A wedding anniversary can be the most difficult time for gift buying. It’s a highly personal occasion shared by two people, unlike a birthday or Christmas present. So if you need wedding anniversary gift ideas, here are the ones for the first five years.

Buying gifts for kids is often much easier than shopping for adults. Kids always have a massive list of things that they want for all occasions, and even if they don’t, there’s plenty of generic toys and games that fit specific age groups, you can’t lose.

Adults have more refined tastes, they are more likely to buy things that they want for themselves, and they can be much fussier.

This difficulty multiplies when it comes to wedding anniversary presents. You want something special, and perhaps romantic that shows how much you care, but you probably don’t want to buy something naff that will be left at the back of a cupboard or unappreciated.

Many of us nowadays are much less traditional when it comes to weddings and marriage. We have different values and different needs, and we look upon things with differing levels of importance.

This might mean that you are keen to move away from the traditional wedding anniversary gifts from paper to gold. But, this can be a mistake.

Above everything else, sticking to these gives you a basis for gift shopping. Buying a themed gift is romantic, thoughtful and frankly, much easier than shopping with a clean slate. Here are some fantastic ideas for your first five wedding anniversaries.

Wedding Anniversary Year One: Paper

A gift made of paper doesn’t sound particularly exciting, or a fabulous reward for your first year of marital bliss. But, it can actually be one of the most fun.

Think of everything that’s made of paper. You could buy plane tickets for your dream break or a weekend away. You could print out hotel reservations or get tickets to see their favourite band.

Even tickets to a museum or something else that you’ve both talked about doing together.

Other options include a copy of their favourite book or a poster from their favourite film. Think about things that they love. There’s bound to be something on paper that relates. If you’re on a tight budget, a beautiful card or a hand-written poem can be romantic and thoughtful.

Wedding Anniversary Year Two: Cotton

Cotton is the perfect choice for year two. It binds and grows closer over time, just like you have as you complete your second year of marriage.

An easy option for year two is clothes. Buy them something that they’ve wanted for a while or buy you both a cute new outfit ready for a particular day or night out.

Other options include new bedding to share or a canvas print of one of your wedding photographs.

Wedding Anniversary Year Three: Leather

Leather is durable, it offers protection and support, just like your marriage. Like paper, leather can mean more. A leather luggage tag or passport holder can be the start of an exciting trip.

A simple black wallet can carry a ticket or piece of jewellery, or you could buy a new leather sofa to take you through the next phase of marriage.

Shoes, bags, belts, and leather straps on jewellery are also great options. If you are working on a budget, you could try homemade jewellery or bookmarks.

Wedding Anniversary Year Four: Fruit and Flowers

Fruit and flowers are always a welcome gift. They represent your blossoming relationship and nourish and rejuvenate you like you do each other.

A bunch of flowers or some chocolate covered strawberries are great. But, you can take it further. Book a wine tasting class for you both, spend time arranging your own flowers, bake a fruity dessert together or prepare a three-course meal using all of your favourite fruits.

Go fruit picking together or buy a fruit tree, that will last the test of time with you. Fruit and flowers can offer you a fun way to spend some time together doing something a little different.

Wedding Anniversary Year Five: Wood

Wood represents time. Trees grow and mature. They become wise and important. Their roots continue to entwine, growing stronger together over time. Just like a married couple.

If you’ve got any carpentry skills at all, this is your chance to create something unique. Build a wooden jewellery or keepsake box to house something special.

Make a bench for your garden or a frame for a particular photograph or painting. If you can’t do it yourself, you can always buy these things.

Other options include chopping boards and cheese boards, personalised artwork, wooden figurines, plaques and desktop accessories.

Even if you and your partner don’t like to give gifts, use these as a chance to spend time together, doing something fun and special for your anniversary.

You could even club together to buy something that you both want. There are no rules remember, just being together and happy is often enough.