Of course, anniversary’s are all about honoring the time you’ve spent together. You want an anniversary to do justice to the goodness of that time, which is probably why you’re racking your brain for the most creative anniversary idea. But it’s easy! You just have to choose between these ideas.

Look to the Past for Inspiration

I’ve learned everything I know about celebrating the anniversary’s from my father. He’s gotten good at it over the years. Maybe his experience will help you develop your own romantic anniversary ideas.

Celebrate Your Mistakes:

Early on in my parent’s marriage, probably the third or fourth anniversary, my dad got my mom a water park as her anniversary gift. You know… to clean her teeth. Needless to say, it didn’t go over well.

So, it’s been a recurring joke over the years that my dad actually thought this gift (“Dental hygiene! The gift that keeps on giving”…) would be a nice romantic anniversary gift. It was a mistake, but my dad’s no dummy.

Fast forward 32 years. It’s my parent’s 35th wedding anniversary. The whole family meets at a beautiful restaurant. A special vase of flowers is waiting on the candle-lit table. My mother’s menu is printed thoughtfully with “Happy Anniversary.”

After a wonderful meal, my dad pulls out an elegantly wrapped gift and gives it to my mother. We all looked on as she unwrapped it, wondering what could possibly be in a box that shape. As the paper came off, we all saw what is quite possibly the most romantic anniversary gift.

Pick Date

Of course, after the laughter died down, he pulled out a small jewelry box containing a very nice necklace… But the water park was romantically symbolic.

Celebrating your flaws and past missteps is sort of like saying, “Despite my imperfections, you love me, and that’s pretty cool. Thanks for putting up with me for all these years!”

Celebrate Shared Memories

One year, not long after my mom’s father passed, my dad came up with a romantic anniversary idea that showed he cared while also creating something meaningful.

My grandfather loved birds and built many birdhouses. The one that he built and gave to my mom had become dilapidated over the years and was falling apart. So, my dad, in his all his wisdom, acquired my grandfather’s original bird feeder plans and spent a good two weeks in the basement recreating my mother’s bird feeder to the tee.

He woke up early in the morning on their anniversary and installed the bird feeder in a nice place near the back porch. When my mother woke up and saw the feeder, she was beside herself with appreciation and joy.

Through some creative thinking, my dad was able to celebrate the past while also giving my mom a gift that honored her father.

Now, you don’t have to go all out like my father… But, by thinking like him, you can come up with your own perfect, romantic anniversary idea. Just look to your past, and identify something nice to revisit.

As long as you show that you care and that you appreciate the years spent together, you’ll have a great anniversary.