Paper anniversary gift ideas start with an old tradition: the first year of marriage is the paper year. It sounds modest next to silver and gold. That's the charm. Paper holds handwriting, tickets, photos and plans, and a year one couple has plenty of all four.
Below are seven ideas, grouped by what you do with them. One is a card game, because we make one. We'll be honest about where it fits.
What counts as paper anniversary gift ideas?
The rule is generous. Anything made mostly of paper qualifies: books, prints, letters, tickets, maps and cards. Some couples stretch it to anything printed. Nobody is checking.
What matters more is the year itself. Year one is full of firsts. The first apartment with the wobbly table. The first fight about the thermostat. The first holiday where you had to pick whose family to visit. The best paper gifts catch a few of those firsts and keep them somewhere you can find them again.
So before you shop, scroll back through the year. Write down five moments. You'll use that list for almost every idea below.
Paper you can read
1. A letter for every year ahead
Write one letter now, to be opened next anniversary. Then another for the one after. Seal them, number them and tuck them in a drawer. It turns one gift into a tradition.
Good for: anyone who writes better than they shop. The catch: you have to remember where the drawer is.
2. A printed book of the first year
Pull the best photos from both phones, add a line under each and print it as a small book. Keep it short. Thirty pages beats a hundred.
Good for: couples who never print anything. The catch: the layout takes a few evenings, and choosing photos together can turn into a debate.
Paper you can play
3. A memory card game of your year together
This is ours. Matchy Matchy Memory prints your photos as a matching card game, from $19.99. Pick 12 photos of the two of you. The wedding. The road trip where the car died. That haircut. Now lay them face down and try to find each other. Cards count as paper in our book.
Good for: couples who like a game at the table. The catch: it's a game, so it shines when there's someone to play with. Luckily, you married that person.
4. A handmade book of date night cards
Write twelve date ideas on index cards, one per page of a small notebook. A picnic at the spot where you got engaged. Dinner cooked from the wedding menu. Tear one out each month.
Good for: busy couples who keep saying "we should go out more." The catch: the ideas only count if you actually book them.
Paper you can hang or carry
5. A print of the place you met
A simple map print of the street, the campus or the coffee shop where it started. Add the coordinates in small type at the bottom.
Good for: couples with a good meeting story. The catch: if you met on an app, the map is just your couch.
6. Paper tickets for something ahead
Concert tickets, a train trip, a weekend away. Print them out, even if the real tickets live on your phone, and hide them in a book.
Good for: couples who'd rather do than own. The catch: plans with dates need both calendars to agree.
7. A recipe book in both families' handwriting
Ask each side of the family for one recipe, written by hand. Bind them together. Grandma's soup sits next to his uncle's barbecue sauce.
Good for: couples who cook. The catch: chasing relatives for recipes takes longer than you think.
Why a card game suits year one
Most paper gifts are for looking at. A game is for doing together, and year one couples are still building their habits. A deck of your own photos on the coffee table becomes one of them. It comes out after dinner. It comes out when friends visit and ask about the honeymoon.
Every pair starts a small story, and you'll each remember it a little differently. That's half the fun. If you'd like the photos to look like a film still or a painting, Matchy Matchy Magic re-draws them in 3D Film, Watercolor or Anime, from $29.99. Watercolor suits a wedding album mood. Anime gets a laugh.
Picking photos from a busy first year
Most couples finish year one with thousands of photos and no idea where any of them are. A few habits make the search quick.
- Search both phones. Your partner took the good photos of you. You took the good ones of them.
- Use your list of five moments. Find one photo for each, then fill in around them.
- Favor faces. A close photo of the two of you reads better on a card than a wide shot of a crowded room.
- Mix the big days with the small ones. The wedding belongs in there. So does the burnt pancake breakfast.
- Ask the wedding guests. Friends often have candid shots you've never seen, and they love being asked.
A 24-card deck is a good size for two players. It's long enough to feel like a real game and short enough to play twice in one evening.
Make one for the two of you
Pick the photos from your first year. Choose real or re-drawn. Choose 12, 24 or 48 cards. You upload from your phone and see your first card before you pay.
Start with Matchy Matchy Memory for your real photos, or try Matchy Matchy Magic to see the two of you re-drawn. Shipping is $5, and free when you order 2 or more decks. US only, ships in 3 to 5 business days. Order early. Questions? Write to us at hello@matchygame.com.