While it is not usual for husbands and wives to occasionally forget important dates or occasions, forgetting an anniversary can cause hurt feelings and misunderstandings. In order to prevent this problem from arising, use traditional methods to provide visual clues that will remind spouses of the important date.
Remember a Wedding Anniversary
The low-tech way to remember a wedding anniversary and other important dates is to keep a calendar, and there are different types of calendars for different organization styles. For example, people who work at a desk may find a desk calendar is the best method to keep track of events but wall calendars and pocket calendars are also useful. Combining a calendar with a highlighter to color-coordinate personal and business obligations can mean the difference between remembering important events and forgetting them.
The key to using a calendar is to ensure that all the important dates are on the calendar in advance. At the end of the each year when it is time to replace the old calendar with a new one, take a few minutes to transfer all the important dates, like birthdays or wedding anniversaries onto the new calendar. At the beginning of each month, glance over the calendar to see if anything is coming up in the month.
How to Remember Dates
Calendars are only effective tools for those who use them. For those who do not use calendars, try placing a paper with the important date in a prominent place. Write the occasion and the date on the paper and place it in the medicine cabinet or tape it to the telephone at work. Simply seeing the words, “wedding anniversary June 12, 1997” will not only serve as a visual reminder, it can also help a husband or wife to learn the date and remember it at all times.
Engrave Wedding Rings for a Reminder
Engraved wedding rings can serve as a reminder as well. If rings were not engraved at the time of the wedding, use an anniversary as an opportunity to add a romantic sentiment and the wedding date to the rings. A partner in the marriage can simply tell his spouse in advance that he’d like to have the rings engraved as an anniversary present to each other. Spouses can choose to have both rings engraved with the same words and date or each can choose the engraving for the other.
The key to remembering wedding anniversaries and other important dates is to provide visual reminders of the event. Seeing the event on the calendar, learning to memorize the date by providing daily reinforcement or wearing the date on a ring can help husbands and wives not to forget their anniversary.
Romantic Wedding Anniversary Getaways
Your wedding anniversary only rolls around once a year. It is the only celebration that is just for you as a married couple. Although ideally romance should be a part of your day-to-day life, sometimes things get in the way. Wedding anniversaries are a great reminder to add a bit of spark and romance to your relationship – what better way to do that than taking a romantic anniversary getaway!
Anniversary Getaways: When to Go
Typically the appropriate time to take your wedding anniversary vacation is, surprise, surprise – when your wedding anniversary falls! However there are various reasons why you may find that this is unsuitable for your needs.
Maybe your wedding anniversary falls at a peak holiday time and you would rather spend it with family. Perhaps the date you were married falls in a season that does not favor holidays. Maybe you can’t take time off work at that particular time easily.
When this is the case it would be appropriate to have your anniversary vacation at another time, on your actual anniversary date you could try one of the suggestions below.
Anniversary Getaways: Where to Go
Where to take your weekend (or longer if you are fortunate!) anniversary vacation depends on your holiday style. It is nice to stay somewhere a little fancier than you normally do. A few suggestions for types of places to go:
B&B, many couples enjoy the intimate atmosphere at Bed & Breakfasts.
Head to the beach and soak up some sun together.
Learn to ski or snowboard together at an Alpine Resort.
For the older couples an anniversary cruise.
Remember it is not a true getaway if you bring your kids in tow, so make sure that you get a reliable babysitter.
Romantic Ideas for Your Anniversary Vacation
Do a bit of stargazing if you are lucky enough to be somewhere this can be done.
Splurge a little on good food and drink.
Flowers and chocolate. Cliche yes, but still romantic!
Fun Ideas for Your Anniversary Weekend
Do something outside your comfort zone. For example – go rock-climbing together.
Find somewhere you can get your jig on and go dancing.
Relive your childhood fun. For example – try to build the biggest sandcastle, complete with moat!
Sometimes You Can’t Leave Town for Your Anniversary – What Then?
If you can’t manage to get away for more than a day you can still have a romantic anniversary getaway, you might just need to think more outside the box. View your anniversary getaway as a little holiday from day-today life. Try some of these ideas:
Take a tour of a local winery or beer brewery.
Have a picnic, be sure to pack “the good stuff”.
Have an evening off from the kids and whatever else, go and do something you normally wouldn’t do.
