One Year Anniversary Plans?

[violet02]

So I can''t believe it''s been 9+ almost 10 months since the wedding! My MIL was talking about having an east coast get together/party for their side of the family on our wedding anniversary which didn''t work out for their side of the family and my DH and I weren''t into flying out to the east coast in October since we have to be out there in Dec.

Anyways, what I was thinking about was what to do on our anniversary. We got married in Carmel and we originally decided it would be great to get married there after staying at the Tickle Pink Inn which is gorgeous but on the pricey side for rooms. If we were going to stay there again we''d probably have to book our two night min. stay pretty soon. My DH was saying that he''d prefer to not do anything since I got laid off in May and every dollar does count.

I do agree with that and while it''s nice and romantic to think of doing all of these memorable things it''s wiser to not spend the money. But I KNOW my some of my friends are going to go on and on about what we''re doing for our anniversary. While it doesn''t matter what they think per se, it makes me feel kind of weird not doing anything at all.

For those of you married more than a year what did you do for your one year anniversary? For those of you coming up on a year what are you planning on doing?

Maybe we can drive down there for a day and have dinner or something simple. I''d love to get some cake from the woman who made our wedding cake but that would be pricey as well... wishful thinking!

 

[Lilac]

Maybe you could plan a weekend getaway to somewhere much less expensive? DH and I haven''t reached one year yet, but a couple months ago we wanted to get away and looked into a couple places nearby we could go to that weren''t so expensive because we didn''t want to spend a lot of money. If you just want a nice, cozy, romantic weekend together you might be able to find a cute bed and breakfast somewhere where you can just spend time with each other and get away for a few days. It would be an anniversary celebration and cute and romantic but not nearly as expensive as a big fancy hotel!

But you don''t have to go away in order to celebrate (although I know it probably feels weird to have to listen to your friends talk about it). You can have a beautiful candlelit romantic meal together at home, maybe take a day trip together somewhere, go watch the sunset. You''ll still have tons of anniversaries to go away on big trips for years to come!

 

[cammy85]

We''re only on 4 months, so we have plenty of time to figure it out, but I''m guessing we''ll do something relatively inexpensive (three day trip to a B&B nearby) or else do something quiet and relaxing at home. There is a potential for a two week trip near that timeframe, so things are still somewhat in the open... thankfully I have a long time to figure it out

 

[October2008bride]

Our one year is on the same day as yours, right Violet? Anyways, we are going to Napa in September as a joint 30th birthday/1st anniversary trip. We won''t usually do anything that big, but my best friend and I (who live very far apart!) always promised that we''d celebrate our 30th birthdays together since we hadn''t celebrated a birthday together since 2002!

Yeah so it isn''t specifically an anniversary trip, but we are doubling up to justify the expense

On the day of, we will likely just go for dinner to the restaurant where our wedding was, since we didn''t get to eat our meal on the day of!

 

[anchor31]

Ours is coming up in less than 2 weeks. We''ll be staying the long week-end at my godparents'' summer house by a lake. They just lent us the keys. They''re awesome.

 

[LadyBlue]

I feel a bit sad about our first anniversary.

. Was on Jun 28, and since I don''t have a job right now, I did not want to suggest anything that will make my DH expend money. So the day arrived, and I gave him a Card in the morning, he said he will give me a card at night. So I went to take a shower and I asked him what should I wear (me thinking maybe there is a surprise later). He said, jeans and sneakers, we are going to pick the dishTV from our old apartment. So we went to pick up that, had tacos from lunch in the street and then back home.

So the night arrived, and he said let''s get ready for dinner, so I said you first (thinking he will change his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt) he said I''m ready

. So I did not change my clothes and I just fix a bit my hair and make up.

So finally we went for italian food, and he gave me a card.

Am I been to ungrateful? I was not expecting a big gift. But I was expecting a small present (book, frame, something) at least a romantic dinner.

 

[Patchee]

GABY06 ... since it was your first and only first anniversary NO, you are not ungreatful and yes, he should have gotten you something. I know if you were working you would have gotten him something.

I don''t know your lifestyle as if he/you are gift givers or not but.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 7/22/2009 2:27:17 PM
Author: gaby06
I feel a bit sad about our first anniversary.

