Planning a formal affair if the couple is more laid back and casual would only make the honorees uncomfortable if on the other hand the couple enjoys a formal night on the town a celebration including a formal invitation, venue, and program might be just the thing.

The first things you need to consider in addition to the type of celebration are:

• Who would the couple like to attend their celebration?
• What will the theme for the party be?
• Select a venue for the party and caterers if you are planning the celebration somewhere other than a restaurant.
• Hire or arrange for entertainment either professional or amateur if you are from a talented family or if the couple has friends who would enjoy pitching in.
• Select and make or have made the perfect invitations, printed or emailed, so everyone can get the event on their calendar.

Unless you know the couple very well coming up with the invitation list and addresses for the invitees is definitely something you will need their help to do.

It is probably a good idea to also include the happy couple in the selection of the party theme. If you are at a loss for a theme some popular ideas for anniversary parties include:

• For the couple planning an anniversary cruise consider a send off luau
• A South of the border fiesta would make a fun evening complete with sombreros, Mexican beer, tacos and burritos
• If you are planning the party in a climate that allows outdoor affairs consider a BBQ or pig roast. You could work in western decor, cowboy hats and maybe even square dancing.
• If the anniversary is in February or March consider a Mardi Gras theme complete with beads, masks and New Orleans cuisine.
• Or the ever popular 50’s,  60’s or 70’s parties depending on the age of the couple – asking the guests to come in their favorite costumes from the decade is always a good conversation starter and the reminiscing the costumes will generate is right in line with the anniversary theme.

Once you have the invitation list and the theme you are ready to select a venue. There are lots of commercial options if you have the budget. Many restaurants offer private rooms or you can rent a hall and have a caterer provide the food. Many, if not most, anniversary parties are at a home, park facility, recreation center or in a church hall. The park shelters, recreation centers or church halls tend to be less expensive and are generally perfect venues for larger affairs. You can either all chip in on a pot luck affair or have a caterer do the food preparation and set up. An anniversary party in someone’s backyard or private home is a great choice for smaller, informal affairs.

Entertainment does not have to be a band, MC or dance troupe it can be as personal as a movie video you put together showing special times and special people from the couples life together. It could be the grandchildren showing off their special skills or old friends reminiscing about their exploits with the couple through the years. If you are featuring a band, DJ or other entertainment be sure to check with the entertainers about special electrical or other requirements and with the venue so you are not surprised the evening of the event when the band’s speakers blow all the fuses and the guests are in the dark.

Now that you have the guest list, the theme, the entertainment and the venue you are ready to start looking for the perfect invitation. The website www.party411.com is one place to start. This site helps you design personalized invitations with pictures of the couple. While you are on the site check out their selection of personalized anniversary favors.  Another site with many premade and custom anniversary invitations to select from is www.mygatsby.com.  The site www.lcipaper.com lets you design your own card and they will print it on any one of their many paper selections. You can even get matching envelops if you want to go all out.

You can of course choose to make your own invitations on the computer. Invitations designed by you and printed on your home inkjet printer are easy, inexpensive and truly unique invitations. You can splurge a bit and make the invitation even more remarkable by selecting a special paper stock on which to print the invitation. You can find hundreds of beautiful papers to choose from on www.thepapermillstore.com.

If time is short or if the folks you are inviting are more comfortable with email than snail mail consider www.mypunchbowl.com or www.evite.com which help you design and send an online invitation and keep track of the RSVP’s.

If your venue provides internet access, consider video conferencing in friends and family who were unable to attend in person. This is really easy with a Skype account and a computer with a video camera. To find out more about Skype see www.skype.com.  Or if the venue has no internet access, have those who cannot attend send you a video message ahead of time which you can bring to the party and play on your computer or a television monitor for the couple and their guests to enjoy.

Do not forget to designate someone, either a friend or a professional, to document the anniversary party with photos or movies so the couple and their friends can enjoy the evening over and over again. You can load the pictures up on Facebook http://www.facebook.com or create your own webpage for the anniversary so all those who attended and those who were unable to attend can see the pictures and add their comments or photos of their own for all to enjoy.

Too often in our busy day to day world we forget to say thank you and I love you. An anniversary card is the perfect way to let your partner or special friends know you thinking of them, appreciate them and remembered their anniversary. You can buy a card or design your own it really does not matter; this is truly a case of – it is the thought that counts. The cost of a card is little and the meaning great. Trust me your partner or friends will appreciate the fact that you remembered them on this special day.

