Celebrate Your Anniversary to Keep Your Marriage Strong
Many couples don’t celebrate their anniversaries. They don’t do much to honor the day beyond saying “Happy anniversary” to one another. However, celebrating your anniversary can actually be very good for your marriage.
Most couples put a lot of energy into planning their wedding. They spend a lot of money, invite a lot of people, and celebrate together when they get married. However, often in the years to come, this sense of celebration becomes lost. Many couples treat it like another day. If you celebrate other holidays with more energy and effort, doesn’t it make sense to celebrate your own personal holiday?
How Celebrating Your Anniversary is Helpful
Celebrating your anniversary can be good for your marriage in several ways. One way is that simply remembering how you fell in love and why you got married can bring back some of those loving feelings. So take a look at your wedding photos on your anniversary. Review the video (if you have one). If you’ve saved any of your wedding mementoes such as your dress, the flowers, or even the napkins, take a look at them.
Discuss what you remember from your wedding day. Talk about why you got married or when you first fell in love. Share your thoughts with each other and it can help reinforce those positive feelings.
Another way that celebrating your anniversary is helpful to your marriage is that it helps create new positive memories. The rigors of everyday life can get in the way of having fun and being able to simply enjoy one another’s company. So celebrating together can reinforce the importance of making your marriage a priority.
When you make new and happy memories together, this can improve your marriage. Taking time out to do fun things together, whether it is going away for a night or visit your favorite restaurant, it can provide you with an opportunity to spend quality time together.
How to Celebrate Your Special Day
An obstacle that many couples encounter when it comes to celebrating their anniversary is they don’t know what to do. They aren’t sure where to go, how to celebrate, or what would make the day special.
There are lots of ways to celebrate your anniversary. It’s really a matter of personal preference. The important thing is that you find something that both you and your spouse enjoy doing together.
Some people wonder if they should host an anniversary party. Celebrating with friends and family makes sense, since this is probably how you celebrated your wedding. However, it is important that you and your spouse also schedule something more private. Your anniversary should be about spending time together to celebrate something that is intimate and only shared by the two of you.
You don’t necessarily need to go away for your anniversary either. Although it may be great to prepare for a vacation away from the stress of everyday life, this isn’t an option for many couples due to money or work schedules. So remember, you can always celebrate your anniversary close to home.
If you can, try to get out of the house to celebrate. This can prevent you from talking about things like the finances, home improvement projects, or the kids. If you can’t get out of the house, at least make a deal not to discuss these things for the day.
Some couples want to make their children a part of their anniversary celebration. Although it can be nice to celebrate together as a family, it is important to remember that your marriage is really between you and your spouse. Allow for a private celebration to reinforce the fact that you are partners and not just parents.
It can be helpful to plan special celebrations on the big anniversaries. Perhaps every five or ten years plan a bigger event, such as a vacation. Plan it ahead and simply spending time looking forward to your time together can be helpful to your marriage.
Communicate with Your Spouse about Your Anniversary
Sometimes anniversaries can lead to hurt feelings. If your spouse doesn’t get you a gift or forgets about it altogether, it can be hurtful if you were expecting more. Talk to your spouse about your expectations for your anniversary.
If you would like to exchange gifts for your anniversary, make sure to discuss this. They don’t have to be expensive gifts. Or if you would like to go away on a trip, talk about it ahead of time so you can make plans.
