Like, our Sphere + Wand Locket, which lets her hold a piece of your first memories close to her heart.

Upholding Tradition

In a way, the paper anniversary gift symbolically sets the tone for the year ahead. It can be especially challenging since the idea behind the paper anniversary tradition is that you literally gift your partner something made of paper. How do you do something romantic within those confines?

Paper anniversary gifts can range from completely pragmatic and utilitarian to thoughtful and romantic. Our goal is to steer you toward the latter end of that spectrum, which begs the question, “What are the best paper anniversary gifts for her?”

Paper Anniversary Gift Hack

Though paper must be part of the gift, no one ever said it has to be the whole gift. Depending on how you look at it, paper is either limiting or full of potential. We're going to explore its potential for your first-year anniversary gift.

The key to our approach is remembering that a paper gift allows you to express yourself through words and images.

But where to even start?

Think of the paper gift as a special keepsake for her to hold onto forever, rather than a temporary gesture she uses once and then discards or misplaces. The words are more important than the gift itself; it’s about what’s on the paper.

Yep, we're suggesting you get personal. Lucky for you, we’re experts at finding the right words to put on paper and by the end of this post, we'll have arrived at the best personalized paper anniversary gift for your wife.

Here are some perfect paper anniversary gift ideas for her to celebrate your paper anniversary.

For the sentimental couple…

Our Heart + Arrow Bracelet is one of our most meaningful bracelets. It checks three important boxes: It holds a personalized love quote from you to her, the heart is a universal symbol of love, and it's a stunning statement piece that she can wear all year long.

You know you're in this couple if you and your wife spend a disproportionate amount of time figuring out how to preserve the wonderful moments you spend together. You grab the matches from your favorite restaurants. You frame maps of the cities you've visited together. You still have the movie ticket stub from your first date—not to mention, every card you've ever written to each other and possibly thousands of photos from your first year alone.

That's because a tale-tell sign of the sentimental couple is that they tend to cherish symbols of the significant moments in their relationship. 

If this is you and your partner, the Heart + Arrow Bracelet is the perfect keepsake for your better half. Personalize the paper fortune message inside with an excerpt from your vows or a lyric from the song you first danced to. You have her heart and now she can have yours, with a special touch inside.

_PAPER-HABracelet

For the couple that loves a good laugh…

Special delivery: Use the love note inside this Envelope Locket to memorialize one of your best jokes to date. Swap it out later when your jokes become even funnier.

Your colleagues might see you as serious, professional or even rigid, but at home you turn into a late-night comedian with an audience of one. 

The cornier the joke, the better. The number one thing she likes about you is that you make her laugh like no one else. You put a smile on her face that brightens your world. This precious bond may be one that you and she like to keep private, or one that's come to characterize your relationship. 

Whether you don’t take life very seriously at all or you just enjoy comic relief to shake up the day-to-day, the Envelope Fortune Locket is the perfect gift to let her hold your comedic one-liners close so she can have a private laugh when you aren’t together.  

_PAPERENVELOPELocket

For the best friends who fell in love…

If your story starts out as a friendship, consider gifting her our Sphere + Wand Locket. It's one part time capsule to preserve your memories, another part everyday fashion.

Not every couple starts out as a romantic pairing. Some start their story together as friends. If you two are the Chandler and Monica of your friend group, it's possible that you might not have even liked each other that way when you first met. Maybe you immediately friend-zoned each other and became great pals who were down for anything.

This dynamic tends to lend to vulnerability and openness, which lets you see each other on a completely different level than when your initial meeting follows standard dating rituals. You love each other as people and this love can often become romantic over time.

With the Sphere and Wand Locket, let her know that you cherish how your particular story has unfolded with words that symbolize your early days. Consider using the coordinates of where you first met or a quote from a story just like yours.

_PAPER-SWLocket

For the couple that's expecting or already has children…

Whether your journey began with a child already in one of your lives or you're expecting a bundle of joy soon, reassure her that you're on this adventure together with a Fortune Cookie Locket that reaffirms your love for her.

Though you're already bonded together through marriage, a child together can make this bond even stronger. It is you and her starting a family of your own and entering a whole new role together, as parents.

Make sure that she knows how you feel about her as both a partner and wife, and also as mother or mommy to be. Motherhood is an amazing gift, but being a mother it is not for the faint of heart. Treat your paper anniversary gift as an opportunity to give her some words of encouragement.

Let her know that you appreciate all she does or will do as a mother, and that you are in this together. Gifting her the Fortune Cookie Locket is a great way to let her know how fortunate you feel to have her in your life. 

_PAPER-LARGEFORTUNECOOKIELocket

For when you can’t quite find the right words…

_PAPER-CLASSICLocket

Lockets are one of the most traditional keepsakes in the world, but it's what's inside that tells your story. Our personalized lockets will help you put a modern twist on a centuries-old tradition.

All of these pieces carry a personalized paper anniversary gift that she can wear and hold onto forever. The paper anniversary tradition has been around for centuries. Though the types of gifts we give have changed, the true meaning of love and new beginnings behind the ritual remains. 

A few final reminders before you go...

Not all relationships are the same. Some couples are more sappy and sentimental and others spend their days cracking jokes and laughing until they cry. Some couples are navigating gift giving in a long-distance relationship. But one thing that remains consistent across the board is the significant bond you share. 

When trying to find the perfect message for her, don’t feel pressured to say the “right” thing. Say how you feel, be vulnerable, and remember she fell in love with you for a reason.

Women appreciate when men express their feelings. So, tell her how much she means to you because that is the most meaningful gift you can give her.

Congratulations on your first year as a married couple!

For more on the anniversary years, read...

• 1-year anniversary gifts for her
• 25th Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Her
• Personalized Anniversary Gifts for more meaningful necklaces, bracelets, and unique gifts to pair with your love quote
• 70th Year Anniversary Ideas

If you're ready to buy your anniversary gift shop our anniversary jewelry gifts for her.