The most important quality in any anniversary card is that it comes from your heart. Whether the card is for your partner or a gift for someone you are close to who is celebrating an anniversary you already have all the information you need to know to select or design and create the type of card they would appreciate.

Just select your preprinted card or design your unique paper card or ecard get it into snail mail or send it by email in a timely manner so the card arrives before the anniversary date.

The perfect anniversary card can be a simple homemade paper card drawn with colored pencils, a card designed by you on your computer and printed on your inkjet printer or maybe an ecard personally designed and sent through the air to let that special someone know you remembered their anniversary and care about them.

The best aspect of designing or selecting an anniversary card is that it is fun. An anniversary card can be any style – funny, romantic, serious, a drawn picture, a photograph of a great time you shared together or a photo you create especially for this card to send just the right message. There are no real constraints on your anniversary card design or message other than your imagination.

Your anniversary card can recall great times enjoyed in the past or include a message looking forward to future times shared together – add a few words of your own or find an appropriate message provided by the greeting card company and you will have a memorable card that will be meaningful to the recipient.

Store Bought Anniversary Cards

There are thousands of preprinted anniversary cards to choose among. You will easily be able to find a card with the sentiment you want to share with your spouse or the anniversary couple to whom you want to send a card.

There are cards with humorous messages, romantic messages, serious messages, religious messages or cards that let you write your personal message. Just be sure you buy the card enough in advance to mail or personally deliver it by the anniversary date.

You can find an unlimited selection of printed anniversary cards at your local department store, grocery store, or pharmacy or at your favorite on line greeting card store. If you are looking for a website to order your anniversary cards on line try www.cornercardshop.com/greeting-card-list.asp?descn=Anniversary for a selection of quality pre printed cards at very reasonable prices.
Homemade, Printed or Electronic Cards

A personalized handmade anniversary card is a great way to send a personal message and create a unique memento that will be saved for years to come. How many times have you opened a drawer or a box and found a homemade card you received for a special occasion from a special person and saved it. Homemade cards are great the day you receive them and even more special years later when you find the card and recall the day you received it.

You can create a card that is a reminder of the romantic or memorable moments that you have shared with your partner or the couple. Add a personal photo or create your own meaningful picture or a message that is special to your partner or to the anniversary couple to whom you are sending the card. Creating your own anniversary card is fun.

If you are talented just get out your paints or colored pencils and get to work. If you would rather have a little help consider designing you card with the help of some computer design software.

The website www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/themes_lifeevents_anniversary.html has free cards you can download and print as well tools to help create your own cards including free software.

The American Greeting Cards site offers both printable and ecards for anniversaries at www1.americangreetings.com/printables/category.pd/_/N-8154Z80l4 and Dgreetings at www.dgreetings.com/anniversary/ has a selection of free ecards including flash technology.

If you are looking for free funny, romantic or serious anniversary ecards to download and send you can find many fantastic options at the 123 Greetings website http://www.123greetings.com/anniversary/ .

A Card A Day

Looking for a very special way to let your partner know how important they are consider sending a card a day for every year you have been a couple. For example, if it is your tenth anniversary send the first card ten days before the anniversary date and another on each day until the anniversary date. Ten cards to celebrate ten years. Believe me he or she will appreciate all the time and trouble you have gone to – to create this special serial gift.

You could do this with store bought cards or with handmade cards that reflect upon your personal experiences over the years, specific romantic times you have shared together or on your hopes and anticipation for future times shared together. It is a special way to let a special person know you care.

You can choose any style of ring for your anniversary gift. You can choose a simple metal band, an ornate band, a band encircled with precious stones or a ring with a single gem.

Platinum, white gold, and yellow gold are popular metal choices. Bands etched with a design or patterns are also a popular choice and it is always a romantic touch to add an inscription inside the ring with dates, names or a special message.

Two appropriate choices are the Claddagh ring and the eternity ring.

Eternity Rings

Eternity rings are bands circled with precious gems; most often the band is circled with diamonds but another option is to alternate diamonds with rubies, sapphires or emeralds or maybe encircle the entire band with one of these beautiful alternatives to the traditional diamonds. Some chose their spouse’s or children’s birthstones or another symbolic gem to make the ring more unique.

Depending on your budget and lifestyle you may choose a white or yellow gold band or a platinum or titanium band.

Because of the weight and width of the stones if the wearer has a smaller finger some prefer half eternity rings with stones only along one side of the ring others prefer a full circle of stones. The most popular shapes or cuts if the gems set into eternity rings are the round, princess and emerald cuts.

