People love celebrating special dates. Just like we honor birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and work anniversaries. Coupled-up folks like to commemorate the dates that are important to them. Meeting anniversaries, dating anniversaries, wedding anniversaries – all can have different levels of significance.
But the fact remains: anniversaries are important. We love to swoon at people's wholesome proclamations of love here at Bored Panda. So, we've collected a bunch of funny and heartwarming anniversary surprises that people delighted their significant others with. Want some proof that true love still exists? Scroll away and check these out!
#1 Someone Threw Out My Mum's Wedding Purse And It Was Ruined In The Rain. I Managed To Save It And Make A Keepsake Pillow. Hoping To Gift It For Her 27th Anniversary. What Do You Think ?
Image credits: AshlovesFood
#2 My Grandfather Taught Me To Paint A Decade Ago So I Painted Him And My Grandmother A Diamond For Their 60th Anniversary
Image credits: creakyxt
#3 To Surprise My Wife For Our 15th Anniversary I Commissioned A Portrait Of Her And My Daughters By Her Favorite Artist. He Just Sent Me This Photo To Let Me Know It's Almost Finished
I'm so excited to see it in person, and even more excited to give it to her next month!
Image credits: JephriB
Be honest, Pandas: how many of you have ever forgotten a significant other's birthday? How many of you have had a partner forget yours? And what about relationship milestones? How many times have you fought with a loved one over a forgotten anniversary?
Don't feel so bad if you have. If you answered "Yes" to at least one of these, you're actually in the majority. A Dating.com survey in 2023 revealed that 82% of people have actually forgotten an important anniversary at some point in their relationship. It's probably not the best defense to throw out the next time you argue, but it's still something.
#4 I’ve Always Been Ashamed Of My Teeth, And For Our 7th Anniversary My Wife Completely Changed My Life
Image credits: Rinesi
#5 This Is Too Cute
Image credits: GIs_Keeper
#6 Me And My Girlfriend Unintentionally Drew The Same Anniversary Card For Eachother
Image credits: toby_preston
Birthdays aren't safe from being forgotten, too. 43% of the survey respondents said they forgot their SO's special day at least once during the relationship. After all, remembering dates like these means something; at least, that's what most people think.
In fact, 68% said they would break up with their partner if they forgot an important relationship milestone. Granted, some would only separate temporarily, but it still shows how important anniversaries can be for some folks.
Although we hate to perpetuate gender stereotypes here at Bored Panda, sometimes the statistics speak for themselves. Sadly, 82% of the respondents who said they'd forgotten an anniversary identified as men.
#7 My Wife And I Went Swimming With Turtles On Our Honeymoon, So I Painted Her This For Our First Anniversary
Image credits: felli55
#8 A Year Ago I Posted About How My Neighbor Brought Me Food Because I Was Broke And It Was My First Time On My Own So I Didn’t Know How To Cook
Now we’ve been friends for two years and we just passed our one-year anniversary. I cooked him dinner the other night.
Image credits: EffectsofSpecialKay
#9 7th Wedding Anniversary Gift From My Mother In Law That She Hand Painted For Us
Image credits: MeetTheBrewers
When a partner forgets a birthday, an anniversary, or another important date, people tend to take it personally. In reality, the reason for their forgetting is quite easy to explain. Most people in the survey said they're simply too busy with work schedules or taking care of the household and the kids.
#10 One Of My Best Embroideries To Date: A Wedding Anniversary
Image credits: santoyotecanto
#11 Anniversary Surprise. My Husband Had This Custom Made And Surprised Me For Our 5 Year Anniversary
These are the mountains where we live (Mt. Bachelor and the Cascades) and I always have said these mountains speak to my soul. He did so good.
Image credits: kcrids
#12 Picked Up A Fancy Cake For My Husband On Our Anniversary
Image credits: Long_live_Broctune
There can be so many anniversaries in a relationship: first meeting, first date, first kiss, first and the many subsequent years of marriage, and so on. How do you decide which ones to celebrate and which ones to possibly forget? Some might think that celebrating dating anniversaries is pointless after getting married, but relationship experts say that might be more important than even a 10th anniversary.