. Was on Jun 28, and since I don''t have a job right now, I did not want to suggest anything that will make my DH expend money. So the day arrived, and I gave him a Card in the morning, he said he will give me a card at night. So I went to take a shower and I asked him what should I wear (me thinking maybe there is a surprise later). He said, jeans and sneakers, we are going to pick the dishTV from our old apartment. So we went to pick up that, had tacos from lunch in the street and then back home.

So the night arrived, and he said let''s get ready for dinner, so I said you first (thinking he will change his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt) he said I''m ready

. So I did not change my clothes and I just fix a bit my hair and make up.

So finally we went for italian food, and he gave me a card.

Am I been to ungrateful? I was not expecting a big gift. But I was expecting a small present (book, frame, something) at least a romantic dinner.

I don''t think you''re being ungrateful. I understand wanting *something* special on a big day. I''m also not someone who expects big presents, but I do want to *feel* special on a birthday or anniversary - even if it''s just my husband simply saying "happy anniversary," giving me a romantic card, and lighting some candles. I do think you should talk to your husband about this (not in a negative way, maybe just say something along the lines of, "I know it was tough this year because money is tight, but next year I would love to go for a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant for our anniversary.") I think you should tell him what you would like to do because he might not even realize you were upset about it! Sometimes men just need to be told what you want...

Happy first anniversary!

*Threadjack over

 

[musey]

Date: 7/22/2009 5:10:54 AM
Author:violet02
I do agree with that and while it''s nice and romantic to think of doing all of these memorable things it''s wiser to not spend the money. But I KNOW my some of my friends are going to go on and on about what we''re doing for our anniversary. While it doesn''t matter what they think per se, it makes me feel kind of weird not doing anything at all.

Really?? I don''t know that most of our friends would even remember that we got married by our first anniversary

For those of you married more than a year what did you do for your one year anniversary? For those of you coming up on a year what are you planning on doing?

Maybe we can drive down there for a day and have dinner or something simple. I''d love to get some cake from the woman who made our wedding cake but that would be pricey as well... wishful thinking!

We don''t really have any plans, I''m not sure what we''ll end up doing... probably not much. We don''t tend to make a big deal out of things. I want to do something special, but for us "special" can mean anything from a nice dinner out to a episode marathon and take out to a hike.

One idea I did have, though, was to drive up to our venue and eat our cake topper (not frozen, our baker will give us a new one for free) and drink some champagne. We actually might be able to stay in the same cabin (on the venue''s property) that we stayed in the night of the wedding. Hmm... ideas.....

 

[violet02]

Date: 7/22/2009 3:04:37 PM
Author: Lilac

Date: 7/22/2009 2:27:17 PM
Author: gaby06
I feel a bit sad about our first anniversary.

. Was on Jun 28, and since I don''t have a job right now, I did not want to suggest anything that will make my DH expend money. So the day arrived, and I gave him a Card in the morning, he said he will give me a card at night. So I went to take a shower and I asked him what should I wear (me thinking maybe there is a surprise later). He said, jeans and sneakers, we are going to pick the dishTV from our old apartment. So we went to pick up that, had tacos from lunch in the street and then back home.

So the night arrived, and he said let''s get ready for dinner, so I said you first (thinking he will change his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt) he said I''m ready

. So I did not change my clothes and I just fix a bit my hair and make up.

So finally we went for italian food, and he gave me a card.

Am I been to ungrateful? I was not expecting a big gift. But I was expecting a small present (book, frame, something) at least a romantic dinner.

I don''t think you''re being ungrateful. I understand wanting *something* special on a big day. I''m also not someone who expects big presents, but I do want to *feel* special on a birthday or anniversary - even if it''s just my husband simply saying ''happy anniversary,'' giving me a romantic card, and lighting some candles. I do think you should talk to your husband about this (not in a negative way, maybe just say something along the lines of, ''I know it was tough this year because money is tight, but next year I would love to go for a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant for our anniversary.'') I think you should tell him what you would like to do because he might not even realize you were upset about it! Sometimes men just need to be told what you want...

Happy first anniversary!