You can find a large selection of unique and traditional eternity rings on the websites www.eternityweddingbands.com and http://www.bluenile.com/wedding-rings.

Claddagh Rings

The traditional Irish Claddagh ring is named after one of Ireland’s oldest fishing villages just outside Galway City where it is said to have originated over 300 years ago.

The Claddagh was traditionally worn as a wedding or engagement ring and handed down from generation to generation. Today this romantic ring steeped in Celtic jewelry tradition is a popular choice as an anniversary gift.

The Claddagh ring traditionally incorporates a heart shape clasped in two hands with a crown sitting on top of the heart. Over the years jewelers have modified the design, some eliminated the crown from the design and others have added a second heart, and many Claddagh rings today have gems either set into the heart or heart shaped gems are used as the heart in the design but basically the significant aspects and symbolism of the ring has remained intact.

Popular in Ireland for sometime, worldwide attention came to the Claddagh ring design as the Irish people relocated around the world looking for work after the potato famine in 1845.

There are two stories as to who made the first Claddagh ring. One story suggests the first Claddagh ring was made by Richard Joyce a fisherman from Claddagh who was abducted while fishing, by Moorish pirates and taken to Tunisia. There he became a slave to a goldsmith and learned the trade. In 1670 he was released when King William III made an agreement with the rulers of Tunisia allowing all British subjects who where held as slaves to return to their homes. Richard returned to Claddagh hoping his true love would still be waiting for him. When he arrived home he found his true love was waiting for him and they were married. Richard made the first Claddagh rings, for their wedding. The couple later opened a goldsmith store and sold the Claddagh rings out of their store.

The second tale of the origin of the Claddagh ring is that it was a reward for the good works done by Margaret Joyce a rich widow who married the Mayor of Galway and used her considerable wealth to build many bridges in Connacht. The Claddagh ring was dropped into her lap by an eagle in recognition of her kindness.

It is believed the heart of the Claddagh ring symbolizes love, the hands symbolize friendship and the crown loyalty. Queen Victoria, Edward VII and Buffy the vampire slayer have all worn Claddagh rings.

The tradition surrounding Claddagh rings extends to how they are worn. Those who wear the ring on their right hand with the heart point pointing out toward the end of the finger are said to be fancy free; those who wear the ring on the right hand with the point of the heart pointing toward the palm of their hand are said to be spoken for; and those who wear the ring on their left hand are said to have found true love.

You can find Claddagh rings on www.claddaghringking.com if you are interested in purchasing one.

Where to buy anniversary rings on the internet

You can find a large selection of anniversary rings on the Internet including unusual men’s rings in a variety of sizes. Here are some websites that sell anniversary rings:

• Just Metal at www.justmetal.com/ sells a number of anniversary rings including a handsome satin finish titanium ring with polished, ridged edges.
• A great site to find the perfect anniversary ring for him is the Just Men’s site at www.justmensrings.com/. Just Men’s Rings sells a large variety of men’s rings, including unusual rings and biker style rings.  You can choose from gold, platinum, silver, palladium, titanium, stainless steel and tungsten rings.
• The Blue Nile site at www.bluenile.com/wedding-rings offers a selection of eternity rings, simple bands,  three and five diamond rings as well as solitaire and custom designed rings.
• www.kay.com has custom and ready made rings for both men and women.
• Another site with many anniversary rings to choose from is www.jewelrycentral.com/anniversary-rings.

An anniversary ring is a wonderful way to tell your spouse that you still love and appreciate them and they will remember your sentiment every time they wear the ring.

It is common knowledge you cannot judge a book by its cover. When choosing a wedding anniversary cake however you want the perfect look for the cake as well as the perfect texture and flavor. After all, the wedding anniversary cake will be center of attention. Everyone at the celebration will notice the cake and most will have a piece before they leave the party.

Be sure to plan ahead. Like wedding cakes if you want a custom made anniversary cake it is not unusual to order custom made cake six months in advance of the celebration. For sure you want to order a custom made cake several months in advance to make sure you give the baker the time necessary to create your special cake.

Flavor of the Cake, Fillings and Icings

In choosing the wedding anniversary cake the obvious choice is the cake and icing flavors the couple chose for their wedding. However there are many wonderful cakes available and if the couple had a vanilla cake with traditional fondant or royal icing you may want to go for something different for the anniversary cake. Consider chocolate, fancy carrot, cheese, banana, or a layered cake with fruit flavored fillings between the layers.

