107 Anniversary Ideas That Will Show Your Partner Just How Much You Love Them

Looking for a romantic anniversary ideas? We’ve asked all our friends, researched the web extensively, and come up with over 100 anniversary ideas to make your special day even more special.

The best anniversary ideas out there!

1. Plan out 12 dates that you’ll go on once a month for the next year. Purchase tickets and write out what each date will be and put it in an envelope. Gift all the envelopes together so your partner can look forward to a whole year of fun, pre-planned outings with you.

2. Build a fire on a beach and spend all evening holding each other and telling each other your favorite memories of being a couple.

3. Use an app that rounds up your purchases and put the money in a special savings account so you two can take a romantic vacation to somewhere you’ve always wanted to travel together.

4. Go someplace in your city that has a romantic view. Bring supplies for a picnic and leisurely go through this list of questions and get to know each other even better.

5. Spend a few weeks jotting down a note in your phone every time you think of something about them you love and are grateful for. Write out and decorate the notes and put them in a jar your partner can pull out whenever they need to be reminded of how much you love them.

6. Go on a tour of fancy homes in your city and fantasize about how you’ll be rich one day and what you’ll do with your riches. At the end of the date, give them a card with lottery tickets inside so you can keep fantasizing and talking about it all week.

7. Handwrite them a love letter they can treasure forever.

8. Surprise each other with a Spotify playlist you make especially for each other. The rule is that every song has to describe the way you feel about the other person.

9. Buy them a ring inscribed with “thank you” so that every time they look at it they’ll know how grateful you are for them and how treasured they really are.

10. Go back to the place you originally met and take a photo there. Make this a regular tradition for every anniversary and watch what changes every year; not only how you guys age but how the environment where you met changes.

11. If your partner has a sweet tooth, order a special made box of their favorite color of candy, so they don’t have to sort through the bag.

CandyMafia

12. You could also make customized M&Ms with both of your initials on them.

13. Plan a scavenger hunt that takes you through your city to different places you’ve been on dates that are important to you. Use riddles that your partner has to solve and end somewhere you can have a romantic dinner together.

14. Find a modest cabin a few hours away on Airbnb and get away for a weekend. Spend the whole time in front a fire, totally relaxing and just being together with no phones or outside noise.

15. If your partner is obsessed with a musician, save up and surprise them with good tickets for when they are in town, or plan a trip to see them in another city. Bring and old school disposable camera and print out the pics when you’re done so you’ll have a fun memory of the trip.

16. Don’t drink for 30 days before your anniversary and then on your anniversary get incredibly drunk and throw the biggest party (but only you two are invited).

17. Build a fort and spend all weekend inside it snuggling and watching movies.

18. If you don’t have a lot of money right now, spend the day out cheering on an amateur sports team. The tickets will be a lot cheaper than professional sports.

19. Try a new sport together like stand up paddleboarding or fat tire biking.

20. Go on Etsy and find some art or little craft that’s a fun or interesting play on one of their favorite TV shows or movies. For example, these iconic Clueless candles, a framed map of Westeros from Game of Thrones, or an iconic Friends quote on needlepoint:

ElMuchachodelBurro

21. Find a place where you two can go ice skating and rent it out. Set up romantic candles and make a playlist of music you two can skate to together.

22. Find a farm or garden nearby that allows you to pick your own produce. Spend a day gathering up all the ingredients to try baking a complicated dessert or meal together.

23. Set up and outdoor movie screening in your backyard. Make an elaborate bed of blankets and pillows so you’ll be super comfy, light outdoor candles or set up twinkle lights, and make a popcorn/snack station to complete the experience.

24. Surprise them with a boudoir album you’ve made for them.

25. Get all the ingredients you need to make a bunch of mini pizzas and have a contest to see who can create the craziest-sounding but best-tasting pizza. Make fun bet about the prize the winner receives.

26. Plan a surprise weekend getaway they know nothing about. Tell them to pack a bag and have everything planned so that they don’t have to do anything all weekend but relax and have fun with you in a brand new setting.

27. Spend all night making a bucket list of 100 things you want to do together before you die. Make concrete plans to be able to cross a few things off within the next year.

28. Make a batch of wine or beer together. Make enough so that you can plan to drink a bottle each month for the rest of the year on a special date night.

29. Stalk your partner’s Amazon wishlist (you can search by their email address) and without saying anything order a few items and wrap them up. You’ll surprise them with some things they really want but wouldn’t buy for themselves.

30. If you have kids, surprise them by getting a sitter or having a family member care for your kids all day so you can spend a lazy day stay-cationing at home. Make them breakfast in bed, order in, tune out all the normal stuff you’d be doing/thinking about at home (kids, cleaning, to do lists) and just allow yourselves to indulge in some down time together Netflix + chill style.

31. Buy them something really indulgent (something they would never spend money on for themselves) that they’d use every day. Every time they use it and feel how luxurious it is, they’ll be grateful for you and think about how much you care about them. Ideas: a really fancy faux fur blanket, a remote starter for their car, a second monitor for their office, nice headphones, fancy socks/slippers, expensive sheets, high-quality coffee. (Note: be careful not to do this with a tool or appliance that’s associated with chores!)

