The tradition of presenting couples with gifts on the anniversary of their wedding day began in medieval Germany when 25 years of marriage was marked by a husband presenting his wife with a silver wreath for her hair, or (more rarely) a gold wreath after 50 years. 

Over the centuries the custom of giving symbolic anniversary presents expanded and each country set its own traditions. In the UK, traditional gifts of silver and gold for the 25th and 50th anniversary have remained the same and are pretty universal, but the gifts to commemorate the earlier anniversaries have changed over time and can be rather confusing when a young husband sets out to find his bride the perfect anniversary present.

What material a gift is made of becomes less important when you remember that the most important characteristic of an anniversary gift is that it should be romantic. Any couple can start their own personal family tradition of giving romantic anniversary gifts, and we have a great suggestion: give each other a portrait of yourselves painted from your favorite photograph taken during the previous year.

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” is never more true than when it’s a genuine 100% handmade oil painting or watercolour depicting a happy moment during a first, seventh, tenth (or any) year of marriage. The talented artists of PaintYourLife will create these unique family works of art and we offer a wide range of styles, mediums, sizes to suit every taste and variety for many years to come. Every anniversary gift portrait will be significant and one-of-a-kind.

One year the portrait could be a small framed watercolour of the two of you taken during your honeymoon trip. Another year could be a handmade acrylic painting of the two of you standing in the front door of your new home. Later years can of course include children and pets.  A tenth anniversary gift may call for a larger formal oil painting in a special frame.

PaintYourLife is the premier photo art website and our experienced experts will be happy to help you create the perfect anniversary gift for any wedding anniversary…or every anniversary.

A Few Tips for Taking Anniversary Gift Photographs:

Here are a few things to remember that will make your anniversary portraits meaningful and memorable as you take digital photographs throughout the year:

• Make a point of carrying a small digital camera with you for family outings, parties, and special events.
• When you’re both dressed up ready to leave for a night out, get somebody to take a few photos of the two of you together. So often couples take photos of one another and forget to capture the perfect “couple shot”.
• When you take photographs, add something to the shot that shows the year it was taken; for instance, matching team scarves if your favourite team went to the Cup Finals that year, or hold a newspaper or magazine showing a date or specific news event.
• Include somewhere in your photo an object that symbolizes that year’s anniversary. For example, the traditional fifteenth anniversary present is crystal and the associated flower is the rose, so have your portrait photo taken toasting the event with champagne in crystal glasses and handing each other roses.
• Add something to the photo that symbolizes a significant personal milestone for that specific year – a new car, a new house…and especially a new baby.  A photo taken on horseback in Wales, rowing on the Themes, or showing the Tower of London in the background will set the date of a memorable vacation.
• Whether you share an interest in hiking, rowing or Indonesian cooking, make a point of taking informal photos that incorporate those hobbies or sports.
• As your years together accumulate, your anniversary gift photographs may be shot at a retirement party, the wedding of one of your children, or surrounded by your whole family at a family reunion.

PaintYourLife will always be there to help with advice on taking photos and choosing the best for your anniversary presents. We can even combine the best images from two or more photographs or optimize a not-quite-perfect photograph.

In addition to all the choices of styles and media (oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, charcoal), sizes and frames available here, you can check out one of our other PaintYourLife websites,  http://www.photoprintoncanvas.co.uk/ and make your anniversary present a Pop Art portrait or an Opie style cartoon portrait.