#13 After Almost 2 Years Of Trying For A Baby, My Husband And I Found Out We Are Expecting Our First Baby! And We Found Out Today, Which Just Happens To Be Our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary
We are absolutely ecstatic!
Image credits: danaeewhite
#14 My Husband And I Have Been Married 10 Years Today So I Stitched Him This Anniversary Present. He’s My Very Favorite Person
Image credits: colormuse
#15 Today Is Our 13th Anniversary And We Accidentally Bought Each Other The Same Card On Different Days And From Different Stores
Image credits: bae_guevara_
Essentially, celebrating dating anniversaries is about going back to your roots. By commemorating the day when you and your significant other met, you're remembering why the two of you got together in the first place. "It's a way to honor the roots by remembering the moments that laid the foundation for your lifelong commitment," Dr. Jacquie Del Rosario told Brides.
#16 This Is Literally The Cutest
Image credits: SammiTeeooh
#17 3 Cats Plus 33 Roses For Our Anniversary Requires A Giant Glass Box To Protect Them All.
Image credits: michaelscat2
#18 And What Did My Awesome Wife Surprise Me With For Our Anniversary? She Brought Me To A Clydesdale Farm To Ride Horses... I’ve Never Touched A Horse, Yet Alone Ridden One... Spent A Lovely Day Walkin The Trail With Sweet Gypsy
Image credits: CyrusMMcQueen
Why do we have to celebrate anniversaries at all? Psychologist Jeremy Nicholson says there are three reasons.
- To remember the past and the love story that led to the present moment;
- To celebrate the present and be grateful for what each partner brings to the relationship;
- And to recommit to the relationship and declare shared goals for the future.
#19 I Made This Bouquet For Mine And My Husband's Anniversary. He Told Me Men Don't Receive Flowers Til They Die And It Got Me Thinking How Right He Was. So I Made Him A Forever Bouquet. Sorry, No Pattern. All Free Handed
Image credits: khimboslicee
#20 I Bought These For My Wife Instead Of An Engagement Ring. Today I Got Them Sharpened For Our 10th Anniversary
Image credits: DrWindupBird
#21 This Is My Wife's Favorite Pair Of Heels. She Has Held Onto Them For Years, Even Though They're Too Tight (Her Feet Grew Slightly During Her Last Pregnancy)
As a surprise for our anniversary in 3 weeks, I bought some shoe stretchers and I've been carefully expanding them. I can't wait to show her!
Image credits: JephriB
Remembering anniversaries can get more difficult as years pass by. As relationship coaches Jocelyn and Aaron Freeman told The Good Trade, both partners put in the most effort at the beginning of a relationship, and it declines naturally with time. "It becomes easier to take your partner's presence for granted and forget your 'commitments' to each other," they explained.
#22 I Made These Flowers For My Wife Out Of Fruit For Our 4th Wedding Anniversary
Image credits: PedroBranno
#23 When I Proposed To My Wife, We Were Dirt Poor College Kids, So The Ring I Gave Her Was Really Inexpensive
15 years, and 4 kids later, I'm going to surprise her with a long overdue upgrade tomorrow morning.
Image credits: JephriB
#24 Friends Husband Got Him A Cake For His 3 Year Anniversary On Testosterone. They're My Favorite. Its Too Wholesome Im Dying
Image credits: StarsInTheCity-
However, not all people believe in celebrating anniversaries. Olga Alexandru, for example, writes for Business Insider how she and her partner refuse to celebrate Valentine's Day or any anniversaries. Instead of one fixed day a year, the couple surprises each other with small gifts and gestures throughout the year. Both believe it makes them more mindful of the relationship.
#25 My Wife And I Got Eachother The Same Cards For Our Anniversary
Image credits: dadspeed55
#26 This Is So Clever. Seriously Cool
Image credits: alissaulani
#27 My GF And I Tried To Surprise Each Other With A LEGO Set For Our 1st Anniversary. We Bought The Same Set
Image credits: teagh0st
Content creator Jonna Jerome also doesn't get angry at her husband after he forgets their anniversary. On the contrary, she even loves him more for it. She writes how she changed her perspective on glamorizing the intoxication of new love over the years. "The hard times have shown me the kind of person I partnered with. This connection is what can keep you happily together long after neither one of you looks good in (or out) of a suit."
