Good news from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) this week, when it announced that the divorce rate in England and Wales had fallen to it’s lowest level in 22 years.

Figures show a 7% decrease in break-ups between couples in 2006 compared with the previous year - hitting it’s lowest level since 1984.

Couples who divorce do so on average after 11 and a half years of marriage, statistics reveal. Men and women in their 20’s were most likely to divorce compared with other age groups, but the average age to divorce was 43 for men and 40 for women.

The emotional fallout can be devastating for families and we offer some hints and tips to celebrating your anniversary so that you can take time together to remember how your adventures first began.
Click on the following link for our Anniversary Ideas.

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.

There are more and more green gifts appearing on the market all the time, but why not consider the ultimate green anniversary present and dedicate a tree to your loved one via the Woodland Trust for as little as £10? For each dedication you will receive:

• an attractive card
• a window sticker
• a certificate bearing your dedication
• a map giving details of the chosen wood where your tree is planted

When we started The Anniversary Present, we wanted to keep it as environmentally responsible as possible and also donate to a charity that invested in green initiatives so it made perfect sense to become a corporate sponsor of the Woodland Trust.

We had already been members for a number of years and are big tree fans. We gave saplings as gifts at our own wedding. We also actively support campaigns which protect ancient woodland.

All of the money received from dedicating a tree through our website goes directly to the charity.

This weekend we decided to combine our green ethos with our love of travel. In our effort to reduce air pollution we booked train tickets from London to Berlin through Deutsche Bahn UK. We took the Eurostar from Waterloo on Friday evening and arrived at Brussels after a couple of hours (spent enjoying picturesque countryside and a glass of chilled wine) then took a sleeper train direct to Berlin to arrive at 8am the following morning - ready for adventure, (more) drinking and sausages! The return trip on Sunday night meant we arrived back at Waterloo at 8:15am Monday morning - perfect timing for the start of a new week.

We thought that the city was great - a real mix of new and old. The Berliners were friendly and helpful and the city boasts great places to eat and drink amongst tree-lined streets - thanks to an extensive re-planting campaign over the last 2 decades.

Highlights included the Brandenburg Gate, The Pergamon Museum with the amazing Pergamon Altar, the incredibly atmospheric Holocaust Memorial, The Reichstag, and the Currywurst - a spicey German sausage with fries.

No one is really certain where the list came from. It has most likely evolved from a tradition in medieval Europe when wives were given a silver wreath after 25 years of marriage and a gold wreath after 50.

A version of the current list was first published in 1922 in a book called “Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home” by Emily Post. This only detailed the milestone years, but the 1957 reprint included materials for the first 15 anniversaries and every 5th year after that up to 75.

Since then, various associations have added extra years to the list. There is also a ‘modern’ version which includes items such as clocks, appliances and musical instruments.

We’ve put together a simple survey for married women with 8 questions that can be answered anonymously, but that will give us a greater idea of what you the customer would like.

We are aware that you’ll be taking time out to complete this survey (1 minute max!) so we’re offering a 10% Discount Coupon to use on our gifts, as a thank you.

If you would like to help us to help you and claim your 10% Discount Coupon, please click on the logo below to be taken to the survey. Once completed we will email you the coupon code.

Please note we will not share this information with third parties - our aim is to improve your experience and that of the person receiving the gift.

Thanks again!