Make sure you know the couple’s likes and dislikes if you are not asking them to choose the cake. It would be most unfortunate to have a chocolate cake with chocolate icing only to discover the couple hates chocolate.

You will also have to choose a filling flavor if you are getting a cake with layers. The filling is that wonderful creamy stuff that holds the tiers or layers together. It should blend nicely with the flavor of the cake and the flavor of the icing but can be a complimentary rather than the same flavor if you like.

For the cake icing you can choose a simple sugar icing or a rich cream cheese icing. There are many icing recipes so ask your baker for recommendations; you are sure to find one to please. And you can request your icings in all flavors imaginable. Most bakers will give you a taste of the various cake flavors, icing flavors and filling flavors they offer so if you are having trouble making up your mind ask to taste a few.

One of the big advantages of choosing a wedding anniversary cake is you can have two or three smaller cakes each of a different flavor and with different icings. Another way to offer the guests some diversity is to choose a tiered or layered cake with each tier or layer being a different flavor.

Shape and Size of the Cake

Cakes come in all shapes and sizes. Traditional cakes which have several layers are a great choice. Depending on how many guests you have the options for the size and shape of cake are limitless. Of course the biggest factor in deciding how large your cake should be is how many guests you will have. A great reference is the website www.topweddingsites.com/wedding-cakes.html which has a table estimating how many guests a tiered cake can feed.

Most bakers or bakeries will provide an estimate of how many guests their sheet or layered cakes will feed. Keep in mind a round or square cake will generally serve more guests. That however should not keep you from ordering a unique shape if it is what you want.

Decoration or Theme of the Cake

If your anniversary party has a theme consider choosing a cake that compliments the theme in flavor and design. For example a Mardi Gras party might feature a cake decorated like the wonderful masks you see at the Mardi Gras celebrations. For a Luau you might choose a pineapple or banana flavored cake or pineapple or banana fillings between the layers of your cake. For a BBQ or western theme what could be more appropriate than the Chocolate Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake.

As for how the cake looks you can choose decorations that range from traditional to unique. You can go with flowers, swags and ribbons to something personal and symbolic to celebrate the honorees and their life together. Just remember the more intricate, unique or complicated the design the more expensive the cake will be. There is a great website designed to help brides design their wedding cakes that you might find useful designing your perfect anniversary cake. Go to www.brides.com/planning/cakes/createacake/ to design your perfect anniversary cake on the internet before ordering it from the baker. Choose your favorite colors, designs, decorations and see what you can come up with.

Choosing a Baker or Bakery

Probably the most important decision you will make is selecting the right baker to create your cake. Ask the baker you are considering for references and to see pictures of other cakes the baker has made. Get a price quote for the cake you want and make sure you understand if that quote includes delivery.

There is a good article on www.cakesourspecialty.com/tips-on-selecting-a-baker.php discussing how to select a baker that you may find helpful even though is focuses primarily on wedding cakes the points the article makes are applicable to selecting a baker for any event. There is another article and a “find a baker in your area” locator on the web page www.weddingcakecreations.com/knowing-which-baker-to-trust-for-wedding-cake.html.

Once you find the baker you want to use make sure the written order clearly reflects the type and size of cake you are ordering including the flavor, icing, decorations and any other special instructions. If the cake is to be delivered make sure the date and time of the delivery are correct and that there are clear directions to the location where the cake is to be delivered.

Writing verse is not easy if you try to over think it but is quite simple if you just write from the heart and the heart is what anniversaries are all about. Before you start writing think back over the years or year and decide what in all that time makes you want to write a poem to your spouse and concentrate on that feeling. You need to really dig into that feeling, close your eyes and let that special time flood into your mind. When you are in that special moment, start writing the verse, just write, get it all down in any form, and revise later.

When the first draft of the poem is done you can begin to revise. This is the hard part if you get over-intellectual, which is not what you want to do. You must strive not to lose the feeling as you work on your poetic form. Always keep in mind that this is a poem of love and respect and must not sound insincere, it must be from your heart.

There are lots of poetic forms, free verse, rhyming, sonnets, etc. but you do not need to worry about this. The best form for your anniversary poem is the form that expresses your true feelings and does not sound stilted or sappy. The poem should sound as much like you as possible, do not try to be Browning or Shakespeare, be yourself – the loving spouse.

It might be a good idea to sneak away to the library and read some love poems; almost all books of poems have love poems in them, read some classic and some modern poets. It is very important in your reading to find a group of poems that you can actually understand (lots of poetry is dense and vague) and study that poets style so that you get a sense of how a poem works, poems are not wordy. After you get familiar with a poetic form close the book and never go back, you now know enough to write a decent anniversary poem. You may not think you know enough but you do!

