What We Did On Our Anniversary
by our readers

Also check out our wedding anniversary story section, and at the bottom of each of our gift pages we include anniversary ideas that correspond with each year's traditional materials. Here are some misc great ideas from our readers that do not correspond to a particular year:

 

My husband and I have a great way of celebrating our anniversary. Each year we pick either a traditional or modern theme and the challenge is to find the best (most often the worst) item for $5-10 made out of that material. We then spend money on going out for dinner at a restaurant and open our "special" gifts while out. I will never forget the year when he bought me a "dog collar" when the anniversary was leather or the size 20 knickers that he wrote happy anniversary on when our anniversary was "cotton". It's such a hoot, I recommend it.
-- Karen Rowland

 

For Christmas one year I gave my husband a gift certificate for scuba diving lessons. He thought it was an awesome gift and is now certified. It also a secret weapon for me to get more beach vacations.
-- Shari

 

On our anniversary we give each other a “service”. I might give my husband a car wash that includes detailing of the car. He might give me a gift of washing all the windows in our house. Not only does this mean a lot to each of us, the other person gets to experience the hard work that we do!
-- Vicky

 

One year my husband gave me a book - I love to read. When I opened the book I discovered a dollar bill tucked away on almost every page!
-- Harriet

 

Every year we spend our anniversary either alternating between taking a trip down “memory lane” or taking a trip to some place new. When we take a trip down memory lane we go back to the places that we lived or visited in years past. As we reminisce our memories come alive. It is a time to take stock and appreciate each other. We usually have dinner with old friends or family. On alternate years we pick some place new and different. The new places might be close or far. It is a time to experience something exciting and make new memories!
-- Alex and Trisha

 

We don’t have a lot of money right now because we are saving to buy a house. So, on our anniversary we try to have a wonderful time without spending much money. We plan a really nice dinner and go grocery shopping the day before for what we need. We get something special like filet mignon and a good bottle of wine, which we don’t usually have because of cost. We prepare as much of the dinner ahead of time, including appetizers. On the day of our anniversary, we both take a vacation day from work, turn off the phone, and close the blinds. We listen to music, dance, and make love all day! It is our special time away from the world and our busy lives.
-- K.W.

 

Every year on our anniversary we take out the photo album and talk about the years past. It is a lot of fun and we laugh about things now that seemed like a big deal in the past.
-- Jen H.

 

We met each other during a sail boat race. I was crewing on my brother’s sailboat and Joe was racing his sailboat. After the race (Joe won), we started talking at the dinner that was given for the people who participated. We ended up talking into into the night. We continue to sail even after many years of marriage. On our anniversary we often go to the big boat show in Annapolis, Maryland. The boat show occurs right around the date of our anniversary, so we take a trip up to Maryland, stay at a beautiful inn, and enjoy the boat show.
-- H.B.

 

One year, 1991, John surprised me on our anniversary. He asked me to pack clothes for a weekend trip, but he didn’t tell me where we were going. He picked me up from work and we traveled for several hours while I tried to guess where we were going. We were in the mountains and I still had no idea-many wrong guesses! Finally, I saw a sign for a famous exclusive inn and guessed correctly. Our room at the inn had a spa bath and a fireplace. The food was absolutely superb. I had never stayed at any place so wonderful! But the special thing about our anniversary that year was the planning and the care that went into it.
-- L.T.

 

Our children are all grown and living in different places around the country. One anniversary, they arranged for a conference call from all of then to us on our anniversary. They called first thing in the morning when they knew we would be home. We all talked-it was the next best thing to being together. What a wonderful way to start our anniversary day.
-- Philippa

 

Also read our Anniversary Stories and Add Yours