The first anniversary is always a big deal. Whether it’s celebrating your first year with your girlfriend or your first wedding anniversary with your wife, you want to make a good first impression by giving a gift they will absolutely love – but what?
It’s important to remember that the best first anniversary gifts for your girlfriend are the ones that are thoughtful and meaningful, rather than just expensive or flashy.
If you are stuck for ideas for a great first anniversary gift for your girlfriend (or wife!), then here are some really popular ideas. Check them out below and hopefully, you will find the perfect gift to give for your first anniversary!
1. Personalized Spa Set
Everyone deserves some time for rest and relaxation, but we often don’t make time for it ourselves. Under the pressures of work, chores, or caring for others, it’s very easy to forget to make some time for ourselves and unwind.
So, if you want to give your girlfriend or wife a personal gift they will absolutely love, why not make a personalized spa set for them? Spa sets can be bought pre-made from a ton of different stores, but this is also a great chance for you to prove just how much you know your partner.
You can pick out soaps and lotions in her favorite scents, get her favorite face masks, and pick up products to help tackle some of the issues that plague her skin or wellbeing.
For example:
- If your partner often complains about aches and sore muscles, tailor the spa set with epsom salts, lotions, and massagers that can help ease these issues.
- Lavender scented products like bath bombs can help calm anxieties and make it easier to sleep at night.
- If your partner has dry skin, then it’s better to get deeply hydrating products than products made for oily skin.
These are just some ideas on how you can create a personalized, pampering spa set which is sure to impress your girlfriend and prove to her just how much you care about her wellbeing.
2. Bath Bomb Set
If a whole spa set is too much for you and you would prefer to give something smaller, then you can’t go wrong with a bath bomb set – unless, that is, your girlfriend doesn’t have a bath (there are shower bombs available at certain retailers and stores).
Like with a spa set, a gift bath bomb set shows your partner just how much you care by offering something to help them relax and unwind with.
You can also use this as an opportunity to flex how well you understand them by getting bath bombs that match their scent preferences, favorite colors, and personality.
Bath bombs come in all different shapes and sizes, so pick out a few you think your girlfriend will love, pack them together in a pretty box with some straw, and tie it all up with a ribbon!
3. Perfume
Pretty much every girl wears perfume. Not only that, but everyone also has their preferred fragrance, brands, and type of perfume. Some people even have a preference when it comes to the bottle!
Getting your girlfriend her favorite perfume is a pretty safe gift to give but it’s one that is always appreciated. Perfumes can be pretty expensive, so giving a bottle as a gift can help ensure that your girlfriend can continue to pamper herself with the things she loves.
Also, it proves that you do notice the little details about her. So, gifting a bottle of perfume is a very elegant and personal gesture, and one that will come across as loving and sentimental on your first anniversary.
4. Jewelry
Jewelry is also another very safe gift to give – but we’d avoid rings, unless you actually plan on proposing. Some other great jewelry ideas include earrings, necklaces (especially romantic lockets), and bracelets.
If your girlfriend has a charm bracelet, then why not get some meaningful charms for her to add to it? You can even get charms that are inscribed with your initials, or the date of your first anniversary.
Alternatively, charms that signify romance or serve as reminders for important events or dates are also great options available to you. Of course, shopping for jewelry can be tricky as you need to keep a few things in mind before making the purchase.
You need to try and find something that matches your girlfriend’s style and watch out for any allergies (some people are allergic to certain metals, like nickel or silver).
5. Star Map
Stars and constellations have a lot of romantic symbolism behind them, and so many people look to the stars during important events in their lives. Star maps are a great way to capture the moment and serve as a marker of remembrance for that moment.
As a result, people tend to give star maps as romantic gifts to people they have shared important milestones with. If this is your first wedding anniversary, then a star map of the night sky during your wedding day is the perfect personal gift to give.
Alternatively, if you are still in the dating phase of a relationship, then you could give a star map of your partner’s birth date or when you both went on your first date. You have plenty of options available!