To get the right poem and the right feeling write five different versions of your poem paying strict attention to what the feeling is that you are trying to convey and not worry about form. Each of the five versions should be different in the way that you try to get the feeling right….

I love you

I love you

I love you

I do!

This form will work and is very simple, but a more complex form like this will work….

Loving you has been the best time

Now I want more time, your time

Twenty-five years have been smiles and tears

Twenty-five more will be enough time

To say I love you all the time

As you can tell these are not poems worthy of publication, but they are sincere, they are verse and they do get the point across that you love your spouse. The idea of an original anniversary verse is to create a message reflective of your feelings toward your spouse in verse or poem form.

Another way to write an original anniversary poem is to find a poem and adapt it to your feelings about your spouse, the originality is in the way you make the adapted poem yours. You can always end your adapted poem with the words, “With a little help from William  Shakespeare”.

Sonnet 1
Classic Poem by William Shakespeare

From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed’st thy light’st flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.

The sonnet is a classical and stilted form of poetry but it provides a good form to work with. For example you might do something like this.

You are the love of my life.

Time will never destroy this love,

Twenty-five and twenty-five more,

Will not be a memory but a life

That will not be destroyed by death.

Before eternity, I will love you

Everyday in all the ways I can.

Thanking you all the way to heaven’s gate

For this chance to love you.

The above adaptation is nothing like the Shakespearean sonnet but using a classical poem as a guide gives you a little confidence as you begin to write your poem to express your feelings for that special spouse in your own original words.

Writing original poetry or verse is not easy but it is a fun way to really get to the bottom of how you feel about someone you have spent five or twenty-five years with and I suspect that after five or twenty-five years if you are writing a poem to your spouse those twenty-five years have been good and looking to your future together is exciting. After five or twenty-five years if you are still in love and still respect your spouse there must be thousands of poetic feelings that are available for your poem.

People are afraid of poetry because of all the myths about poetry but poetry has been the language of love and respect for centuries and your use of poetry to express your feelings about your marriage in poetry shows how special you are and how special your spouse is.

We have images for the following years 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th & 70th. Please note that some of these graphics could also be used to celebrate birthdays (especially 18 & 21). We also offer clipart of a gift, an invitation, a party hat, a man at a party dancing, and a general purpose happy anniversary celebration picture.

If you have any comments, concerns, questions, feedback, or requests please add them via the feedback form at the bottom of this page. Thank you, and enjoy!

If she is a stay at home mom or a professional woman you may want to look for a different type of gift. Her interests or hobbies are also a great place to start. For example if she loves to cook or garden there are many gift options associated with those interests. If the woman you are looking for a gift for loves movies or to read those interests create great gift choices. If she has sports interests that is another great gift category.

If none of the above fit the bill most women will appreciate a gift of jewelry.

Gift Suggestions for the Stay at Home Mom

Stay at home moms spend most of their day taking care of others so the best gift you could give them is something to pamper their self. You could get them a massage or a spa treatment gift certificate. You could get them a great perfume or a gift basket of bath products. Check out the bath product gift options on www.bathtopia.com/ or the many great perfumes on www.perfume.com/.

Maybe she would enjoy a night out on the town so consider a gift certificate to a white table cloth restaurant and tickets to a concert, play or other event. You can see what is coming up in your area and purchase tickets on www.ticketmaster.com.

Flowers are always appreciated and you can order flowers to be delivered on her anniversary by contacting www.ftd.com.  Chocolates are another option you can order to be delivered to her door at www.candygram.com/.

A silk scarf is likely something she would not buy for herself and would love. To find a selection of beautiful silk scarf gifts go to www.fashionscarvesandshawls.com/.

Sexy night ware or robes are another anniversary gift option you can find online at www.VictoriasSecret.com.

Gift Suggestions for the Professional Woman

The professional woman would appreciate a gift that she could enjoy everyday like a new leather briefcase or computer bag. There are colorful designer bags for women offered for sale on www.allbriefcases.com.

Maybe a feminine desk accessory would make her day. There are unique and elegant handmade glass card holders, brochure holders and vases which would add that personal touch to any office on www.womensglass.com/Desk.htm.

Ann Taylor has a web page that lets you sort through clothes and accessories for the professional woman if you are looking for a clothing gift idea try the Ann Taylor site at www.anntaylor.com/home.jsp.

