If you follow the tradition of gifting each other themed anniversary gifts, local Kansas City businesses offer some great options to make your celebration one to remember. Listen, this year has been no joke—and if you’ve put up with your spouse for all of 2020, you both deserve to treat yourselves to a little somethin’-somethin’.
Whether you’re celebrating your 1st anniversary or your 25th, here are a few ideas to commemorate your special day, KC-style.
1st Anniversary – Paper
Visit one of Kansas City’s locally-owned bookstores like Prospero’s or Rainy Day Books and pick out a book you think your partner would love. If you’re more a “crosswords and coffee” type of couple, support the local news with a subscription to The Kansas City Star.
2nd Anniversary – Cotton
If you haven’t taken a couple’s photo together in your Charlie Hustle T-shirts, are you even a Kansas Citian? You can both rep the city in style by picking up KC-inspired threads from Charlie Hustle on the Plaza, Local Foundery in Lee’s Summit, or at one of Made in Kansas City’s six area locations.
3rd Anniversary – Leather
Turn your partner into a trendsetter with a leather wallet, tote, or belt from Foxtrot Supply. If you’re vegan or otherwise unenthused about the traditional 3rd anniversary gift, skip the leather goods and create your own candle at Embers Candle Bar by combining their leather scent with other warm fragrances for a one-of-a-kind anniversary gift.
4th Anniversary – Fruit and Flowers
Fruit is good. Fruit pies? Even better. Order a classic apple or unique “blubarb” pie from The Upper Crust in Overland Park and take it to-go for a date night amongst the flowers at the Overland Park Arboretum and Gardens.
5th Anniversary – Wood
Spend your anniversary with a fun DIY project by assembling this wooden homage to the Kansas City Western Auto sign by Decoylab. And if you pick up a wine from Cellar Rat with some bold oak notes to fuel your crafting session, that should count as a wood-inspired gift, too.
6th Anniversary – Sugar or Iron
Give the modern anniversary gift of a sugar high with delicious, artisan chocolates from Andre’s or Christopher Elbow. If you’re dead-set on iron, pay your respects to the original anniversary gift by visiting the shops and restaurants in the Iron District for an exciting anniversary date.
7th Anniversary – Wool
If you’ve reached year seven and blanked on a wool-based gift, it’s OK to get a little creative. Happy Habitat offers an alpaca throw that will put any wool blanket to shame. If you want to make sure the sheep get their due credit, gift your loved one with a sheep cheese subscription from Green Dirt Farm.
8th Anniversary – Bronze
You have two options here: you can gift a membership to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to admire the museum’s many bronze sculptures…or you could subtract the “r” in bronze, switch the “n” with another “o”, and look at that, now you have “booze.” Taste some local booze at J. Rieger Co. (You’re welcome.)
9th Anniversary – Pottery
Even if you’ve never sat behind a pottery wheel, take advantage of your 9th anniversary by signing yourselves up for a date night at Belger Arts. After you’ve shaped your pots, Belger will fire and glaze your creations so you have a lasting memory of your anniversary to display.
10th Anniversary – Diamonds
Maybe a sparkling rock isn’t in your budget, but Kansas City has its own famous diamond: Kauffman Stadium. While COVID-19 certainly put a damper on this year’s baseball schedule, maybe there’s a chance to gift your spouse with tickets to celebrate their favorite hometown team in the 2021 season. If not, this art print by Tammy Smith is sure to hit a home run.
15th Anniversary – Crystal
Spend a First Friday weekend searching for vintage glassware in the West Bottoms. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some real crystal! Then find something to fill up your new glasses by picking out some unique sodas to sample from KC Soda Co.
20th Anniversary – Porcelain
Buy your spouse some colorful new dinnerware from Pryde’s and choose a recipe you can make together to help break it in (metaphorically, of course—don’t literally break your new china). Of course, you won’t have to wash any porcelain dishes if you choose to dine out at any of KC’s fine dining restaurants instead. Just saying.
25th Anniversary – Silver
Sure, you could celebrate your silver anniversary with the typical jewelry or watch, but if you’re looking for another option, consider using your 25th to honor the silver screen. While the Kansas City Public Library’s Durwood Film Vault is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19, the library typically rents the steel bank vault for private screenings of your favorite films. Keep that in mind if you’re a year or two out from number 25. Celebrating this year? Don’t sweat. There’s nothing more romantic than a classic drive-in movie.
No matter how you celebrate your anniversary, it’s always fun to add a little local flavor to your special day, even if that just looks like clinking a pair of Boulevard beers together under the KC skyline. Happy Anniversary!
Disclaimer: if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is for certain! Double-check with these local businesses before visiting to make sure they’re open to the public.