6. Personalized Milestone Map
A similar gift idea to a personalized star map is a personalized milestone map. Milestone maps are great pieces of print art which display certain destinations or cities on a map.
You can combine different places to create a wonderful print that displays either places you and your girlfriend have already visited, places that hold important meaning for you both (like where you first met, your first date, etc.), or you could use it to list out all the places you want to visit together.
If you plan on whisking your girlfriend away on vacation for your anniversary, then you could gift a milestone map of that destination with a future date written underneath – and then give her the tickets. Sounds really romantic, right?
7. Custom Line Drawing
The traditional first wedding anniversary gift is supposed to be something made of paper, and a lot of people take this as inspiration for finding the right gift to mark those first anniversaries. One great paper-gift idea is a custom line art drawing.
These drawings can easily be commissioned with local artists for a fair price, and the results are very cute and modern.
A lot of people choose to have a line drawing of themselves and their girlfriend to mark their anniversary, but you could also commission a line drawing of their pet, their family, their friends, etc. Whatever the subject, your girlfriend is bound to love this personalized and touching gift.
8. Custom Photo Collage
Another great artsy gift you can give is a custom photo collage. A lot can happen in just one year and by now, you and your girlfriend probably have a lot of photographs of you both during important dates and moments in that first year.
What better way to celebrate them than by creating a photo collage featuring all your best selfies? These photo collages can be made and commissioned online, or you can roll up your sleeves and create your own with some paper and glue.
Either way, you can easily get your hands on one and even pick from some great designs. This is a really sweet and personal gift idea that your girlfriend is bound to appreciate and love.
Plus, it proves just how much you care as you celebrate this milestone together – and how excited you are for the future!
9. Custom Songs Lyrics Print
In the same vein of custom photo collages and star maps of important dates, you can also create a song lyric print that is customized to show your partner’s favorite lyrics.
This is a great gift idea for couples who share a love for music, plus you have total control over the design of the print.
You get to choose the lyrics (you can either include lyrics from some of your girlfriend’s favorite songs, or lyrics from popular romantic songs) and have them displayed in any style you want.
This can include heart shaped word art, or shaped to resemble a vinyl disk. Either way, it’s a personal and romantic gift to give, and the perfect choice if your girlfriend has a strong passion for music.
10. 100 Date Scratch Off Poster
This gift is ideal for the fun and adventurous as it’s a very large poster with scratch off squares that reveal a different idea for a date.
Not only will this gift provide you and your partner with 100 new ideas for future dates, but it also shows your commitment to the relationship and that you are excited to step into the next chapter of your lives together.
You are basically promising another 100 dates with your girlfriend on your anniversary which include new experiences for you both, a ton of fun, and plenty of adventures. So, if this quirky idea is something you think your girlfriend would love, then you can easily purchase one online.
11. Relationship Building Card Games
Another super fun idea is a relationship building card game. These card games can range from great deep conversation starters, to ones which are more flirty – and some are just downright dirty!
If you do go this route, you need to make sure you pick the kind of card game that your girlfriend would be comfortable to play.
Despite this, it’s definitely a fun idea which you can bring out on date nights so you both can continue learning about one another as your relationship grows.
12. Customized Pillow
If you’re looking for something more personal, then one great gift idea is a customized pillow. A girl can’t have too many pillows and cushions, and gifting a personalized one to mark this milestone proves just how much you care about her comfort.
Not only that but customized pillows can also be very cute or very fun to make. You can add the anniversary date, your name and your girlfriend’s name, and some of the best photos and selfies you have of one another to celebrate the past year.
It’s also a very inexpensive way to give a personal gift, and goes down great alongside some other cute gifts on this list.
13. Collage Blanket
A great cozy gift to give alongside a customized pillow is a blanket, but why not make this blanket extra special?