Gift Suggestions for the Woman Who Loves to Cook or Garden

If you are buying an anniversary gift for a cook you should start with the “Cooking Enthusiast” website at www.cookingenthusiast.com/gifts/c/1950/. This site offers everything for the cook including appliances, pottery, gourmet ingredients, spices, cookware and more.

If the woman you are buying for is an adventurism cook or loves Middle Eastern or Indian foods try the unique packages offered on www.waresdinner.com/. These packages include the recipes, spices, and accessories needed to create a variety of unique and appetizing dinners (they even provide dinner invitations and appropriate music).

If she is a baker try the gift suggestions, including cookware, mixers, pie plates, cake carriers and baking recipe cookbooks, available at www.surlatable.com/category/gift+types/by+recipient/for+the+baker.do.

“About.com” has already done your research into gifts for the gardener. Look at their article on www.gardening.about.com/od/winterinthegarden/tp/GardenGifts.htm to find wonderful anniversary gift suggestions for gardeners.

The “Plow and Hearth” catalog has many categories of gifts but an especially helpful selection for gardeners at www.plowhearth.com/gift/gift-ideas.coll.asp?search_type=giftcenter&search_value=8.

Gift Suggestions for the Book or Movie Lover

Barnes and Noble gift cards are always an appreciated gift for book and movie lovers. You can check out the Barnes and Noble website for more information about how to purchase a gift card at www.barnesandnoble.com/gift-card/index.asp?.

You could choose the AMC Movie Theatre Gift Card to provide the recipient with many enjoyable evenings or afternoons at the movies. To purchase an AMC gift card go to www.amcentertainment.com/giftcards/.

The website www.lverose.com/gifts/booklovers.htm offers book lovers gift baskets which include a book, teas, music and other cozy accessories to make her afternoon reading a real get-a-way experience.

Gift Suggestions for the Sports Enthusiast

If she is a NFL fan check-out the shop on the NFL website for team merchandise for all the NFL teams. The NFL website also has links to the individual team websites www.nflshop.com/home/index.jsp. If she is a collegiate sports fan every college has its own webpage with a link to the athletic department shops. For example you could go to www.OSU.edu and click on athletics and then on fan shop to see the many gift options available for Ohio State University fans or go to www.umich.edu click on athletic and then on shop to see the University of Michigan gift options.

There is an entire website dedicated to women golfers at www.forehergolf.com/ with lots of gift suggestions for the woman golfer. Or, if she is a fisherman or a hunter, an ice skater or biker or has an interest in almost any team sport you can check out the many gifts offered by “Dick’s Sporting Goods” on www.dickssportinggoods.com/.

Jewelry Gift Suggestions for Her

“Blue Nile” has a page listing the top ten jewelry gifts in addition to many more jewelry gift selections including rings, bracelets, earrings and pendants and charm bracelets at http://www.bluenile.com/jewelry/gifts/top-ten-gifts?gclid=CJ63nIm4kJ8CFRkGswodpxL_KQ&rf=pd.

If the woman you are shopping for would prefer a handmade piece of jewelry check out the website www.bernardine.com/ featuring beautiful handmade rings, necklaces, bracelets and more. If you want a unique jewelry option try the website www.byrddesigns.com/index.php to see the jewel encrusted hair accessories including barrettes, French combs, pick combs, bobby pins and more.

Anniversary Gift Selection Advice

Spend your time investigating what the recipient of your gift would really appreciate. Once you decide the type of gift that would be perfect for your anniversary gift finding the gift is the easy part.

Before you begin your gift search you have to determine the personal taste and style of the man for whom you are selecting the gift. For example, some men are by nature more formal or businesslike in their tastes while others are more interested in sports, music or hobbies and would not be caught dead in a suit or tie and have no need for business cards or desk sets.

Anniversary Gift Suggestions for the “All About Business” Man

Gifts for the professional man whose interests revolve around his career are many. You could for example get him gifts for his home office or his work place office. Or you could get him business clothing or business tools or gadgets like fine fountain pens or desk sets.

There is a wonderful site called “On the Fly” which markets itself as the gift solution for the modern gentleman. Check out the many gift options on www.onthefly.com/gifts-for-men. While this site includes clothing which is tough to purchase for many men there is an extensive accessory section which includes great anniversary gift suggestions such as money clips, cuff links, braces, gloves, briefcases, watches and pens.

“Pianki” offers luxury leather desk sets, briefcases, wallets and mobile phone cases as well as expensive fountain pens in its gifts for men section at www.pianki.com/Gifts-for-Him_c_414.html.

