‘Top Tips’
Whether it’s for a special occasion, a wedding anniversary, or to celebrate something you did together - we’ve selected 5 top ways to show someone you care:
1) Send them Flowers.
There’s nothing to beat receiving a fresh, fragrant bouquet of flowers, especially if its a surprise and you can always select from a wide varety of choices - from a traditional roses to a seasonal blooms. You can find local flourists on the internet or try some of the collection on The Anniversary Present Website, by clicking here.
A top tip would be to surprise them with a bunch sent to their workplace.
2) Song Dedication.
A lot of local radio stations offer dedications to a loved ones, allowing you to ring, text or write in. If your partner does have a favourite station, it would be a great surprise for them to hear their favourite tune - especially if it has a lot of meaning.
The most popular national radio station for this is Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs on Radio 2 from 09:00-1100 and the above link shows you how to contact the show.
3) Let them eat Cake.
Order them their favourite sweet dish and add a dedication of your love.
There are numerous local shops which offer this service, which can be found on the internet and fav’s we have tried include Konditor and Cook, Peyton & Byrne and of course our local Charlottes Chocolates.
4) Treat them to a surprise Meal.
Take them somewhere different, but plan it well and book either a place they’ve always wanted to go or somewhere with good reputation.
A link to our affiliate partner Toptable is available where you can read reviews of thousands of restaurants and book on-line.
5) Comission a poem for them.
A unique gift of words to be treasured. There are numerous poets that can be contacted on-line and they offer the opportunity to bring to life words we rarely use to say the things we often feel. We’ve offered a link to Charlie Jordan Birmingham’s Poet Laureate and Jane Holland of Warwick who can be contacted to undertake commissions.
Twinkling Christmas lights, mulled wine and dark nights in front of the fire all contribute to making Christmas one of the most romantic times of the year. Here are our top 10 tips which will ensure that you make the most of this perfect season for snuggling up and getting cosy with your loved one.
1) Decorate the Christmas Tree Together
Dig out a bit of Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra, crack open the wine and make your Christmas Tree the prettiest in the street!
2) Watch It’s a Wonderful Life
Boost your goodwill to all men by watching the ultimate feelgood film together. It will put you in a positive frame of mind and make you appreciate all the great things that you share in life.
3) Attend a Christmas Carol Concert
Whether you wish to ponder upon the Christmas message or simply sing your hearts out, there’s nothing like a Carol Service to enhance that festive spirit. Dress up warm and take time out to celebrate the season together.
4) Go Ice Skating
Lace up your skates, pull on your gloves and take to the ice for a truly romantic Christmas experience. Details of ice rinks across the country can be found here.
5) Enjoy a Pantomime
It might not be the obvious choice for Christmas romance, but sharing a laugh or two will certainly defrost the winter blues. Check out your local newspaper for listings.
6) Build a Snowman
Don’t despair if it snows. Instead, wrap up warm and go out and build a snowman with your loved one. It doesn’t matter if you get cold and wet because you’ll have the fun of drying out together once you’re back inside!
7) Make Your Own Romantic Christmas Card
Let your imagination run wild and make a romantic Christmas card for your beloved. Draw a picture or make a collage from magazines. The personal touch is rarely unappreciated.
8 ) Dine by Candlelight
Make the most of the dark nights and dine by candlelight. It will make a special night truly romantic.
9) Cook a romantic Christmas Breakfast
Surprise them with a gourmet Christmas breakfast. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast, bucks fizz and fresh coffee. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious you could even try to make some heart-shaped festive fare with our heart-haped cookie cutters.
10) Kiss Under the Mistletoe
Christmas romance just wouldn’t be the same without a sprig of mistletoe above the front door. Surprise them when they come home from work with a big smooch and let them know how much you love them.
It’s a hectic time of year, before Christmas and what could be better than taking a loved one away from it all, on a surprise weekend break.
Throw in some Champagne and they’ll love you forever…or at least until next year!
