Celebrating an anniversary is an opportunity to grow closer with your partner and remember some of your best adventures together. It’s also a way to strengthen and reinforce the relationship you’ve built over this time.

So what steps can you take to make your next anniversary unforgettable?

Think About Your Partner

First, understand that while your anniversary is about both of you as a couple, most of your planning should be around your partner, rather than your own interests. Choosing locations that you know they love, buying them gifts that align with their interests, and generally acting in line with their wants, needs, and personality is going to win you much more favor than planning anniversary gifts and events around yourself.

If you’re not sure what your partner would like, start paying extra close attention to them in the months leading up to your anniversary. What are they talking about? What new interests have they picked up? Have they dropped any hints about what they want for this anniversary? Depending on how comfortable you feel in this relationship, consider asking them directly what they’d like for an anniversary celebration. That is, of course, if you don’t mind sacrificing the surprise.

Buy a Beautiful Gift

While love can’t be sufficiently expressed with material goods, and it certainly can’t be supplemented with them, choosing a beautiful gift can help make your anniversary more exciting and memorable. These are just a few ideas:

• Show your love with jewelry. A set of diamond stud earrings or a custom ring could be perfect for your spouse. It’s something permanent and tangible they’ll always be able to wear – and when they do wear these pieces, they’re going to remember your relationship and how much you love each other. Add in the fact that jewelry holds its value overtime, and it becomes very clear why jewelry is such a popular anniversary gift.
• Invest in other fashion. Other fashionable items can also be good choices. It’s hard to go wrong with quality clothes and accessories.
• Get something they’ve had their eye on. Has your spouse been talking about something specific in the last few months? Buying them something they desire as a gift shows that you listen to them and you care about what they want.
• Make something yourself. If you don’t feel like buying anything, consider making something yourself. Even if you’re not a very artistic or creative person, this can be an excellent opportunity to express yourself and provide your spouse a truly unique gift.
• Take advantage of traditional anniversary gifts. There’s a traditional gift to give on different landmark anniversaries; for example, your first anniversary is the paper anniversary, suggesting you get something made of paper for your spouse. The second anniversary is cotton, the third is leather – and there are traditional gifts all the way up to your 60th anniversary. Unless your spouse is a hardcore traditionalist, they’re probably not going to be upset if you don’t follow this guide – but it can be a great way to spark your creativity and motivate your gift selection.

Plan a Trip

Material gifts are typically appreciated, but experiences are more memorable. And typically, as people get older, they tend to value novel experiences over new possessions. Accordingly, depending on your budget and the nature of your partnership, it could benefit you to plan a trip for your anniversary. Taking a weekend to a nearby getaway, or touring another country together could be the best way to celebrate your relationship.

Offer Fun Surprises

Even if you talk to your spouse about your main anniversary plans, it can be romantic to throw in a few fun surprises. Sending flowers, getting a surprise extra gift, or making special preparations to your bedroom or hotel room could be a perfect touch.

Here’s an added bonus – surprises are linked to memory! If you give your spouse a truly novel experience, and you surprise them along the way, they’re going to be much more likely to remember the experience.

Share Memories

Whether it’s on your trip or just when you’re relaxing at home together, take the time during this anniversary to share memories with each other. You can go through your old photo albums or just talk about some of the best moment you’ve shared together. Whatever you do, take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come and how much you love each other.

You don’t need to spend an exorbitant amount of money, nor do you need to make grandiose romantic gestures to make your anniversary special. A thoughtful, personal gift and some time to reflect on your relationship together is all it takes to reinforce and reignite the passion in a healthy relationship.