Celebrate Your Wedding Anniversary

If your spouse has a tendency to forget

You share the most intimate experiences, why be afraid to remind your spouse?

• Put an ad in the paper. Maybe not a real ad, but take a piece of paper and write, "Joe and Elizabeth are celebrating their 7th anniversary next Saturday, April 22." Put the paper in your spouse's favorite section of the paper and make sure he or she sees it.
• The next time you and your spouse are planning an event, say "I've been thinking about what we should do for our anniversary this year. What would you like to do?"
• Send an ecard to your spouse. Include a funny story about your wedding and add, "I can't wait to relive our wedding night on our anniversary Thursday."
• The next time your spouse has his or her calendar or PDA out, say, "Remember to add May 4, our anniversary."
• Be creative. Use an everyday event to come up with a reminder a week or a few days ahead of your anniversary. Won't it be much more fun to send a reminder than to be mad when he or she forgets - again?

Enjoy a romantic meal out

• Plan ahead for a night or day that works well into both of your schedules
• Take the afternoon off and meet for lunch before taking a walk in the park or enjoying some other activity together.
• Make arrangements for someone to pick up the kids or let the dog out if your time out conflicts with these daily activities
• Pack your lunch or dinner and meet at a park
• If you call ahead for reservations, ask for a table away from the kitchen
• Arrive early and bring a small bouquet of flowers
• Split a meal so you have room for a special dessert
• Look intently into one another's eyes - even if it makes you laugh - and remember why you love each other

Tips for a romantic meal in

You don't need to go out to have a romantic meal

• Plan the menu in advance and make sure you have everything you need
• Unless you enjoy cooking new things, stick with a standby favorite to keep the stress level low
• Make arrangements to have someone watch the kids
• Never underestimate the power the candle light and flowers
• If possible, use strings of small white lights (Christmas lights) to add soft light throughout the dining area (or bedroom)
• Turn on your favorite music and turn off anything else, TV, phone, etc. that might cause unwelcome noise or interruptions
• Serve a decadent dessert
• Put the cares of the day behind you and remember why you love each other
• Drink out of wine glasses or champagne flutes, even if you're just having water or juice
• Learn French - or at least a few phrases - to show your love in another language

Start celebrating today!

Don't wait for your anniversary date to start celebrating. Start today!

• Brag to your mother-in-law about how wonderful your spouse is. You'll win points with her and your spouse
• Place a single long-stemmed rose in a glass vase and place it on your wife's bedstand
• Clean your husband's car while he watches the big game
• Make your own romantic notecard and give it to your spouse just to say "I love you"
• Listen for hints of something your spouse really wants and get it for him or her as a surprise