As the years in your marriage go by, it can be easy to stop trying to make your wedding anniversaries special. You could get lazy or money could get tight. Or, both of you are so busy with your career paths or children that you can even forget about your wedding anniversary.
In truth, you don’t need to spend anything on your anniversary. Just don’t forget about it. Here are 10 special wedding anniversary ideas that you can try for very little money or none at all.
1. Try making the first meal you had as a couple
You can have tons of fun recalling the exact meal that you had on your first day together. You can look up recipes for it together, shop for ingredients and learn the skills necessary to make the meal together as a couple. Cooking together is a wonderful way to connect and spend quality couple time together.
2. Re-create your first date
Your first date is likely to have been a wonderful romantic time. You can reconnect with the way you felt then and feel the same love and excitement all over. All you need to do is to re-create your first date.
You can go to the same places and do the same things. Not only will it feel great to relive those moments, you’ll spend little – most first dates are inexpensive ones, after all.
3. Re-create your first photos
If you have a collection of photos from the time that you first dated, it can be fun re-creating those shots on your anniversary. You can go around town together, to the very spots that you took your first pictures and re-create the pose. It should be fun to compare the original photos and the re-created ones.
4. Do something new
Your anniversary doesn’t necessarily have to be about you living the past. Putting great new memories together is a possibility, too.
You can make arrangements for an inexpensive getaway at a national park or enjoy some quality time together at a little bed-and-breakfast outside town. The choice is yours.
5. Make a playlist of meaningful songs
Every couple has a musical history together. Not only do they have a special song that they both like, they remember songs from special times, as well – their first date, the first time they had an argument, a song one of them couldn’t get out of their heads at some point and laughed about, a song that played at a diner on a trip somewhere etc.
It’s easy for any couple to fill 20 or 30 slots in a playlist with songs that have special meaning to them. You will have a wonderful time recalling the music that has meaning to you.
Applying yourself to learning a new craft, art or skill can be a wonderful experience. You can literally feel your brain waking up.
When you take up learning something new together with your husband or wife, you’ll likely find your relationship taking on new layers. All you need to do is to sign up for a class.
7. Write new vows
Once you’ve been together for a year or more, you will have new insights into what love really means. While your wedding vows are likely to have been simple, sentimental and not quite in touch with reality, your new vows can be far deeper. You can have fun writing new vows together as a couple too, reflecting on how you understand love so much better now.
8. Write love letters to each other
Just as with writing new wedding vows, writing a love letter when you’re married is likely to give you better perspective. You’ll have learned more about yourself and about love and marriage. I know this idea may sound strange, but give it a try and you won’t regret it!
9. Propose again
If you could propose all over again, what would you change? Given the improved perspective that you have after marriage, how would things be different?
You could have fun experimenting with an all-new proposal. Maybe now it’s your turn to propose your husband!?
10. Write a poem or short story
Even if you’ve never written anything and don’t think you have the skills needed, creating original writing isn’t as hard as it might appear at first. There is a definite method to writing anything that’s enjoyable to read.
Taking a few classes and reading a how-to book on how to write could easily help you get started. At the very least, merely studying a few pieces of writing that you love and learning from their example can quickly help you.
Having a truly special wedding anniversary doesn’t have to cost anything. It only needs imagination. Jazz up your daily routines and do something special and unusual to impress each other and keep that spark alive in your relationship.
What idea would you like to try first? Do you have any other special ideas to add to this list? Feel free to do it in the comments section.