The refurbishment of London’s St. Pancras Station has restored one of the country’s most impressive buildings and added a glamorous start to any
intercontinental adventure. The 315 foot Champagne bar will put you in the perfect mood for a romantic trip offering 40 varieties to choose from, plus canapes, sandwiches and a champagne breakfast - go on you only live once!
Romantic destinations on the continent include:
Paris - where you can glide across the Hotel de Ville’s ice rink for free and stroll the Champs Elysees witnessing the shimmering fir trees.
Lille - which offers spicy mulled wine and hot chestnuts at the Place Rihour’s illuminated Christmas market and is perfect for gift shopping or simply hibernating in the city’s cosy cafes.
Brussels - where the Christmas markets are aglow with lights, trees and stalls piled high with gingerbread and Belgian chocolate - definitely one for the sweet tooth’s!
All destinations are, at maximum, just over 2 hours journey time and there’s some good deals available.
So with a little work you can make someone very happy - which is what it’s all about.
Click here for further travel information.
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A truly personal Anniversary Gift is a letter of love.
Apart from proving to a loved one that you can write, it’s also a unique gift and an item that can be treasured for ever.
We’ve put together 5 top hints and tips that might be helpful.
1) Stationary
Use quality writing paper and a good pen for your final piece - i.e. it’s always best to practice on scrap paper first as this allows for errors and gives you the opportunity to make changes. Quality materials (paper, envelope, pen) are available from good stationers and we also sell a pretty stationary box for such occasions under Paper Anniversary Gifts on our website.
2) Beginning the letter
Begin informally, with an endearing greeting such as ‘My darling William…’ or ‘My dearest Alice’, using their first name, or pet name.
Then start by telling your loved one the reason for writing. Be bold and not timid. Don’t belittle yourself by saying, ‘you must think I’m mad’, or offend them by saying, ‘you probably don’t think this way’.
3) The Main Letter
Don’t be too casual, this letter will be one of respect that tries to convey hard to express emotions and you want it to be treated in the manner in which it was created. Be sincere and confident in expressing how you feel.
The following ideas are also useful to include:
- recall the time you first met.
- remember special times shared.
- tell them how you feel when your apart.
- highlight the things you like about them and what sets them apart from others.
4) Ending the Letter
Close with a positive and upbeat paragraph, ‘The times that I have known you have been the happiest…’, and then end with a heartfelt goodbye such as, ‘All my love, forever…’
5) That Little Extra
Add a small gift, it doesn’t have to be expensive (flower petals / a photo of you / or tickets for an event).
Another unique idea is to get a photo of the 2 of you created as the stamp on the letter - this is available from Royal Mail’s website details of which can be found here.
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Flowers make great Anniversary Presents and they’re readily available, but what makes a perfect bouquet?
We’ve put together 5 Top Tips to make the buying process easier and offer
advice on how you can avoid any pitfalls, so that you come up smelling of…
you get the picture!
1) Look for Freshness!
The stems should be strong and firm, the leaves green. Any hint of browning or crushed stalks and the flowers are already on their way out.
2) Unopened buds.
A fully opened bouquet looks great, but it’s not going to stay that way long. Make sure that the majority of the flower heads are in bud, or just opening.
3) Colours.
Stop a minute and try to remember what your lover likes. Are they into pastels or bold colours? Try to choose something that fits their personality and don’t go fo the most obvious or flashy display on offer.
4) Scent.
The first thing most people do when presented with a bouquet is smell it. Aim to buy flowers that have a pleasant aroma.
5) Packaging.
Check to ensure that it isn’t soggy or torn. Bad presentation can ruin the entire gesture.
Of course, if you really want to impress with a safe choice, then why not pick from one of our selection of fresh bouquets. We source these from a top UK supplier who has a fantastic attention to detail that will ensure your gift lights up a loved one’s day!
We’re currently running a survey to find out what married women want from their wedding anniversary and will be sharing the results of this with you over the coming months.
As you can imagine, we’ve had all sorts of responses, but probably the most revealing is a list of the worst presents received!
