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Original poster

Do you celebrate anniversaries?

40 replies

Sunsparkles · 01/08/2024 07:52

So I'm wondering what other people do about anniversaries.

Do you and your partner celebrate any anniversaries? If so what are they, like wedding, day you met, day you became a couple etc...and what do you do? Recognise with a meal out or a simple "happy anniversary", or go all out with a card, presents, big party etc?

OP posts:
SoundTheSirens · 01/08/2024 07:59

We celebrate wedding anniversaries (which is also the anniversary of our first date). We don’t do big parties but we always eat out somewhere a bit more special than the norm, exchange cards and either a small gift, or we might decide to buy ourselves something for the house that’s a “nice to have” rather than an essential.

I know it’s the MN way to shun all celebrations after the age of 18 but my view is life can be a bit shit or a grind much of the time so why not enjoy an excuse for a celebration, and also I still love my husband 30+ years in so I actually like doing things with him and giving him little tokens that show that (and vice versa). We don’t feel the need to wait for an anniversary to give a gift, we often do it “just because”, but my wedding day was one of the best days of my life so I like to mark it.

BikesIHaveLost · 01/08/2024 08:02

No. I remember the date we got together, but am never sure what month we married. My SIL finds this horrifying.

Merrow · 01/08/2024 08:05

We aim to celebrate wedding anniversaries, but luckily both are a bit rubbish at remembering. We usually try to go out for a meal though, but this year we made other plans because we completely forgot about it! The first few years we were better. We don't celebrate any others, but if I remember at the time (I know the date we first got together, and at a push could work out when we got engaged) I'll mention something

Edited to add: we do go all out for birthdays. We're both from families where they're not really celebrated after 18, so it's nice to make a fuss of each other then.

Edingril · 01/08/2024 08:08

No not really one of may say let's get takeaway its our anniversary bit just an excuse not to cook or we may go away for a weekend any may mention the anniversary but that's about it

Oganesson118 · 01/08/2024 08:10

No we don’t. I’m not sure why but wedding anniversaries seem a bit pointless to me. We sort of have two (we got “married” abroad but had to do the legal bit here) and this year we forgot about both.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 01/08/2024 08:12

We do our wedding anniversary. I also remember our first date and the date we met; though we don’t celebrate those

CharDee · 01/08/2024 08:13

We have 4 anniversaries a year!

The first is of our first "date". Every year we go to the same pub and have one of their specialty beers and then go to a few others nearby. It's not really an anniversary just more of a tradition and excuse to go out! One year we couldn't get out and we both surprised each other with bottles of the specialty beer.

Our second is from when we were officially a couple. It sounds so high school, but it's always been a bit of a joke that's just stuck. We don't do anything for that anymore apart from saying happy anniversary and maybe get a little jokey gift.

Our third is from when we got engaged. Our engagement didn't go to plan after we got lost finding the spot that DH had arranged to be set up for a picnic. We missed out on the picnic and had warm champagne so every year we have a picnic somewhere and chilled champagne! This has turned in to a bit of an event with friends and we all go together with the kids. Last year we all went camping in the lakes and it was lovely! It's never a group celebration of our anniversary or anything it's just again a little tradition.

And then for wedding anniversary we always go away somewhere for the weekend and get a little gift with a limit based on what the year is.

Tiggiwinklescousin · 01/08/2024 08:15

We met on Boxing Day and got married on DH's birthday, so definitely less chance of forgetting! But equally both anniversaries are linked to other stuff not just 'us'.

Changingplace · 01/08/2024 08:17

Nope, not our thing. If we want to do something nice we just will, I’d rather not wait for an anniversary to need a reason to.

randoname · 01/08/2024 08:20

CharDee · 01/08/2024 08:13

We have 4 anniversaries a year!

The first is of our first "date". Every year we go to the same pub and have one of their specialty beers and then go to a few others nearby. It's not really an anniversary just more of a tradition and excuse to go out! One year we couldn't get out and we both surprised each other with bottles of the specialty beer.

Our second is from when we were officially a couple. It sounds so high school, but it's always been a bit of a joke that's just stuck. We don't do anything for that anymore apart from saying happy anniversary and maybe get a little jokey gift.

Our third is from when we got engaged. Our engagement didn't go to plan after we got lost finding the spot that DH had arranged to be set up for a picnic. We missed out on the picnic and had warm champagne so every year we have a picnic somewhere and chilled champagne! This has turned in to a bit of an event with friends and we all go together with the kids. Last year we all went camping in the lakes and it was lovely! It's never a group celebration of our anniversary or anything it's just again a little tradition.

And then for wedding anniversary we always go away somewhere for the weekend and get a little gift with a limit based on what the year is.

