1 Year Anniversary Gifts for Your Boyfriend

A year in, you know him well enough to skip the generic stuff, but it’s early enough that a big, expensive gift can feel like a lot. The 1 year anniversary gifts for your boyfriend that land best are personal: they look back at the year you’ve had, and some of them look forward to the next one.

I’m Charles, and I design one of the ideas on this list: the One Year book, a magazine of your first 365 days together. The other nine you can make, book or buy anywhere.

Paper: the traditional first anniversary gift

Paper is the traditional theme for a first wedding anniversary, and plenty of dating couples borrow it for their first year too. It’s a good rule to follow even if you don’t care about tradition, because it pushes you toward words and memories instead of price tags.

Paper covers more than you’d think: a letter, tickets, a printed photo, a map, a book, a booking confirmation sealed in an envelope. Most of the ideas below fit the theme, and a few of them cost almost nothing.

10 ideas for your first year together

1. A letter about the year

Handwritten, one page, about this year and nobody else’s. If you’re stuck, start with where you both were a year ago, then the moment you knew this was serious, then one small thing he does that you love and have never mentioned. Put it in an envelope with his name on it, and give it to him before anything else.

2. Tickets to something he’d pick

A game, a concert, a comedy show. Print the tickets, even if they’re digital, and put them in a card so there’s something to open. Choose a date a few weeks out, so the anniversary gives you both something to look forward to.

3. Your first date, recreated

Same place, same order, same table if you can get it. If the place has closed or it’s too far away, recreate it at home: cook the meal, play what was on, and tell him the details you remember. It shows how much you kept.

4. A map of where you met

A city map print with the spot marked, or a star map of the sky over that place on the night of your first date. Plenty of print shops make both from a place and a date. Add a one-line caption, and frame it.

5. A playlist of your first year

Every couple picks up songs along the way: the one from the first road trip, the one he sings badly, the one that was playing when it all started. Make a playlist of ten or twelve, and write a line on a card about why each song made the cut. The songs are free; the card is the gift.

6. Twelve photos, one for every month

Print one photo from each month of your year, write the month and one line on the back of each, and tie the stack with string or keep it in a small box. It takes an evening to pick the photos and very little to print them.

7. A book he’ll actually read, with a note inside

Choose a book that fits something he loves, not something you think he should read. Then write on the inside cover: the date, a line about the year and your name. Years from now, that page will matter more than the book.

8. An upgrade for the thing he loves

If he’d rather have something he’ll use, buy the better version of something he already loves: the pan, the headphones, the boots, the gear for his hobby. Pair it with the letter from idea 1, so the gift is still about the year.

9. A night away somewhere new

Book one night somewhere neither of you has been, close enough to drive. Print the booking and seal it in an envelope. If you haven’t taken a trip together yet, a first anniversary is a good excuse for a first one.

10. The One Year book

This is the one I make: your first year as a 30-page magazine, with both your names on the cover. It’s paper, which keeps you on theme, and it’s built from your answers and your photos, so it’s about the two of you and nobody else. Here’s what’s inside.

What goes into the One Year book, page by page

The book has 30 pages: 10 written pages built from your answers, and 20 pages of your photos. Both your names go on the cover exactly as you type them. If you add your anniversary date when you order, I print it inside the book.

The written pages include:

An opening letter from you, so the book starts in your words.
Where It Started: a heart-shaped map of where you met, beside polaroids.
Our First Date: where, when and what you wore.
The Timeline: your year, date by date.
By the Numbers: your year counted in texts, dates and miles.
The Soundtrack: the songs from your first year.
Things Only We Know: the inside jokes nobody else would get.
Things I’ve Learned About You: what a year of paying attention taught you, in your words.
A closing note, so the last word is yours.

Around them sit 20 pages of your photos. The book itself is 170gsm coated silk paper inside a 250gsm coated softcover with matte lamination, 8 x 11 in, printed in full color. A paper anniversary gift, in the most literal sense.

To make the form easy, start a note on your phone a week before you order and add to it whenever something comes back to you: the date of your first date, the songs, the jokes, the numbers worth counting. By the time you sit down with the form, most of it is already written.

Together for five years rather than one? The Five Years book has a chapter for each of your five years.

Timing: when to order before the date

Order two to three weeks before your anniversary. That leaves room for each step:

Your photos and answers. Design starts once they arrive, so the sooner you send them, the sooner you see your proof. The form and the photo upload link are in your order confirmation email.
Design, 1 to 3 days. I lay out every page myself and send you the whole book as a proof.
Your changes. Ask for anything you like. Nothing prints until you’re happy, so leave time for a round of changes.
Printing and tracked delivery. Once you approve, it’s printed to order and shipped with tracking. Delivery times for each country are on the shipping policy page.

Put your anniversary in the Need it by box on the book page, so the date comes through with your order. If the date is less than two weeks away, message me before you order and I’ll tell you honestly whether it can make it.

And if it’s going to arrive after the day, give him the letter from idea 1 on the anniversary itself, with a line saying something else is on its way.

If you’d like your first 365 days in print, with both your names on the cover, start with the one year anniversary photo book. You’ll find it with the rest of my anniversary photo books.

FAQ

What is the traditional 1 year anniversary gift?

Paper. It’s the traditional theme for a first wedding anniversary, and dating couples often use it for their first year too. Letters, tickets, prints and books all count.

What should I get my boyfriend for a 1 year anniversary?

Something that looks back at your year: a letter, your first date recreated, a playlist with the reasons written down, or a book of your photos. Pair it with something that looks forward, like tickets or a night away.

Does the One Year book suit a first wedding anniversary?

Yes. Paper is the traditional first anniversary gift, and this is a printed book about your year.

Can the anniversary date go in the book?

Yes. Add it when you order and I print it inside the book. It’s optional.

How far ahead should I order?

Two to three weeks before the date. Design takes 1 to 3 days once your photos arrive, then you approve the proof, then it’s printed and shipped with tracking.