Best Home Fashion

32. Find free materials online or order a book about how to do massage. Get some yummy smelling oils and treat them to the fruits of your labor.

33. If you’re dating a huge sports fan, save up and give them the experience of a lifetime by gifting them front row or courtside seats to their favorite team.

34. Spend your anniversary at a local charity or do some volunteer work. You found love and what better way to spend delivering love than helping others feel some compassion and kindness too?

35. If your partner is artistically inclined, buy them a sketch pad and some nice art materials. They’ll be touched that you’re encouraging to spend time with themselves pursing their hobby.

36. Get an old school NES or Nintendo 64 from Amazon and spend a night embracing Nostalgia and having a Mario Kart tournament.

37. Fill their room with balloons and on each balloon sharpie something that you love about them.

38. Make a handwritten letter for them detailing some of your favorite memories you’ve had together for the last year.

39. Whenever you come across something your partner would love, add it to your Amazon wishlist. No matter how big or small, just keep track of anything that strikes you as really “them” over the course of the year. When a gift-giving event like an anniversary comes around, you’ll have a ton of options to choose from.

40. Print a meaningful compliment on an object they’ll use every day:

Santa Barbara Design Studio

41. Write them a short story where they are the main character.

42. Plan a crazy outdoor adventure that’s a bit beyond your normal comfort zone. You’ll get to experience something new together and share something you’ll never forget. Try ziplining, skydiving, or bungee jumping.

43. Rent a boat for an evening and go on a romantic sunset cruise. Pack food and wine for the trip so you’ll be able to make a night of it.

44. Research and cue up a long list of recommended movies in each genre the two of you enjoy. Make it so that it will be a long time before you’ll have to waste time trying to figure out which movie to watch again for a night in. Kick off the first of many with the best one you find that neither of you have seen. Buy some special snacks or your favorite take-out to make it feel special.

45. Bring them back to the place where you had your first date and give them a card that details all the ways your life is better since that day.

46. Surprise them by having their car detailed.

47. Put on some romantic music and play strip monopoly. It’s a long game and it takes awhile to get started, but it will be really exciting near the end.

48. Buy tickets to a murder mystery show where you’ll have to act out a part together. Bonus points if you keep the role play up after you get home.

49. Vow to spend the entire 24 hours of the anniversary naked together.

50. If you don’t have a lot of money, gift them something small that helps them dream about the adventures you’ll have together in the future. Something like a keychain, a passport holder, or a luggage tag will make them excited about the trips you’ll take together, even if you can’t take one right now.

Three Potato Four

51. Go to a comedy show and laugh your asses off.

52. Get a fancy hotel room (maybe even with a sweet city view) and get out of your house/neighborhood/town for a night. Wander down to the hotel bar and pretend you’re strangers who just met.

53. Cook them dinner while wearing an apron and nothing underneath.

54. Buy a pair of floating lanterns and write your wishes on them for the next year of your lives together. Light them up and watch them fly.

55. A sex coupon book: it’s a cliche because it works.

56. Get fancy cocktail supplies — nice glasses, nice liquor, fancy ice cubes — so that you two can make a cocktail after a long day and feel like your the stars of Mad Men.

57. Cook them their favorite food a bunch of different ways. If it’s chicken wings, make some in a bunch of varieties of sauce. If they love burgers, create a platter of a bunch of different sliders. If they love bacon, make a whole meal of foods cooked with bacon.

58. Plan a movie marathon of your favorite series like all the Harry Potter movies or your favorite Game of Thrones seasons, or just your favorite movies in a genre and spend all weekend being cozy at home vegging out and cuddling. No outside plans allowed.

59. Badger a local DJ until you convince them to let you dedicate a song to your partner on the radio. Record it or send the link to the stream to your love as a surprise.

60. Plan a date at home mixing up fancy cocktails and playing a game of sexy truth or dare.

61. Hit up Groupon and see what adventures you can find in your own city. Something like doing an escape room, brewery/winery tour, or touring a historical location you’ve always been curious about but never seen up close.

62. Each month, add a song to a playlist in Spotify that reminds you of a moment you shared together or just speaks to the way you feel about them. At the end of a year, you’ll have a playlist you can share with them. This is something you can build on year after year.

63. Plan a mini-road trip to a few cool places that are within a few hours from your city. Maybe there’s a cool waterpark a few towns over or a city with really cool hiking. Spend the day on the road doing something you’ve always talked about doing but never got around to.

64. Hire a personal trainer or yoga instructor to give you two a private class.

65. Spend a weekend at a quiet country B&B in a town outside your city. Vow to leave your phones off for at least most of the time and take a chill, reasonably priced respite from the chaos of your daily lives. Return refreshed!!!

66. Rent kayaks and explore a local lake or river together. Bonus points if you’ve never done it before.

67. Rent or borrow bikes if you don’t have them and spend a day exploring beautiful trails in your area. Bring a picnic lunch so you can have an all day adventure.

68. Spend a day at an adult arcade trying to beat each other at the games. Make it into a tournament where the loser has to give a full body massage to the winner.

