As wedding week winds down, here are the promised details about how we celebrated this year’s anniversary: where we went, what we ate, the gifts we exchanged, and the small mementos we added to our home collection.
We began by checking off a few photographic traditions. On Wednesday afternoon we walked to Richmond’s Carytown district and visited our favorite photo booth at the New York Deli. It was Clara’s first photo booth experience and she loved it so much we couldn’t resist getting a second strip. Both strips now sit on a shelf in our dining area alongside other photo strips from big days past, keeping those memories close.
We also maintain a small framed collection of anniversary photos in our bedroom. On the ottoman near the mirror we display framed pictures taken on our last two anniversaries. We plan to add a new one each year and eventually create a gallery wall. In the left photo from our first anniversary you can even see us holding the cupcakes we froze from our wedding day to enjoy 365 days later—surprisingly, they were pretty good.
To continue the portrait tradition this year, after the photo booth we braved the heat and snapped a few backyard pictures with Clara included. Thanks to our tripod and the camera’s self-timer, we captured family shots that feature the arch we were married under in the foreground—one of our favorite frames from the day.
Next came the anniversary meal. For our first anniversary we recreated our wedding menu, and our second year we celebrated at our rehearsal dinner spot. This year we honored our Alaskan honeymoon with a salmon dish. I’m currently cooking my way through Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, so we picked a salmon stir-fry recipe. Kroger didn’t have every ingredient on the list, but the dish turned out quite well and everyone enjoyed it.
After dinner, with Clara asleep, it was time for gifts. Traditional third-year gifts might be leather, but this year we both chose art. Sherry surprised me with two 12″ x 12″ enlargements from Clara’s newborn shoot, matted and framed for our bedroom. They replaced a botanical print and now let us admire our little girl even when she’s sleeping across the hall. The photos match the room’s color palette perfectly, which was a lovely coincidence.
My gift to Sherry was a more personal, graphic piece reflecting the six years we’ve known each other and the five years we’ve partnered as a couple. I included sweet memories—how we became a family of four—and humorous touches, like the time I briefly thought her name might be Heather and how she’s usually the passenger since she rarely drives. It was a sentimental, slightly nerdy way of celebrating our story.
The formal gift exchange wrapped up on 7/7/10 for us, but the celebrations continued with a postponed day trip. Triple-digit heat sent us rescheduling plans, and we waited until the temperature dropped into the nineties before heading out.
We drove west to Charlottesville, Virginia, to spend the day near the Blue Ridge Mountains—close to where we got engaged. We spent much of the day cruising the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, taking in the views and reminiscing about the moments that led up to Clara’s arrival. I tend to remember exact days and events, so there were plenty of “three years ago on this day we were…” conversations and memories to share.
For lunch we stopped near the base of the mountains at Blue Mountain Brewery. It might seem odd for two non-drinking, baby-wearing parents to choose a brewery, but we had heard about its picturesque setting and locally sourced food. The business also embraces green practices, which we appreciate. Sherry admired their deep bronze-toned metal roof and joked about having one someday if they weren’t so costly.
The meal was simple and delicious, made with local ingredients, and I wore Clara in the carrier the whole time. She offered plenty of expressions—sleepy, happy, bashful, and the occasional grumpy look—keeping us entertained throughout the meal.
After lunch we stopped by my alma mater to pick up Clara’s first university onesie, then headed home to officially end our extended anniversary festivities. The next morning we made one last nod to our lemon-and-lime wedding theme by taking Clara’s eight-week photo. She was a good sport for the picture session.
Thanks for celebrating wedding week with us. It’s always inspiring to take a detour from the usual content and reflect on relationships and the small celebrations that accompany them—traditions that can provide great DIY and design ideas. We’ll return to our regular schedule on Monday, but until then we hope you enjoy celebrating anniversaries and other meaningful milestones over the coming year.
P.S. Want to see more of Clara? She doesn’t usually appear on the blog very often, but you can find many recent photos of Baby P by browsing the baby photo collection in the sidebar.