Just like with collaged art or customized pillows, you can also customize blankets so they display a collage of all your favorite photos and selfies with you and your girlfriend. This allows you to give a very practical gift while keeping things personal and touching.
14. Matching Mugs
One really cute personalized gift you can give is matching mugs. Matching gift ideas are always a cute gift to give on anniversaries, and matching mugs is a great one to give on a first anniversary.
Not only is the gift practical, but it also helps bring you two together more as a unit – and show it to the world through your matching mugs!
15. Christmas Ornament
If your first anniversary is around the holiday period, then a very cute and special gift you can give to mark the occasion is your own personalized Christmas ornament.
A lot of people like to get special Christmas ornaments to mark milestones that have happened during the year, like weddings or births. It’s also a great way to celebrate your first Christmas together as an established couple, as most people spend their first Christmas while dating apart.
So, getting a Christmas ornament is a great idea, but what kind? That all depends on what kind of decor your girlfriend likes for the holidays.
Most first anniversary Christmas ornaments come in the form of glass baubles with the date and couples’ names written on the surface. Others include wooden hearts with the date and names burnt into the surface, wreaths, and disks.
16. Diary/Journal
One way to celebrate the past year is to start looking forward to the future – and by giving your girlfriend a beautiful diary or journal, you are giving her the chance to write down all the memories you plan on making together.
Diaries and journals are very personal gifts to give but they are also very dreamy and practical too. So, your girlfriend is bound to appreciate this gift idea!
17. Candles
Candles are super romantic and they are also great to help you unwind and relax, so it makes sense to give one or two as part of a larger anniversary gift.
Although we wouldn’t recommend gifting a candle and calling it a day, candles can help create a larger gift package that shows your care and appreciation for your girlfriend.
You can use this opportunity to show how you pay attention to her preferences by getting her some scented candles in her favorite scents.
Alternatively, you could gift wax melts instead, incense, or a new candle holder. Candle holders are a great idea as they can be made more personal with inscribed dates, names, and messages of love.
18. Chocolates
You can’t go wrong with chocolates. Gifts are meant to be indulgent and a chance to spoil your partner to show your appreciation and love – and there’s nothing that does it better than a box of chocolates.
You have the choice to get your girlfriend one of their classic favorites, or a selection box filled with surprises and luxurious treats.
One popular yet creative alternative idea is a chocolate bomb – basically, chocolate balls filled with marshmallows you are supposed to drop into a mug of hot milk to create a delicious hot chocolate treat. Overall, chocolates are the ultimate romantic gift!
19. Treats And Goodies Gift Basket
If your girlfriend is not a huge fan of chocolate, or perhaps you want to go that extra step, then why not make a gift basket filled with her favorite treats and goodies?
Some people create gift baskets filled with sweet treats including candy and chocolate, others take a more savory route with cheeses, crackers, meats, and fruits to make a charcuterie gift basket.
Some people even make wine gift baskets which include lots of taster bottles of different wines so your girlfriend can experiment and find a new favorite wine!
So, if you want to get your girlfriend something delicious for your anniversary, then a gift basket filled with lots of different options is a great way to spoil them!
20. Flowers
Finally, we have flowers. Flowers are a very safe gift to give at any occasion, so it just makes sense to pick up a personal bouquet filled with your girlfriend’s favorites.
A lot of flowers have personal meanings behind them, so browse through your options before making a bouquet that makes a statement.
Alternatively, if your girlfriend loves gardening, you can get her flowers to be planted outdoors – or even an indoor plant to brighten her living space!
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Conclusion
So, those were 20 great ideas for first anniversary gifts, whether you are married or still dating. We hope this helped you out and gave you a bit of inspiration!
Serena & Dominic are a married couple and parents to 3 wonderful children. They plan weddings, run multiple small businesses, and curate wedding events.
By giving you everything you need to make your dream wedding attainable, you can eliminate stress, get the ‘wedding glow,’ and focus on spending this rocking day with the person you adore. Discover their podcast for more information