69. Take a art class and draw or paint your partner a portrait you made of them.

70. Have a silly two person party where you make Jell-O shots, play beer pong, drunk Twister, and strip-whatever-board-game-you-have-laying-around. Play your favorite pop songs and dance around and let loose together.

Polar Ice

71. Find a DIY project you’d love to do for your home and spend the day doing it from start to finish. You could update or paint furniture you find at a flea market, paint a crazy accent wall, or do an Ikea hack together.

72. Plan a night in and spend all evening working through this list of sexy games.

73. Find a place to go skinny dipping.

74. Buy an instant camera on Amazon and spend all day playing tourist in your city, capturing the memories with your camera.

75. Find a hotel room that has an extra large bathtub or jacuzzi in it and take a long, relaxing bath together. Alternatively, look up an Airbnb with a hot tub.

76. Make vision boards together and dream about what you want to do together in the future.

77. Go to a theme park and spend all day letting loose and acting silly going on rollercoasters, eating cotton candy, and having your pictures taken at one of those old timey photo places.

78. Go camping and spend time relaxing in mother nature.

79. If your anniversary is in the spring, buy kites and spend the day pretending you’re kids again.

80. Find an all day hike. Get out of your normal situation and spend the anniversary amongst nature and visual stimuli.

81. Pull the trigger and book a long weekend in a city neither of you have been to, but both of you have wanted to explore. Get a card and write down a few things you’ve researched that you can do there that will make it a memorable trip.

82. Plan a fancy picnic for the most beautiful place in your town. Pack your favorite to go foods, some books or magazines, and a comfy blanket. Bring a frisbee to toss or just relax in some pretty scenery for awhile.

83. Take a dancing class together.

84. Plan something that is a complete surprise to your partner. Let them know what time to be ready but don’t tell them anything about where you are going. It almost doesn’t even matter what you plan, they’ll feel special knowing you took the initiative and put in effort to make a special night for them.

85. Plant a garden together at your home or a community garden. You’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor for months to come!

86. Try a new seasonal activity together like cross country skiing or rollerblading.

87. Visit a “wine country” near you. Google it and you might be surprised to find one on the outskirts of your city. If you’re in NYC and don’t have a car, you can take the Long Island Railroad to MacArthur Airport and rent one. Drive to Main Rd in Southold, NY. Its a big loop with vineyards on either side and restaurants at the top. The beaches are not public so be prepared to run if you stop to soak up the sun.

88. Take them to a planetarium and as a surprise, show them that you’ve bought them a star.

89. Go to a fancy restaurant together and treat each other like royalty. Order whatever you want from the menu knowing you will savor it and always treasure the memory of a night you two indulged together.

90. Get a likeness portrait painted of the two of you based on your favorite activity to do together, or a meaningful memory you’d want preserved.

http://likenessportraits.bigcartel.com/products

91. Watch both the sunrise and the sunset together.

92. Start a new tradition. Plan a date that can be repeated or added on to every year on your anniversary. It could be something simple like eating breakfast in bd or making a fancy new recipe together, or something more indulgent like staying at a specific hotel or going out for a steak dinner.

93. Surprise them by watching YouTube videos that teach you how to cook. Plan an elaborate multi-course meal of food they will love complete with romantic candles and table settings.

94. Or, take a cooking class together.

95. Upgrade your bed. If you live together, splurge on some expensive sheets and new bedding. Every night when you go to sleep you’ll feel fancy.

96. Write down all the things you find sexy about them and put it in a card they can keep for when they need to feel more confident.

97. Make a lunch hour date of going downtown and trying different food trucks. If you share all your dishes you can sample twice as much!

98. Treat yourselves to a couple’s massage.

99. Tell each other dirty jokes and make a rule that the first person to break into laughter has to take off an article of clothing.

100. Go back to where you both signed your marriage license and taking a pic. If you’re not married, pick some other meaningful place (like where you had your first date).

101. Let them wake up to a sticky note heart on the mirror, with all the reasons you love them.

102. Prior to the anniversary, both of you can purchase one of those “Why I Love You” journals where you record everything you adore about the other person and exchange it on the day or with your significant other so both of you know how much you really appreciate each other and what they most love about you.

103. Make an album of all the pictures you took on each of your previous anniversaries and arrange them chronologically so that you can see how much you’ve grown together since you started dating.

104. Rescue a kitten or a puppy from the human society.

105. Go for a long, scenic drive. If you’re in NYC, try this one: drive north on Broadway until it becomes route 9. It will take you along the Hudson all the way from Manhattan to Beacon. Its the same road the whole way so its perfect for anyone who finds driving in NY daunting, and its also something most New Yorkers haven’t done.

106. Rent a suite with an incredible view in your favorite city or new city (whether a water view or city view) so you guys can take in the sights, sip champagne and feed each other breakfast while spending the entire day in bed.

107. Buy your partner a copy of Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages and insist on taking the questionnaire together so you can find out what each other’s love languages. This is a surefire way to feel closer in the moment and also a great way to improve your relationship moving forward by understanding how your significant other loves. Thought Catalog Logo Mark