First Wedding Anniversary Gift To Make | Creative (and unforgettable) DIY Projects

If your Paper anniversary is just around the corner, don’t forget to make a surprise for your spouse, expressing your undying love in a heartwarming way. What better than a handmade first wedding anniversary gift?

** This following post contains some affiliate links. Despite that, the written in here is honest and based on my own opinion or/and experience, research and wish to share my findings with you! 

Sometimes it is easier to just pick a thoughtful first wedding anniversary gift idea and create something from the heart. And here you have 30 ways to do this! Some of the following DIY first wedding anniversary gift ideas are simple and easy. Some need some extra skills and efforts. But they all fit perfect in the symbolic meaning of the first anniversary.

Suggestions to Make as Your First Wedding Anniversary Gift:

• An album of wedding photos is a natural pick (#1)

• A photo collage is even better (#2)

Sources: Pinterest and HerHeartlandSoul

• Anniversary Pinata (#3)

Stuff a pinata or just a pretty (preferably cardboard) box with love notes, confetti , love coupons, a romantic book, magazine, paper flowers, pictures of the two of you, etc. (if not feeling crafty, you can always order Pinata for your special occasion HERE)

Anniversary Pinata – via Pinterest

• “52 reasons I love you” Booklet (#4)

You can check for some basic instructions on how to make a booklet out of deck of playing cards here

Via Pinterest

• Make a Puzzletter  (#5)

As an inspiration via Please Deliver To

• “I Won the Lottery” DIY gift set (#6)

Lots of lottery tickets in a sharpie mug. Good luck winning the money jackpot! (“For richer, for poorer!”, remember?)

A lot of lottery tickets – via Pinterest

• Love Notes (#7)

Create love notes and hide them around the house or put them in a First anniversary music box  or a handmade paper (or newspaper!) box (there are tons of tutorials and options but my favorite crafty place is the CraftinGeek youtube channel )

• Map cutouts (#8)

Describe all the trips that you’ve been together (or you’ll be – nice way to state your wishes) like this:

Via FeauxCajun

• Our Love Road Map (#9)

Source: Pinterest – 1 Married, Honeymoon, Live ; 2 Hello, Will You, I Do

• “Google It” Card (#10)

This is so cool, especially for a computer geek hubby. This site provides two options for printables – with blanks to personalize and pre-filled description. What I would additionally do is to transform this card into a small booklet by adding some inner pages with pictures printed as proves to the googled findings. I know it could be time-consuming finding the best images to fit into the description, but I think the effect would be far better 🙂

Free Printables : thanks to <3 Sarina <3 from  The Dating Divas

• Paper Jewelry Box (#11)

You can find many tutorials on how to make a jewelry box out of newspaper or magazines. It is not difficult as you need some old newspaper sheets, sticks, glue, scissors and a little bit of inspiration. Check the video for one of the cutest paper jewelry boxes that I’ve found (and don’t forget that boxes should not be given empty – put a small symbolic jewelry for the first wedding in it and you’ll have an amazing first wedding anniversary gift)

•  An Amazing Kirigami Pop Up Card (#12) 

If you haven’t heard about Kirigami yet, I’ll give a brief explanation and example. Kirigami is a variation of origami art that relies on cutting off the paper, rather than solely folding the paper (as it is the main idea of origami). It is also called “Kyrie” and looks like this: (again different varieties, tutorials – just type “Kirigami tutorials” in Google and find the best that matches your taste)

Via Etsy – check HERE

• Anniversary greeting card (#13)

This one below is pretty easy – 12 small envelopes (different design), glued on a folded cardboard,  with love notes inside – for each month of your first year as a married couple.

Via Pinterest

• Write a love letter (#14)

See some instructions on how to write a love letter, given by Hallmark.

• Love is Everywhere Framed Art (#15)

Go driving around your home town and find the letters of your last name; take pictures of them and frame them like this one below:

Via Pinterest

• First Year Timeline (#16)

This is also a great Time Capsule Idea   (check other interesting Time Capsule Anniversary ideas at the end of this post). It is just an idea for inspiration, but the truth is that you need some basic skills on designing (maybe PowerPoint would be pretty  enough). Anyway, you can always hire a specialist (finding one on Fiverr.com let’s say).

