Anniversary Photo Book Ideas to Celebrate Every Year of Your Union

An anniversary is the perfect time to celebrate the special love that you share with your spouse. Whether you've been married for five or 25 years, you no doubt want to give your partner a special gift that celebrates your love. And nothing says "I love you" like a personalized gift! That's why creating an anniversary photo book is a great way to honor your bond.

Of course, there are a million anniversary photo book ideas out there. Maybe you're obsessed with chronicling your life together year by year. Maybe you want to make a photo book that shows off all the "just-the-two-of-us" shots you've taken throughout the years. Get inspired by these seven romantic photo book ideas that range from silly to sentimental.

Represent every year of your marriage in a photo book

A year-by-year photo book that chronicles your life as a couple is a perfect choice if you've been married for 10 or more years. After you've chosen your images, organize them by year. Remember that you aren't counting calendar years from January to December — you're counting each full year of your marriage. So if you got married in June 2002, you'd use all your photos from June 2002 to May 2003 to celebrate your first year together.

The Milestone Wedding Anniversary Photo Book by Martha Stewart is pre-formatted with timelines that make creating a chronological book a snap. Of course, you can adjust any of Mixbook's photo book themes to meet your needs. Simply start each year of your book with an introductory page or headline that indicates Year One, Year Two, and so on.

If you've been married for a long time, you might find yourself scanning old photos to include in your book. You can scan your photos at home if you have a multi-use printer. You can also take them to a retailer like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, or Costco to have them scanned. Try to avoid taking pictures of your old photos with your smartphone as these often introduce 'noise' and reflections not present in your original prints.

Focus on celebration-centric images

You've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and more with your spouse throughout the years. Why not create a photo book that contains all the celebration-oriented images you can gather? Spend time going through celebration images and finding ones that have just you and your spouse. Remember that it's okay to crop people out of the photos if you need to — after all, this book is supposed to be about just the two of you.

If you crop people out of your photos, you may need to make some basic photo edits to ensure that the shots look their best. If you don't have many "just us" photos, ask friends and family if they have images to contribute. We love this anniversary photo book idea because it lets you crowdsource some of the work! Of course, it's fine to include photos with other people too if you don't have other shots to include.

Design a family-oriented photo book

If you have kids, they're probably one of the biggest reasons that you work so hard with your spouse to maintain a happy, healthy relationship. While some people prefer a "just us" creation, it's fine to make a family-oriented photo book instead! Be sure to remember that you're showcasing your family life as part of your love story, so the book should still focus on you and your spouse as the 'main characters.'

Many of our anniversary photo book themes, like the Love by Elizabeth Olwen design, are perfect for family photos. You can also use Mixbook's Theme Explorer to find a layout that speaks to your family's style. This anniversary photo book idea lets you blend the best of bright, kid-friendly graphics with romantic touches. Try colorful florals and watercolor backgrounds to craft a gorgeous family-oriented anniversary book.

Show off your best couple's trip memories

Some couples have serious wanderlust and are always on the go. If that describes your relationship, consider making a travel photo book that chronicles your marriage from year to year. This anniversary photo book idea is similar to creating a chronological celebration of your marriage, but you'll focus on using only shots from your adventures together. It's fun to include images from far-flung destinations, but be sure to include photos from more local adventures too.

You can adapt the Luxury Vacation Coffee Table Book to include more than just your honeymoon. Of course, you can use any other romantic or travel photo book template to create a couple-centric photo book. Be sure to include captions that note the place you were traveling and the date when the shots were taken. You might remember your special trips forever, but your kids and grandkids will want to know this information too.

Tell your love story

Do you love to tell your friends and family about how you met your spouse? An anniversary is the perfect time to put this story down in writing. Combine photos of the early years of your relationship along with written text that describes when and how you met. You can tell the story of your engagement and share memories from your wedding in this project too.

Try the Our Story theme if you're looking for an anniversary photo book idea that captures the details of how you met, got engaged, and got married. As you write your story, try to record all of the little details that you want your kids to know in the future. Everything from how you met to where you went on your first date to when you knew you were in love is fair game.

Craft a 'Why you make me happy' collection

You're married to your partner because you love them, but how often do you share specific reasons that they make you smile? Many people struggle to put their love into words and show appreciation for their spouse. You can overcome that struggle by creating an anniversary photo book that shares reasons why your spouse makes you happy.

Start by making a list of the things your spouse does that you love. Maybe they have a great sense of humor or are always eager to help with tasks around the house. Perhaps they're a wonderful parent or they always buy the best gifts on your birthday. Once you have a list of the top 10 (or more) reasons you love your spouse, look for photos that embody each item.

You might have to be sneaky — if your partner maintains a beautiful garden that you love, take some shots of them working outdoors. If your spouse always leaves you sweet notes, snap some photos of those. The 10 Reasons Why I Love You theme will guide you through the creative process if you're not sure how to set up this type of photo book.

Make a book with your favorite mementos

You've done a lot with your spouse over the years. If you love going to concerts, traveling, or writing love notes, consider making a volume that shows off mementos from your years together. This anniversary photo book idea gives you the perfect excuse to break out your scrapbooks and reminisce over all the wonderful things you've done together over the years.

You can use two different approaches to create this book:

1. Create a photo book that includes photos of you and your spouse, but leave blank spaces to glue in actual mementos such as boarding passes, birthday cards, and pressed flowers from your wedding.
2. Scan mementos like love letters, ticket stubs, and anniversary cards so that you can include copies of them as photos in your book.

No matter the approach you choose, be sure to include context for each memento. Include a caption that shares the date you received or purchased the item. It's fun to include photos from the trip or occasion that the memento is from too. For example, include photos of you and your spouse rocking out alongside ticket stubs from concerts you attended together.

Do you want to celebrate your significant other with a romantic photo book that shows off just how much your love means? Get started on your anniversary photo book today. Don't worry if you've been procrastinating — Mixbook's AutoMagic Create tool and express shipping options let you create and receive a finished photo book in as little as one week.