Engagement anniversaries are not as readily celebrated as wedding anniversaries. But if you got engaged and set a wedding date for more than a year away, you may want to celebrate the anniversary of your betrothal, even after getting married. However, it is probably best to keep it a low-key, intimate affair. Save the large parties and flamboyant commemorations for your wedding anniversary. Your engagement was, after all, a more personal moment that you should honor with some very special engagement anniversary ideas.
Engagement Anniversary Memorabilia
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Collecting memorabilia is a popular hobby. Sport fans collect autographed jerseys and balls, while cinema fans may collect old movie posters. A creative gift for your engagement anniversary can consist of memorabilia from the day you got engaged. If you were on a vacation, include photos from the trip.
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If the proposal took place in a restaurant, add the receipt from the meal or a menu from the eatery. If you were on the beach, a small vial of sand from that beach will ratchet up the romance factor of the gift. However, you need to have the foresight to collect and hold onto these items. Place them in a decorative box to make the presentation of these special engagement anniversary gifts complete.
Turn to the Poets for Engagement Anniversary Ideas
If your better half is a poetry or fine literature aficionado, consider incorporating that passion into an thoughtful gift. The Romantic poet period lasted from the late 18th to early 19th century and included poets such as John Keats, Lord Byron, William Blake and Percy Shelley.
You can gift a book of poems from one of these authors. You can also collect famous lines from the Romantic poets, such as "Love seeketh not itself to please / Nor for itself hath any care / But for another gives its ease / And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair" from Blake's "The Clod and the Pebble." It is about love's ability to transform. Match the verse to some photos of your partner and have them framed
Recreating Your Betrothal
Consider recreating the day or night you proposed. Revisit the locale. If it was a restaurant, order the same meals you did that night if they are still available. If you gave her a particular type of floral bouquet, find the exact same kind flowers and give them again. If you popped the question with the help of a favorite song, make sure that it is playing during your recreation.
Gift Basket of Favorite Traits
A gift basket can be a bit of cliché, but if you put a twist on it and add a creative romantic flavor, it can make for a touching engagement anniversary gift. Your partner has special traits and characteristics that attracted you to him. Find gifts that symbolize those traits to build your basket. For example, perhaps you bonded over a mutually favorite movie; include the DVD. If there was a particular band or artist your partner liked at the time (and perhaps introduced you to) add that as well.
If your partner has a quirky sense of humor that endeared him to you — perhaps he is a George Carlin Hippy Dippy Weatherman fan — include a book by that comedian. If your partner introduced you to a unique type of food, add that to the gift basket of engagement anniversary gifts, as well.