*Threadjack over

My DH has no idea how to buy gifts. Not that I expect a gift per se but he likes to buy me them to commemorate stuff like Valentine''s day or my birthday. For Valentine''s Day I got a DVD for my birthday a book. Not really my idea of romantic gifts from your SO. So yes I''m an advocate of telling your DH exactly what you think would be nice.

Money is tight for us for sure. So after our big honeymoon and the fact that we have to fly to Minneapolis for my stepbrothers wedding in two weeks is enough money spent for now while I''m not working. Also while I do have severance unemployment hasn''t been paid out to me yet so that''s even more money we''re not getting right now.

I think we''ll probably for sure just do the dinner and day trip instead.

 

[violet02]

Date: 7/22/2009 3:37:06 PM
Author: musey

Date: 7/22/2009 5:10:54 AM
Author:violet02
I do agree with that and while it''s nice and romantic to think of doing all of these memorable things it''s wiser to not spend the money. But I KNOW my some of my friends are going to go on and on about what we''re doing for our anniversary. While it doesn''t matter what they think per se, it makes me feel kind of weird not doing anything at all.

Really?? I don''t know that most of our friends would even remember that we got married by our first anniversary

For those of you married more than a year what did you do for your one year anniversary? For those of you coming up on a year what are you planning on doing?

Maybe we can drive down there for a day and have dinner or something simple. I''d love to get some cake from the woman who made our wedding cake but that would be pricey as well... wishful thinking!

We don''t really have any plans, I''m not sure what we''ll end up doing... probably not much. We don''t tend to make a big deal out of things. I want to do something special, but for us ''special'' can mean anything from a nice dinner out to a episode marathon and take out to a hike.

One idea I did have, though, was to drive up to our venue and eat our cake topper (not frozen, our baker will give us a new one for free) and drink some champagne. We actually might be able to stay in the same cabin (on the venue''s property) that we stayed in the night of the wedding. Hmm... ideas.....

Our good friends/family got married October 5, October 13 and October 27. Ours was October 4th (as you know!) so yes everyone remembers. Rocktober was a popular month!

 

[Haven]

We exchanged our customary handwritten letters, and then we had a huge party at our house with over 50 of our nearest and dearest. Our first anniversary was just on the 4th of July, it was a blast.

If you have a home, I think celebrating with a lot of friends and family is the way to go. It was so much fun!

 

[QueenB29]

The handwritten letter idea is so sweet

Our first anniversary is in Sept. and we''re going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. That will be our present to each other. I can''t wait!!!!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

We got married on July 12th last summer, so we just celebrated our 1st anniversary. We went looking at apartments (and found one!) and then we went out to dinner. It wasn''t what we had originally planned to do at all but it was fun. If anything, we got a lot of design ideas from all the models we saw. We had planned to celebrate every anniversary at the restaurant where our ceremony and reception were held, but we just moved far away from that state. It made us both sad that we couldn''t follow through with our original plans.

 

[Gypsy]

I don''t know what we''re doing at all honestly. I''m kinda inclined to leave it up to my husband. My preference would be for a lovely brunch at the Ritz in SF or Half moon Bay. And then just some time together that day. It''s a treat, but not one that is too pricey. And if we can swing it with his work schedule, spending a night or two there would make it even better. Just a little get away. But I don''t think that''s going to happen.

 

[decodelighted]

Oh my DH is a trooper! On our first anniversary I was four hours away away celebrating my sister''s 35th birthday at a spa. And he was in the emergency room with kidney stones.

BAD DECO! I offered to come back but his parents were already with him & he was going to be discharged asap -- just waiting out the, um, passing, so he insisted I not rush back & affect her very small 4 person party. I came back the next day with a huge chocolate bar for him that said "Sorry ''bout your Stone!"

Height Of Romance.

 

[Izzy03]

We are talking about going back to Mexico and staying at the same all-inclusive we stayed at for our honeymoon. Only this time we will invite all our close family and friends. Who knows if this will end up happening, but it has been discussed. If that can''t happen, I would really love to stay home, have a candlelit dinner, and watch a scary movie!

 

[jstarfireb]

Well, my anniversary is still a long way off, but I''m considering doing a boudoir shoot when it comes around. I didn''t do one for the wedding and kinda regret it, since right now I''m in the best shape I''ve been in for a while. I just couldn''t spend the money and also felt too self-conscious.

