Wow, it’s been almost a year since you took one of the biggest life-changing steps of your existence and said “I do.” The good news is that they have made it through the first year of marriage and love each other more than ever. The bad news is that now you have to find a first wedding anniversary gift that expresses your feelings of commitment and love.

For my first wedding anniversary, I opted to follow the “Traditional Anniversary Gift List,” which is a directory of wedding anniversaries and the symbolic materials for each anniversary, one through fifteen, and every five years thereafter. The “list” was made up of a variety of anniversary customs and was endorsed by the late Mrs. Emily Post, who was recognized as “the last word” on etiquette.

According to the traditional anniversary gift list, “paper” is the first anniversary gift. So now, after deciding to be a true romantic and trying to follow the tradition, I am faced with trying to locate a paper gift that demonstrates commitment, romance, and love. I have to confess that I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but after some deliberation and some help from Google I compiled a nice paper gift list.

Message in a bottle, this can be an extremely romantic and touching gift item. Just imagine the look on their face as they unwrap the box or better yet when they discover the bottle you hid somewhere where they will find it. Then, removing the stopper and reading the note, they realize that it was written for them.

Handmade paper roses, this may well be the ideal gift for a first anniversary. You will get the amazing look of roses and the romance of following the tradition with paper.

Personalized poetry, this is an exceptional gift idea as you fall in love with poetry and tradition from the moment it is printed on paper. If you’re not a great poet, don’t worry, you can easily find fill-in-the-blank poetry online for free and there are also writers who specialize in writing poetry for clients.

Your favorite framed photos, a good do-it-yourself gift can be a solitary photo or a collage.

Art Print/Poster This item can be as inexpensive as a local chain store poster or as expensive as a numbered and signed art print. Classic movie posters make great gifts for moviegoers.

romantic love letter Great gift on its own and as a complement to other gifts. If you are not good at expressing feelings and writing them down, don’t worry, there are plenty of free love letters online that you can rephrase and make your own.

Paper tickets to a movie, show or sporting event, this gift idea can be as inexpensive as local movie tickets or as unique as tickets to a sold-out Broadway show.

Love Coupons, a fun gift that you can create yourself quite easily. Just search for “love coupons” and you’ll find plenty of free printable love coupons, most have fill-in-the-blank forms with names and values. You can make the coupon redeemable for something like dinner, a massage, or anything you want.

Bigger _____ prizes, you can create a better spouse, friend, lover, or any prize you want. There are plenty of free printable award certificates online, all you have to do is fill in the blanks and print them out, then roll them up in a scroll or frame and you have a thoughtful paper gift.

A name that means print with the couple’s first names. Framed or rolled, name prints make great gifts that show the origin and meaning of their names.