For the protection of the husbands we will publish all results anonymously but we were quite surprised at the range of bad gifts being presented to wives and thought we’d share some of the worst ones with you here:
- Nothing
- A wig
- Kendal Mint Cake
- An ironing board
- Washing Basket
- A set of weighing scales
- Fake plastic flowers
- Prawn Curry (take-away)
- Anti-ageing cream
- A Parrot
Thinking about the person you intend to buy the gift for always helps, but if you lack the idea, time or (woe betide) effort! - then safe bets generally include:
surprise meals out, short breaks (always a winner), fresh flowers or champagne.
The questionnaire is still open so if you fancy a 10% discount off selected products, please fill in your answers anonymously at our Anniversary Survey and we’ll send you a special discount code.
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Our friends at Wedding Path (www.weddingpath.co.uk) a website that offers people who are getting married, or planning a wedding, the chance to create their own wedding page - have published a list of our tips on how to buy that 1st and most important Wedding Anniversary Present!
It’s always best to start as you mean to go on, so click on the image (right) to view the tips that might…
just save your life…
There are anniversaries and then there are Anniversaries. A marriage that has lasted for
a milestone number of years - be that 5, 10 or 40 really needs a big celebration - an experience that will remain as a positive memory for years to come.
To help you create this perfect day, we’re now delighted to be able to offer a selection of luxury experiences at The Anniversary Present. The packages have been handpicked to cover a range of budgets, but all provide excellent value for money. You can choose from six special giftpacks for couples including a tour and lunch at a British vineyard, a Conran meal for two and a London Theatre Break. There is also an option to purchase a Flying Lesson, Ferrari Driving Experience or Pro Golf Day for one.
The experiences are presented as vouchers in a smart giftbox, and a personal message of up to 75 words can be enclosed, which makes these ideal as gifts either for a spouse or for a lucky couple.
We’ve sought the best advice and training possible to set up our business, with the aim of
ensuring our customers receive the type of the service that we would expect.
When it came to gift wrapping we knew we were in safe hands when we contacted Jane Means, Britain’s Gift Wrapping expert!
Jane set up her company in 1995 and travels nationwide running private tuition courses in customer’s homes and workplaces - in addition to her own workshops based in Lincolnshire and London.
Other than the Gift Wrapping School, Jane has provided a luxury gift wrapping service for Selfridges, Blackwell Books, The White Company and at the Country Living Fairs and also consults many companies and runs corporate courses for retailers and charities. Her portfolio includes services for Selfridges, House of Fraser, The Queen Elizabeth Foundation, Meadowhall, W.H.Smith, O2, Philips, Marks and Spencer, NSPCC and Claridges to name a few.
Jane is also a regular with the BBC on radio and television and has judged the ‘Gift Wrapper of the Year’ final live on This Morning and The Richard and Judy show.
With this excellent CV and feeling daunted we contacted Jane and arranged a training course - stocking up on lots of sello tape and plasters for paper cuts. However we quickly discovered that Jane’s skill’s lay, not only in making us into competent ‘Blue Peter’ presenters - complete with double sided sticky tape, but also at putting us at ease, so that the day became one to remember and turned us into competent wrappers. Unfortunately this means we have raised the bar of expectation amongst our relations come Christmas, but we hope that you the customer will benefit from this.
Jane’s workshops are instructive and fun, catering for corporate clients to private customers in their home. It’s an entertaining day and full details can be found by clicking on this LINK to her website.
If your looking for a different idea to show your love - we can recommend a great service provided by Royal Mail called Smilers® stamps, which allow you to add a photo of your choice to the stamp.
This is a great way to personalise a letter, or a card to a loved one (especially for the first anniversary:paper) and you could also use a picture of the pair of you on a letter of invitation to friends and family if you decide to throw a party.
Its simply to use and prices start at £14.99 for a sheet of 20 first class stamps, including delivery.
You can create your Smilers® stamps by clicking on the link and using Royal Mails simple online application or, if your chosen photo is not in a digital format, simply download the order form and post it to them - they’ll do the rest.
In true Blue Peter fashion - I’ve attached a photograph of one we made earlier!
