ONE YEAR!! What a year it’s been. A year of birthdays, holidays, and getaways. Have you thought about your anniversary gift yet? Are you a flowers and cards couple? A fun night out on the town? Did you reach somewhere back in your mind and remember a certain Wedding anniversary gift guide? Are you wondering what is a tradition for first anniversary gift? The first anniversary is known as the paper anniversary.

The paper anniversary symbolizes the delicacy of a new relationship and is associated with the knowledge gained in the first year. Paper is extra special when you think of how it has remained despite the world moving at lightspeed in a digital direction. But digital isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and we are huge advocates of paper! A timeless first anniversary gift needs to be seen to be cherished.

I love seeing my couples post their wedding picture for a throwback on their first anniversary and reflecting on what a special day it was. My mind always goes to, ‘Where else is this photo?’ Saved on a phone? In a Facebook album from 2019? In your archived emails? The first anniversary is a great celebration to bring that picture BACK to life! This is why I recommend a wedding photo album above all else. 

Why Do I Need a Wedding Album?

In a digital world, I remain an album advocate. As a child, going through old family photos brought me a lot of joy. However, the one area I really wish I could have seen more of was my parents’ wedding day. They only have two images from that day- that’s it! This is why I became so passionate about printing my artwork into tangible products that could withstand the test of time. Everyone deserves to have that for themselves and for their loved ones. 

The Digital Age is Unreliable – Steps to Keeping Your Photos.

View your photos. There are many steps couples can take when they get their wedding photos back. Some refer back to the same gallery link over and over. Which works, until the photographer changes platforms or careers or just plain stops updating. And I get it, some photographers deliver the digital album, and then they move on from you to the next. They don’t keep track of your link. On the contrary, I don’t feel like my job is done until an album is in hand – until I know that you have your photos in physical form.

Save and protect your photos. There are other couples who download the photos to the computer, great second step! But are the photos being backed up? Is there an external drive somewhere? If not, I encourage ANOTHER step, the beautiful flash drive. They are amazing for the peace of mind to know that your photos exist somewhere just for you. But if I’m honest, the flash drives get lonely. They sit in a box, keeping all your photos SAFE. But safe isn’t the same as seen.

See your photos! Our last step is to print the photos! Hang them on all the walls AND make them into an album. The paper anniversary is a perfect occasion to present your love with a beautiful book of the memories of your favorite day. It’s also a way to share your gift together, since you’re doing this life thing together! One big, important year spent as a married couple.  A photo album as a timeless first anniversary gift is a celebration of that!

But my wedding is over, how do I get photos now?

If you didn’t order an album during your wedding planning, it’s not a problem! We have experience with album designing after the wedding and often enough, we end up designing a lot of albums for a first anniversary gift! One of our favorite albums to put together was A Unique Wedding in the Poconos for Meg & Tim.

The personal details of this Poconos wedding really make the day and speak to who these two are as a couple. Meg MADE the invitations herself! The table flowers were succulents which were perfect for guests to take home after. They also had Polaroid cameras for the guests to use, which was perfect for Meg who loves a good scrapbook. The couple had a local band play–The Coal Town Rounders. They are a must-see if you’re ever in the Northeast PA region!

At one point, I would have said that I remembered this wedding like it was yesterday. But as the years pass, the photo album is the thing that keeps these memories sharp! Every time Meg and Tim open it, they are transported back to the dance floor, back to the magic. My intention in creating wedding albums is that each couple has a way to relive their wedding and share their love story.

Timeless First Anniversary Gift – What a Wedding Album Looks Like

With Meg and Tim, I worked with them to create the book, their way. As I shared, Meg is really creative herself so it was fun to collaborate together on the vision! For the front of their wedding album, the couple were pressed back to back together, hands folded in front of them, a photo of them from the neck to to the knees, and in black and white. Like I said, Meg certainly had a vision and I was so proud to deliver it! 

With a full-service studio and team dedicated to you, we’ll preserve your legacy with beautiful heirloom quality albums that tell your story with intention. We curate refined prints for your gallery so you can pass on those cherished memories to your future generations in the most meaningful way.

AGS Photo Art is a luxury wedding and portrait experience, effortlessly preserving your most cherished moments through timeless and authentic photography and heirloom prints which is how we create a timeless first anniversary gift. We love the sentiment of being timeless. You look back at old photos and that’s all you have. You don’t have laughter, rarely have letters, but everyone seems to have a photo!

A Timeless First Anniversary Gift is Telling Your Love Story

Each wedding we capture, we view as a timeless love story, like Jim and Pam! Trends and aesthetics come and go, but our images are created to last: classic, beautiful, authentic portraiture captured for loved ones to enjoy 50 + years down the road.

‘Cause I believe that we were supposed to find this

So, even in a different life, you still would’ve been mine

We would’ve been timeless

I’m gonna love you when our hair is turnin’ gray

We’ll have a cardboard box of photos of the life we’ve made

And you’ll say, “Oh my, we really were timeless”

-Taylor Swift

The essence of a photo album remains a beacon of timeless sentimentality. Each page of a timeless first anniversary gift photo album shows whispering stories of laughter, love, and shared dreams that came true!

A Modern Twist on a Timeless First Anniversary Gift 

If you already have a wedding album, a modern twist on the paper anniversary is large wall prints, canvas wraps, or framed photos. At AGS Photo Art, we can do this for you! We invest in high-quality products so your photos will stay looking sharp and timeless for decades to come! Who doesn’t love a good photo collage in the living room, a getting ready photo in the primary room closet, a few photos of shared kisses hanging above the bedroom dresser? There is nothing that brings the joy of being married more than seeing your beautiful wedding photos often!

Once again, happy anniversary! As you celebrate with a weekend getaway or share a sweet dinner date out on the town, remember the best one-year anniversary “paper” gift you can give to each other is a wedding album! End your romantic evening together reliving your wedding day by slowly delving into the wedding album pages.

Even if I wasn’t your wedding photographer, I am still here to create your album! I LOVE wedding albums, regardless of who photographs them. If you found my page, this is your sign to get a custom album. If you have the photos, we’re able to use that artwork to design YOUR albums. Take a look at our AGS Signature Series for our photo albums and contact me today to get started.