 

[Pandora II]

Our first anniversary was yesterday...

We''ve done a few different things:

On Saturday we went to a vineyard and plant nursery run by a very eccentric guy who always has new and interesting things and we bought a tree and a grape vine to plant both of which should live for around 100 years, and a special bottle of wine.

I have a jar of white truffles in the cupboard which have been waiting for a special occasion - I should be settling the court-case that I have been pursuing since October last year and has taken over my whole life this week. The day the settlement cheque clears in my account we will open the bottle of wine and I will cook something special with the white truffles and we will celebrate our wedding anniversary, our daughter''s birth in May, our new house and all the other happy events that have been on hold since the legal battle began.

We also plan to buy a painting together - the paper part of the first anniversary!

 

[Haven]

Date: 7/23/2009 2:38:06 PM
Author: QueenB29
The handwritten letter idea is so sweet

Our first anniversary is in Sept. and we''re going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. That will be our present to each other. I can''t wait!!!!!!

I love having a box filled with letters from DH. We''ve been doing this since pretty early in our relationship, and I occasionally pull them out and read through them.

DH is so funny about it--he starts by typing out his letter on the computer, and then he writes it down. He''s not one for talking about his feelings, so it''s a big task for him. He''s such a trooper.

Cabo sounds like a GREAT anniversary trip! Enjoy!

 

[Haven]

Deco--That chocolate bar is classic! I adore your sense of humor.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 7/27/2009 12:41:10 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 7/23/2009 2:38:06 PM

Author: QueenB29

The handwritten letter idea is so sweet

Our first anniversary is in Sept. and we''re going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. That will be our present to each other. I can''t wait!!!!!!

I love having a box filled with letters from DH. We''ve been doing this since pretty early in our relationship, and I occasionally pull them out and read through them.

DH is so funny about it--he starts by typing out his letter on the computer, and then he writes it down. He''s not one for talking about his feelings, so it''s a big task for him. He''s such a trooper.

Cabo sounds like a GREAT anniversary trip! Enjoy!

We do that too! I have a whole box completely filled with letters we''ve written to each other over the years. Last year for our anniversary DH snuck the box I had with all the letters out of my house, he put them all in order, and took them all to Staples and made them into a book. I LOVE reading through them every couple of months. It makes me so happy to see that we felt such strong feelings of love so early in our relationship, and I love that our letters now also express those same feelings and more. Makes me smile every time.

 

[kittybean]

Date: 7/27/2009 12:41:10 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 7/23/2009 2:38:06 PM
Author: QueenB29
The handwritten letter idea is so sweet

Our first anniversary is in Sept. and we''re going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. That will be our present to each other. I can''t wait!!!!!!

I love having a box filled with letters from DH. We''ve been doing this since pretty early in our relationship, and I occasionally pull them out and read through them.

DH is so funny about it--he starts by typing out his letter on the computer, and then he writes it down. He''s not one for talking about his feelings, so it''s a big task for him. He''s such a trooper.

Cabo sounds like a GREAT anniversary trip! Enjoy!

Haven, I can totally relate to your DH--I always start really important letters on the computer then write them down by hand. I am such a perfectionist about my penmanship, spacing, etc., that I have to do the creative part first so I can focus on the mechanical part of the handwritten letter. No cross-outs or white-out for me!

Anyway, I know we''re going to take some sort of trip for our first wedding anniversary, but we have no idea where we''ll go. I''m trying to convince DH that we need a week at Lake Como (where we spent part of our honeymoon).

 

[anyname]

Our first anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks. The only thing i can think about doing is going to the same restaurant we''re we had our reversal dinner (a really beautiful and intimate place). We''re thinking about either hiking Old Rag, Va or going some place "nice". BUT we are going to Hawaii in Nov for a delayed honeymoon/first anniversary thing.

 

[violet02]

Date: 7/28/2009 1:28:29 AM
Author: popcorn
Our first anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks. The only thing i can think about doing is going to the same restaurant we''re we had our reversal dinner (a really beautiful and intimate place). We''re thinking about either hiking Old Rag, Va or going some place ''nice''. BUT we are going to Hawaii in Nov for a delayed honeymoon/first anniversary thing.