This is lovely. I think any excuse!
We’re usually camping in a friend’s garden, bi-annual holiday which happens to coincide. Lots of them were at the wedding so there’s a lot of ‘do you remember…was it at your wedding or x’s when y did z!’
It was lockdown for our 25, no travel and restaurants just reopening. We went to the seaside via the church we got married in and changed into our full wedding garb! That was memorable 🥰

greengreyblue · 01/08/2024 08:23

Married 28 years. Always do something like a nice meal out on our wedding anniversary. Used to do gifts in the early years but tends to be cards now ( funny ones usually)and DH often buys me flowers. If I see something he likes I’ll get it but we do that regardless of the date.
We always mention/ acknowledge the first date day and engagement day but don’t celebrate it as such. TBH I don’t think DH would remember them!
The most romantic thing DH did was on our first anniversary when he got the florist to recreate my wedding bouquet.❤️

plhkldsytrd · 01/08/2024 08:26

Yes we always do. Sometimes with weekend away, sometimes with a dinner out, if it's a particularly busy time might just be a film and takeaway! Don't tend to mark the "getting together" anniversary (although we always remember it and say happy X years, can you believe it's been X years etc etc) but next year we will have been together 20 years so have a special holiday planned for the 2 of us. Kids will go to grandparents.

SquigglePigs · 01/08/2024 08:26

Before we got married we would celebrate the anniversary of our first date. Token present and a nice meal out.

Since we got married that has now become just a kiss and a "happy anniversary, can you believe it's been X years! 😄". I'm likely to try to upgrade this to a meal out next year as it will be 20 years!

For our wedding anniversary it's the token present and meal out that we used to do for the first date one. When we had a very small child this was a fancy takeaway instead. For our 10th wedding anniversary my parents babysat and we went away for the weekend. Will likely do similar for our 20th but that's some way off!

DH is generally unbothered about all this sort of thing but he asked me early in our relationship what I would prefer because he wanted me to be happy, and we agreed the token present + meal thing as a nice way to acknowledge our relationship without going OTT. My parents always did something similar (although actually more than just a token present) so I think that's where I got the idea. I do remember gatecrashing some of their anniversary meals when I was a kid though! Grin

Plimsoll73 · 01/08/2024 08:29

We celebrate everything 😆 not talking giant gestures but at least an acknowledgement, even if it's just a soppy text!

User100000000000000000001 · 01/08/2024 08:30

We do cards for wedding anniversary (19 years), but that's all. I think we would probably try to have something different from the norm for dinner if we remembered.

Also if we remember we acknowledge the day we officially got together at Uni 27 years ago, as in we just say 'ooh it's been 27 years since we started going out' 😄

Dillypingding · 01/08/2024 08:31

It just happens to be our 19th wedding anniversary today and we chose the 1st because it was the only way I had a hope in hell of remembering. Funnily enough this morning it was actually my husband who had forgotten, which almost never happens. We are going out for dinner tonight, but we don't bother with presents or cards. It's any excuse not to cook really.

Doggymummar · 01/08/2024 08:32

No. It's just another day

LoneHydrangea · 01/08/2024 08:33

We always celebrate our wedding anniversary. It used to be a night out or a weekend away, over the last 5 years that has escalated into a ‘just us’ holiday 🏝️

We also do cards/gifts.

TubeScreamer · 01/08/2024 08:37

No

Not our thing. I would struggle to tell you the date or year.

Rocknrollstar · 01/08/2024 08:40

We exchange cards and small gifts and go out for a meal together. Had a party for our 25th, 35th and 50th.

ClonedSquare · 01/08/2024 08:41

We celebrate our wedding anniversary with card, present and going out for a fancy dinner (sometime in the right month, as we have limited babysitting options).

We acknowledge our first date and the date we got engaged, but no cards or presents. We'll do an at-home celebration with a nicer than usual dinner and some kind of date night style activity (cuddle up for a movie night, have a games night etc).

The wedding anniversary is very important to us. The others we wouldn't be upset if they slipped one of our minds.

skippy67 · 01/08/2024 08:45

Yes we do. Well, our wedding anniversary definitely. Before we were married, we'd always celebrate the anniversary of when we met. Sometimes it'll be a holiday as we did last year. Other times, a maybe just a takeaway and a nice bottle of wine. I think it's a shame when people say "it's just another day". The other 364 days of the year are!

TizerorFizz · 01/08/2024 08:46

Yes. 44th next year. We treat ourselves for big ones with a very good holiday. Planning USA trip for 45th. Special meal out at other times. No idea when we met as we worked together. He was there before me but we didn’t go out for 6 months after I joined. No idea of date though.

BarbedButterfly · 01/08/2024 08:46

We aren't married so celebrate day we became a couple. Cards, small gifts and we go out

Lampzade · 01/08/2024 08:48

I remember the day we started dating but I tend to forget my wedding anniversary.
My mother is the one who usually reminds me. She sends me a WhatsApp message every year