Anniversary gifts for him: 40 ideas for your husband or boyfriend, by year and budget

• A handwritten letter about the moment you knew.
• A framed print of the place you met or got engaged.
• His wedding speech, typed, printed and bound.
• A watch engraved on the back with the date and one word.
• A jar of reasons you love him, one for every week of the next year.
• A wallet with a small photo of you two and a note tucked inside.
• A star map of the night you met.
• A playlist of your relationship, with a line about each song.
• A photo book with one page per year.
• Your story as a novel, from the first date to today.

• A night away in a pub with rooms, no phones at dinner.
• Tickets to a match, a gig or a comedy night.
• A whisky, gin or real ale tasting for two.
• A track day, a rally experience or a go-kart session.
• A cookery or butchery class, then the dish at home.
• A round at a course he has always wanted to play.
• A day's fishing or a guided hill walk.
• A recreation of your first date.

• Breakfast in bed with the paper and nothing planned until noon.
• A note in his coat pocket for every day of the anniversary week.
• His favourite meal cooked from scratch, with the table laid properly.
• The film you saw on your first date, at home, with the same snacks.
• A slow dance in the kitchen to your wedding song.
• A framed photo of the two of you on his desk at work.
• A walk to the place you first kissed, with a flask.
• A toast at dinner, with three things you love about him said out loud.

• A leather weekend bag for the trips you keep planning.
• A really good pair of walking boots.
• Noise-cancelling headphones for the commute.
• A cast-iron pan or a proper knife for the one who cooks.
• A merino jumper in the colour he always picks.
• A smart garden tool or a premium set of barbecue tools.
• A grooming kit from a traditional barber.
• A coffee machine or grinder if mornings are sacred.

The full list, year by year, is in our guide to wedding anniversary gifts by year.

For a husband, look backwards: the wedding, the homes, the children. Gifts that record your shared life (a book, a photo book, his speech framed) tend to mean more than another gadget.

For a boyfriend, look at what he has told you: a band, a team, a place. A gift that proves you listened is better than a big one, especially in the first few years.

• A pocket notebook with your first messages copied in.
• A box of the sweets from his childhood.
• A coupon book of small favours.
• A jigsaw of a photo of you two.
• A framed ticket stub from your first date.
• The digital edition of your love story (£29).

Men who say they want nothing are often the ones most moved by a book about their own marriage. With a Notre Livre anniversary book, one of you (or a son or daughter) tells the story in a guided conversation: how you met, the wedding, the homes, the children, the hard years and the good ones. It becomes a novel of 80 to 200 pages, written in the first person with AI assistance. Nothing is invented, the first page is free to read before paying, and every chapter is reviewed before printing.

£29 digital, £55 or £75 as a hardback printed in the UK, VAT and UK delivery included. See the prices page.

A rough guide. Prices for third-party gifts vary by retailer; Notre Livre prices are the ones charged on this site.