6 min read
What to put on an anniversary page
A year, five, ten. The milestone is the excuse. The point is finally writing down the parts you both half-remember differently.
Order it, or it is just a scrapbook
The timeline is what turns a pile of photos into something people scroll to the end of. Three to eight moments, in sequence, each with a line about what actually happened.
A page without an order has no ending, and a page without an ending has nothing to arrive at.
Include at least one boring day
Between the holiday and the big night out, put in an ordinary Tuesday. Those are the ones people get unexpectedly emotional about, because that is what a relationship mostly is.
The holiday photo is the one everyone has. The Tuesday is the one only you have.
Admit something
The strongest anniversary pages have a paragraph that is not flattering. A fight you handled badly. A month you were difficult to live with.
It works because it makes everything else believable. A page that is only highlights reads like a brochure.
Get the date right
If the page runs a live counter, check the date against whatever you have both agreed the anniversary actually is. This is not the page to get that wrong on.
The same thing, written badly and written well
Happy anniversary to my soulmate.
Four years, one terrible kitchen, and one very long walk home.
Here is to many more years together.
Here is to forgiving each other for the versions of us that were still learning.
If you are stuck
Answer one of these honestly and you will have the sentence the page needs.
- 01What is the first moment you knew this was different?
- 02Which argument turned out to be worth having?
- 03What do you do now that you did not do before you met?
- 04What are you quietly hoping the next year has in it?
