Simple Celebration Ideas for an Anniversary During a Pandemic

Knowing that your big anniversary is coming up is over the moon exciting! Whether you’re celebrating your first year together or your first decade, each big anniversary should be one to remember for a lifetime. But with a pandemic going on, your plans to celebrate may change quite a bit from what you had planned. There are still tons of ideas for an anniversary spent together during a pandemic.

Talk to Each Other about your Upcoming Anniversary

When you’re searching for ideas for an anniversary, make it even more special by planning them with your significant other. Especially if you have been planning a big trip to Europe to celebrate without the kids. Although you may feel discouraged that you won’t be able to travel around the world with your significant other, don’t let that bring you down. Your anniversary is important, regardless of where you are in the world or if you don’t have a babysitter, you can still make it special. 

Work together to create a game plan to celebrate on your big day. If having alone time is important, then make sure to pick a time of day where you can celebrate your anniversary with just the two of you. This may mean waking up early or staying up late, but having a game plan ahead of time will help keep you from feeling discouraged about your original plans going astray.

Read More: 30 Coronavirus Memes to Add some Laughter to your Day

Order Fancy Takeout

Simple Celebration Ideas For An Anniversary During A Pandemic
There are so many ideas for an anniversary that involve food!

While places are now beginning to open again, you may not have the luxury of going out. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying a special meal on your anniversary. Luckily, there are so many incredible restaurants that cater to take-out options! Some restaurants will even jump on board with your ideas for an anniversary and will create a special dinner for just the two of you – off the menu! A quick Google search and a few phone calls can give you endless options for fine dining takeout options. 

But don’t stop there! Instead of eating your take out inside of the styrofoam, bring the china out and make your dinner as fancy and special as possible.

Decorate

If you’re racking your brain thinking of ideas for an anniversary spent at home, simply setting the mood can make a huge difference. Think about the things that have meant the most to you over the years and decorate your house around those moments. If you were planning on a trip to Paris, then string up some lights on your porch and print off a big photo of the Eiffel Tower where you two can enjoy a glass of wine with the view you wanted.

Other decorations could include lighting some candles, having an elegant centerpiece, or creating a playlist that includes an endless amount of songs that are meaningful to the two of you.

Include the Kids

Instead of being bummed about having to rethink kid-free ideas for an anniversary, include them in parts of your big day. Your kids are likely just as excited about your anniversary as you are. Whip out your wedding album and relive those moments with your significant other and kids. Your kids will absolutely love hearing all of the stories from your wedding day, making them feel as if they were there. 

You can even leave the decorating up to the kids to allow you and your significant other some alone time. 

Don’t forget the gifts

Simple Celebration Ideas For An Anniversary During A Pandemic

Don’t forget about exchanging gifts when thinking of ideas for an anniversary! Traditionally, there are specific gifts that you should give to each other based on what anniversary year you’re celebrating. The Spruce tells us that, “Historians say that giving distinct gifts at milestone anniversaries originated in the Germanic regions of Central Europe in medieval times. “

What a fun tradition, and it’s so easy to implement amidst a pandemic! Finding a unique gift for your loved one while having to keep to a specific item is exciting and will have your significant other guessing what you possibly could have found for them.

Here are the traditional anniversary gifts by year:

  • 1st Year- Paper
  • 2nd Year- Cotton
  • 3rd Year- Leather
  • 4th Year- Fruit & Flowers, or Linen & Silk
  • 5th Year- Wood
  • 6th Year- Iron / Candy
  • 7th Year- Wool/ Copper
  • 8th Year- Bronze
  • 9th Year- Pottery
  • 10th Year- Tin/ Aluminum
  • 11th Year- Steel
  • 12th Year- Silk
  • 13th Year- Lace
  • 14th Year- Ivory
  • 15th Year- Crystal
  • 20th Year- China
  • 25th Year- Silver
  • 30th Year- Pearl
  • 35th Year- Coral
  • 40th Year- Ruby
  • 45th Year- Sapphire
  • 50th Year- Gold
  • 55th Year- Emerald
  • 60th Year- Diamond

If you can’t think of gift ideas for an anniversary, going by the year will help guide you in the right direction.

Read More: Gifts for him on Valentines Day

Make a Desert Together

Simple Celebration Ideas For An Anniversary During A Pandemic

Ideas for an anniversary spent at home can include an endless amount of activities, but baking a desert together is one that we absolutely love. Spending time together creating something that is unique and delicious is a great way to bond. You can make something that you’ve both always wanted to try, or try to mimic your wedding cake! Whatever recipe you decide to go with, make sure to put some flour on each other’s noses and make baking a little more cuddly than it is alone.

Ask Each Other Questions

This is one of those ideas for an anniversary that sounds silly at first, but once you get into it you’ll learn so many things about each other. The best thing about being married is that you continue to grow with each other, and with growth comes change. Your significant other may have a completely different outlook on life on your 25th wedding anniversary then they did on your 5th. 

FreshlyMarried brings us a list of “100 Conversational Questions to Ask your Spouse”! These questions are bound to make you both laugh as you continue to grow in your relationship. Plus don’t you want to know what job your spouse would have if they lived in the early 1900s?

Plan for the Future

Just because your ideas for an anniversary won’t be everything you wanted it to be this year, doesn’t mean that you can’t reschedule your big plans. Spend some time planing that big trip or a special night out for the future. This will give you both peace of mind and hope that one day soon you’ll be able to celebrate your big day like you had originally planned.

Read More: How to save for travel without missing out on life

Reenact your First Dance

Simple Celebration Ideas For An Anniversary During A Pandemic

The first dance is one of the most incredibly beautiful moments of your wedding day. You likely spent weeks together trying to find the perfect song, and it likely has so much meaning to you. Don’t let that meaning just slip away! Surprise your significant other by turning down the lights, turning on your first dance song, and spending the next few minutes slow dancing in the living room. Taking this moment to embrace each other will knock all of the other anniversary date ideas out of the water. 


Although your ideas for an anniversary will likely be ones that involve being at home, and won’t include traveling the world or even sitting down at a restaurant, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make it special. Taking the time out of your everyday life to celebrate something so special, especially during a pandemic, is important. Whether you’re making a dessert together, looking through your wedding album with the kids, or enjoying your fancy take-out dinner, celebrating the love you two have shared over the years is something to cherish as you continue to go forward.

Are you still looking for ideas for an anniversary? Maybe ones that fit into your budget? Then make sure to check out 15 Fun and Cheap Date Night Ideas!

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Simple Celebration Ideas For An Anniversary During A Pandemic

Photo Credits: Lauren Benson Photography | HiveBoxx | Hannah Busing

Sources: The Spruce | FreshlyMarried

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Lauren Benson
Lauren Bensonhttp://www.lbensonphotography.com
Lauren is a traveling mom, wife, and wedding photographer. Some of her favorite things include hiking with her family, photographing couples who are in love, singing to her daughter, creating incredible vegetarian dishes, traveling the world, and dying her hair crazy colors.

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