#28 Made My Wife A Pendant For Our 1 Year Anniversary. Made With Rose Gold, Diamonds And A Sapphire
Image credits: Mercury-Hg80
#29 I Built My Girlfriend A Rabbit Safe Garden For Our Anniversary Last Year, And For Our Anniversary This Year I Renewed The Garden With New Plants
Image credits: MathematicianLow8832
#30 Wonderful Gift From Her For Our Anniversary
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Yet we don't want to discourage anyone from celebrating anniversaries, especially if they're not with this much wholesomeness and style as the ones in this list. If you're a sucker for romance like me, be sure to check out our previous article about funny and wholesome anniversary surprises. And don't forget to share your anniversary stories with us in the comments, Pandas!
#31 Love It Happy Anniversary You Two
Image credits: mayahiga
#32 Over Lockdown I Found Gardening Really Helped With My Anxiety And Depression. For Our 10yr Anniversary Today My Husband Gifted Me A Potting Shed To Help With This Natural Therapy
I couldn't think of a more pure and perfect gift.
Image credits: AvalonianDreaming
#33 My Daughter Made This For Our Wedding Anniversary
Image credits: Scallywag328
#34 My 8yo Daughter And The Boy She Has A Crush On Had A Friendship Anniversary Yesterday; This Is The Card He Gave Her
I’m pretty sure it’s actually only 4 years, but the fact that they did this on their own is pretty sweet.
Image credits: FromBoomBapToTrap
#35 It’s Mine And My Partner’s 4 Year Anniversary Today. So I Drew Us
We’ve both had really rough times in love over our lives so this feels like a good milestone for us. I love her so much.
Image credits: SelectStarAll
#36 Congrats To The Newest Mum In Town
Image credits: deborahpaulenen
#37 It's My Parents' Anniversary Today. I Drew This In The Card I Gave Them
Image credits: Skulljoe1
#38 My Wife Went To School With A Guy Who Went On To Become A Talented Portrait Artist (This Is His Self Portrait). She's Followed His Work For Years
Unbeknownst to her, I just commissioned him to paint a portrait of her and our girls for a 15th anniversary gift. I'm so excited to surprise her with it!
Image credits: JephriB
#39 I Engraved The Back Of A Watch For My Boyfriend For Our Anniversary
Image credits: reddit.com
#40 While Away This Weekend For My Wedding Anniversary I Obviously Asked For A Photo Of Brendan Fraser In The Room And They Bloody Did It And Gave Us Some Prosecco
Image credits: Jimmyjimjim88
#41 Happy Anniversary To You Both
Image credits: bsw5020
#42 Anniversary Surprise
Tonight my boyfriend and I celebrated 7 months together with a mundane trip to Trader Joe’s to stock up for the weekend. A crew member made our night with free flowers to make a mundane night a little brighter! Very grateful for the crew in south Tempe, AZ!
Image credits: hsteph17
#43 Best Anniversary I've Ever Had
The hotel we stayed in gave us a surprise when we had our breakfast they gave us pancakes and a lemon vanilla custard tart with fresh-cut berries.
My wife got emotional and wasn't even the best they gave us a present for our dinner.
Some cannolis for dessert and some free arcade credit and we won a bonus on one of the games and cleared the escape room in 19 minutes.
We had a blast.
Image credits: thefriendlychef1991
#44 Happy Anniversary To Your Mom And Dad. How Exciting To Find A Pearl
Image credits: TankOakley
#45 My Dear Husband Got Me The Best Anniversary Gift Ever
Image credits: Eszsii
#46 Happy Anniversary To Both Of You! You Two Are Truly Made For Each Other
Image credits: ProtonJon
#47 My Wife (34f) And I (34m) Celebrated Our 10th Wedding Anniversary Yesterday. She Bought Me Flowers
Image credits: Fapiness
#48 For Our 10 Years Wedding Anniversary, My Wife Got Me My First Telescope
Image credits: OnTheList-YouTube
#49 Anniversary Bourbon Glass
1 year anniversary bourbon glass my girlfriend gifted me. This was etched onto the bottom.
Image credits: Its_Just_a_Rabbit
#50 Modernist Anniversary Dinner For My Wife
Image credits: boss413