“Nibs” has a website devoted to fountain pens both new and pre-owned at www.nibs.com/. For the man who takes his signature seriously a fountain pen is a great anniversary gift choice.

A business card holder is a natural selection for the businessman’s anniversary gift. “Executive Gift Shoppe” has a website with a large selection of silver, gold, crystal and leather business card holders. The site features both pocket business card holders and desktop business card holders. Some can be personalized with engraving or other designs. To see the business card holder and case selection go to www.executivegiftshoppe.com/business-card-holders.html.

Anniversary Gift Suggestions for the “Sports” Enthusiast

There are a multitude of gift choices for the sports enthusiast or fan. For example every NFL, NHL or NBA team has a website full of their team themed shirts, sweatshirts, hats, blankets and more. If he follows college sports teams you can also find a large selection of college themed clothing and accessories on the college web pages. Or you can choose sports supplies or accessories. There are hundreds of golf sites, fishing sites, hunting sites and sites catering to bikers, joggers, tennis enthusiasts and more. Just type his sport into your favorite search engine and you are off and running.

If the man you are looking for an anniversary gift for is a sports enthusiast check out www.squidoo.com/SPORTGIFTS. This site has something for every sports enthusiast including tennis players, golfers, soccer fans, basketball lovers, swimmers, bikers, rowers and joggers.

A sports fan will love the personalized blankets and afghans you can order with his team’s colors, logos, and even the name of his favorite team players incorporated into the design at www.blanketworx.com/shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=105.

There are many gift suggestions for men on the website www.mens-gifts.com/ however the gift baskets are particularly intriguing. You can find themed gift baskets for the NASCAR enthusiast, the fisherman, the backyard griller, the handyman, and the NFL fan.

Of course the best gift for the sports fan is a ticket to his favorite sports event which you can find on www.ticketmaster.com. Or how about giving him a gift of a NASCAR driving experience? There are a variety of driving experiences you can purchase on www.nascarracingexperience.com/NRE/.

Anniversary Gift Suggestions for the Renaissance Man

The renaissance guys are the easiest to buy for because their interests are so varied. Here are a few suggestions but I am sure you can come up with many more.

The retail store Brookstone has a website called gifts for him that has gift suggestions for all types of men with a variety of interests including gadgets, grills and grill accessories, music accessories and more at www.brookstone.com/top-gifts-for-him.html.

If he is a musician or a music lover you will find the perfect gift on the website www.wildaboutmusic.com. You can find everything from opera glasses to a Led Zeppelin tapestry and a blues themed night light on this site.

Check on the www.ticketmaster.com site for tickets to a concert featuring his favorite artist, group or orchestra.

“Zazzle” has an entire book lovers section of gifts including a large selection of book lovers coffee mugs, book lovers t-shirts, mouse pads, a book lovers tie and many many more great book lovers gift ideas at www.zazzle.com/book+lover+gifts?pg=5.

Maybe the best gift for the book lover is more books or a gift card to Barnes and Nobel (available at www.barnesandnobel.com.)  If he is a gadget guy who likes to read a Kendel (available at www.astore.amazon.com/Kindle.Reader.-20/) or Sony Reader (available at www.SonyStyle.com) might be the perfect gift.

An anniversary gift for the grill chef or tailgater is easy when you see all the possibilities at www.grillinggifts.com/?gclid=CO7v3sjfjp8CFSMEswodBxDQRg.  Tailgating supplies and BBQ and grill accessories abound on this site.

Jewelry Gift Suggestions for Men

Most men enjoy jewelry of some kind. Watches are a popular anniversary gift choice and so are bracelets and cuff links. Some men will appreciate a man’s necklace.

“Tribal Hollywood” has many men’s jewelry choices including necklaces, rings, bracelets, key chains and cuff links at www.tribalhollywood.com.

If you are looking for a watch “Blue Nile” has a variety of men’s watches to choose an anniversary gift from at www.tribalhollywood.com/ and www.store.emporioarmaniwatches.com/ features both classic and men’s sports watches.

If he is a runner check out the “About.com” article on the top ten sports watches with links to retailers selling the watches. You can see the article at www.sportsmedicine.about.com/od/shop/tp/tp_sportswatch.htm.

Anniversary Gift Selection Advice

The hard part is determining the interests of the man for whom you are buying an anniversary gift, once you have done that there are many choices of gifts at all price levels. So think carefully about the type of gift your recipient would like and then enjoy shopping either online or in the store selecting the perfect gift.