Via OctoberAfternoon

• Scrapbook story of your first year (#17)

This is a way too sweet for my taste, but the result might be gorgeous, depending on the idea implementation.

Via Unengaged Undergrad

• Customized Love Calendar (#18)

Pick up some pictures or pay an artist to draw portraits (12 topics – such as your family house, the wedding bouquet, the honeymoon, family portrait, place you’ve been, and other “firsts”). If you manage to organize them monthly, that would be awesome! In addition, circle the dates that you want to be memorize concerning your relationship.

Order HERE

For just about $24.99 you can order your customized calendar. Otherwise – use free printables  like these here.

•  “An Exploding Year” (#19)

It is an exploding box full of mementos. Photos, love notes, map cutouts – everything in just one cardboard box ( see the tutorial at The Scrapbook House).

Via Pinterest

• Ballon Galore (#20)

Place balloons all over the room with “pop me” tags on few of them with a few extra notes and mini gifts in them.

Thanks to Anniversary Ideas Step By Step 

• Love Coupons (#21)

Create love coupons  when you can’t decide on just one thing to give 🙂

Provided by Kristin at Yellow Bliss Road

• A Hollow Book (#22)

Hollow Book via Pinterest

• 365 reasons I Love You (and that’s just the first year!) (#23)

Via Pinterest

• Handmade Wall Art – A Year Later (#24)

Frame your wedding invitation together with a gorgeous “behind the wedding scenes” photo or a beautiful wedding portrait to have a keepsake showcased.

• Wedding Silhouette (#25)

Check how to make a silhouette  HERE

• Customized playing cards (with images from your first year) (#26)

This actually can be your very first project as a married couple. It is simple – when taking photos of you, try to pick one at the end of every week and collect them in a special folder named “Project: 1st Anniversary”

Via Pinterest

• First Dancing Art (#27)

Incorporate you first dancing song into your first wedding anniversary gift:

Via Pinterest

• Word Cloud Art (#28)

This site lets you turn any picture into words. Great way to renew your vows! Or to commemorate your first song lyrics

Via Pinterest

• Origami Flower Bouquet (#29)

Check instructions here. I love this one I found – it is made of music sheets. It is also handmade and looks just elegant.

Made by Dana’s PaperFlowers – check HERE

• Paper Crafts (#30)

There are many tutorials on Youtube on how to make jewelry boxes, photo frames, fruit baskets, even clutches (!?) with old newspapers or magazines. I personally prefer the handmade photo frame made of magazines. A Black&White photo of you two will look gorgeous in of these funky photo frames :

Handmade paper photo frame out of magazines – check HERE and HERE

Time Capsule Ideas for Your 1st Anniversary:

• On This Day– start writing down some curious facts for each year of your marriage life
• Yearly Timeline – a timeline of everything that happened each year! Great idea for something to look back on.. highlights of your life together!

Via OctoberAfternoon

• New York Times – Browse important events in history by clicking on each date to see a featured archival New York Times front page and article, as well as a list of other notable events that occurred on that day.
• Movies by Years – for those of you who are crazy about watching movies together
• Wine Journal (Toasts for the years to come)- open a special bottle each year of your marriage life and make notes. Thus, the wine journal would be also a great gift as a third wedding anniversary gift, but starting this tradition is just awesome – sooner, the better!

Wine Journal – click Here

• Recreating a pose from your wedding – I love this idea!

Via Pinterest

PLEASE NEVER GIVE a gift Certificate (it declares  you didn’t find any time to prepare a special gift for your spouse!

No matter if you decide to go the traditional route when celebrating your anniversary or create your own anniversary celebrations remember to have fun celebrating. The two of you made it through an entire year together with much more wonderful anniversary celebrations ahead of you!

What other ideas do you have for a first wedding anniversary gift?