Oh I like the idea of going to the restaurant where you had your rehearsal dinner, I may just do that!

 

[elrohwen]

If I were in your position, I would still go to Carmel, but look into staying somewhere less expensive. FI and I went to Martha's Vineyard and realized we couldn't stay in a nice hotel and eat expensive food, so we decided to camp and eat expensive food

The trip was no less fun because we didn't stay in a fancy hotel. There are definitely times to vacation luxuriously, but I don't think you'll have any less fun if you find a creative way to go cheaply (or go somewhere similar).

ETA: FI and I discussed going on small weekend trips to celebrate our anniversary every year because we're really not present people. Even if we do the camping thing, it'll be nice to go to all of the fun new england places. We always talk about taking more weekend trips, so our anniversary will just give us a purpose. And as we have a little more free money, we can upgrade to staying in nicer places, etc.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 7/22/2009 2:27:17 PM
Author: gaby06
I feel a bit sad about our first anniversary.

. Was on Jun 28, and since I don''t have a job right now, I did not want to suggest anything that will make my DH expend money. So the day arrived, and I gave him a Card in the morning, he said he will give me a card at night. So I went to take a shower and I asked him what should I wear (me thinking maybe there is a surprise later). He said, jeans and sneakers, we are going to pick the dishTV from our old apartment. So we went to pick up that, had tacos from lunch in the street and then back home.

So the night arrived, and he said let''s get ready for dinner, so I said you first (thinking he will change his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt) he said I''m ready

. So I did not change my clothes and I just fix a bit my hair and make up.

So finally we went for italian food, and he gave me a card.

Am I been to ungrateful? I was not expecting a big gift. But I was expecting a small present (book, frame, something) at least a romantic dinner.

I don''t think you''re being ungrateful. If you had discussed it and agreed to do nothing because of finances, that would be ok ... but for him to not discuss his plans with you and then just do nothing? That would disappoint me too. Maybe you should discuss it with him and agree to talk about plans in future years; even if those plans are just a quiet night at a local Italian place, at least there won''t be any hurt feelings.

 

[Elmorton]

For our first, we went to Madison, WI. For the second, we went to Kansas City. We live in the midwest, and we wanted different places to visit together for a weekend where we didn''t know a soul. We''re already talking about what we''ll do next year - it''s basically a standing date that the weekend closest to our anniversary is our summer trip - though next year, I''m a matron of honor on that weekend, so we''ll have to go somewhere the weekend before. We also exchange gifts - for our first, I got diamond studs and gave DH our wedding vows framed, and for our second, I got DH a watch and he got me a pearl bracelet.

 

[QueenB29]

Date: 7/27/2009 12:41:10 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 7/23/2009 2:38:06 PM
Author: QueenB29
The handwritten letter idea is so sweet

Our first anniversary is in Sept. and we''re going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. That will be our present to each other. I can''t wait!!!!!!

I love having a box filled with letters from DH. We''ve been doing this since pretty early in our relationship, and I occasionally pull them out and read through them.

DH is so funny about it--he starts by typing out his letter on the computer, and then he writes it down. He''s not one for talking about his feelings, so it''s a big task for him. He''s such a trooper.

Cabo sounds like a GREAT anniversary trip! Enjoy!

LOL. I just came back to this thread. We both really, really need a vacation so it should be a lot of fun (DH has been working 70 hour weeks and I''ve been sick for awhile). We bought a timeshare on our honeymoon so it would force us to take a vacation every year, and the Cabo trip is a free week we got for signing up. So it''s not too extravagant. We just had to pay for the plane tickets, and got a good discount. I guess they could count for paper?!

I just hope we don''t get swine flu!

But NOTHING is going to stop me from going!

That''s such a nice memento to have. That''s so cute how he types it first. DH used to send me romantic emails everyday, but that stopped after we got engaged.....

 

[Haven]

We just attended the wedding of good friends yesterday and we were inspired to add a new anniversary ritual to our plans for next year:

We''re going to play our first dance song and dance to it in the privacy of our own home.

As we watched our friends dance their first dance we decided it would be nice to relive our own every year.