Keep in mind it is the thought that counts. The fact that you remembered the anniversary and care enough to honor your parents with an anniversary gift is what will be appreciated and treasured by your parents not the cost of the gift or the nature of the gift.

That said it is probably a little awkward to get our parents a sexy or romantic anniversary gift so let’s focus on sentimental gifts, gifts we know our parents desire or will treasure and gifts that will have a special meaning to our parents.

Anniversary Gifts that Celebrate the Memories

My favorite personalized anniversary gift is the Memory Lane Print which the artists will personalize with locations and events from your parent’s life. To see this print and the options available to personalize it go to the website www.yourmemorylane.com.

Another simple but great idea is a personalized coffee mug with a favorite picture imprinted on the mug. The website www.cupsandstuff.com/ will not only put the picture on a mug but if coffee is not your parent’s thing you might choose to put the picture on a mouse pad or set of coasters.

Of course there is always a scrapbook or video slide show you can make from all those photos your parents have stuffed in boxes in the closet. The scrapbook is a great way to celebrate memories and all you need is a great scrapbook cover, some markers and maybe a little ribbon or fabric and you are on your way.

If you folks would enjoy a digital version of their memories you can digitalize their old pictures yourself or send them to  www.scanmyphotos.com/ who will digitalize the photos for you. There are many software products that will help you make a video slideshow or photo collage. One of the more popular photo slideshow software products is www.slideroll.com/.  You could also check out www.photo-to-dvd.com/ another software option.

Bed Bath and Beyond has a handsome set of ten black frames of varying sizes that would make a great wall collage of photos. You can see these frames and others at www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16761338.

A great gift for mom is a charm bracelet with charms representing meaningful events and times in your parent’s life. You can find gold and silver charm bracelets and a selection of charms on the website www.classic-charms.com/.

There are also the unique bracelets made by Pandora which if you have not seen you need to check out at www.pancharmbracelets.com/.

Anniversary Gifts that Fill Your Parent’s Wish List

There are two categories of wish list gifts. Things that you are aware of that your parents have always wanted or talked about and trips your parents have always dreamed of taking.

Jewelry, China, Glassware

Jewelry is a popular choice for an anniversary gift. Emily Post has designated a gem for each anniversary year. But diamonds and pearls are always popular. Your choice of jewelry gifts is endless and depends primarily on your parent’s desires and tastes. It does not have to be a gem it could be a gold or silver necklace, bracelet or watch.

If you know your mother has always wanted a pearl necklace for example you can find a beautiful variety of cultured pearls online at www.mikimotoamerica.com/. Mikimoto was one of the originators of the cultured pearl process and still produces some of the finest cultured pearls today. On their website you can find pearls of all colors and pearl strands of all lengths, pearl earrings and rings.

If diamonds, emeralds or rubies are the jewelry gift you are looking for you can find classic designed jewelry choices for necklaces, bracelets, rings and more on www.twin-diamonds.com.

If you are more interested in unique handcrafted jewelry try www.handmade-beaded-gemstone-jewelry.com for some beautiful anniversary gift choices.

Wedgewood is the top of the line fine china manufacturer. If you are looking for serving dishes a vase or an entire set of fine china you will find beautiful patterns on the Wedgewood website at www.wedgwoodusa.com/index.asp. This site also offers classic wineglasses and other stemware.

If your parents would appreciate colorful and unique glassware check out the hand blown Mexican glassware on www.mexicanbubbleglass.com/. You can find intriguing hand blown glasses, hand turned wooden bowls and cups made of polished cow horn at www.jelldragon.com/glass.htm if you want to get something really striking and unique for your parents anniversary gift.

Trips

This day in age the internet makes the exploration of trip offers and booking or trips from the comfort of your home an easy task. Maybe your parents have always talked about a cruise. You can go directly to the cruise line sites if you know which type of cruise they are interested in or you can go to www.cruisesonly.com/ to see cruises to destinations all over the world or to search by cruise lines for cruises.

Maybe your parents have always wanted to go to Paris or London or a Caribbean Island; you can look for package trips and special deal vacation offers on most airline websites or you can check out www.expedia.com or www.orbitz.com to see what is available. If you decide to book your own arrangements, after you have set your trip dates you should visit www.tripadvisor.com to see what accommodations are available and to read reviews of the establishments listed. You need to either work with your parents to plan the trip or be very certain you understand the length of the trip they are prepared to take and any other special accommodations they may need to be comfortable and have a wonderful experience.