- LDR anniversary gift
- A gift celebrating a long distance relationship milestone that acknowledges both the traditional anniversary significance and the unique challenges of maintaining love across distance—often emphasizing connection, shared experiences, and the commitment required to make the relationship work.
Anniversaries in long distance relationships hit different. You're not just celebrating another year together—you're celebrating another year of airport pickups, time zone calculations, and choosing each other despite the distance. That deserves a gift that acknowledges the unique nature of what you've built.
Here are 23 anniversary gift ideas, organized by traditional year themes and LDR-specific categories.
Anniversary Gifts by Year
First Anniversary — Paper (Traditional)
One year down. That's no small thing in an LDR. Paper-themed gifts that actually work:
1. Custom Map Print — A beautifully designed map showing your two locations connected by a line, or the specific place you first met. Quality matters here—look for archival paper and proper framing options. The best maps include coordinates, dates, and personalized text. Makes a statement piece for any room.
$40-60
2. Year One Memory Book — Not just a photo album—a curated story of your first year. Include photos from visits, ticket stubs from trips, printed screenshots of meaningful text conversations, receipts from your first restaurant. Services like Artifact Uprising create beautiful hardcover books. The effort of curation is part of the gift.
$30-50
3. Love Letters Collection — 12 letters, one for each month of your first year. Reflect on what happened that month, what you learned, what you loved. Handwritten on quality paper, sealed in individual envelopes. Takes time but costs almost nothing. These become treasured keepsakes.
$0-20
4. Custom Star Map — The night sky exactly as it appeared on the date you started dating, above the location where you were. Scientifically accurate and genuinely beautiful. Frame it for proper presentation.
$40-50
Second Anniversary — Cotton
Cotton means fabric, and fabric works beautifully for LDR couples who miss physical closeness:
5. Matching Pajama Sets — Wearing the same thing even while apart. Quality cotton sets in coordinating colors or patterns. Makes video calls feel more intimate and creates a shared ritual around bedtime.
$50-100
6. Custom Embroidered Pillow — A quality throw pillow with meaningful coordinates, your anniversary date, or a phrase that matters to you two. Something they'll see every day in their space.
$30-50
7. Personalized Blanket — Either a photo blanket with images from your relationship, or a custom embroidered throw with your names, locations, or date. Practical comfort with emotional significance.
$40-80
Third Anniversary — Leather
8. Matching Leather Passport Holders — For all those flights to see each other. Can be embossed with initials or coordinates. Practical for LDR couples who travel frequently to each other's cities.
$40-80 for pair
9. Engraved Leather Journal — For documenting your LDR journey. Quality leather cover with custom engraving of names, date, or a meaningful phrase. Fill the first page with a love letter before giving it.
$35-60
10. Leather Watch Band or Bracelet — With coordinates or anniversary date engraved. Something they wear daily that carries meaning only you two understand.
$50-100
Fourth Anniversary — Fruit/Flowers
11. Preserved Rose Box — Real roses treated to last a full year. Available in various colors and arrangements. A single rose or a full box—the preservation process means they're receiving flowers that will last until your next anniversary.
$50-100
12. Monthly Flower Subscription — Flowers delivered to their door regularly throughout the year. Some services let you customize arrangements and include notes. Creates ongoing moments of connection.
$40-60/month
Fifth Anniversary — Wood
Five years is a major milestone. Go bigger here:
13. Wooden Watch — Quality wood watches look surprisingly elegant. Engraving on the back with your anniversary date or a short message. Unique and conversation-starting.
$100-200
14. Custom Wood Map — Laser-cut wooden map of a meaningful location—the city where you met, your two cities connected, or where you're planning to live together. These are statement pieces worthy of a five-year milestone.
$80-150
15. Wooden Music Box — Custom music boxes that play your song when opened. Wind-up mechanism, no batteries needed. Some include space for a photo inside the lid.
$40-80
LDR-Specific Anniversary Gifts (Any Year)
Connection Devices
Anniversary is a great time to invest in something you'll use daily throughout the next year:
16. Touch Lamps — The classic LDR connection tool. Touch yours, theirs lights up anywhere in the world. Multiple colors let you create your own language. A daily reminder of connection that pays for itself in meaning over the year.
$85-170
Our complete touch lamp guide →
17. Touch Bracelets — Wearable version of touch lamps. Tap your bracelet, theirs vibrates. More intimate than lamps—you actually feel the touch on your wrist. Subtle enough to wear anywhere.
$70-150
18. Time-Released Postcards — An anniversary message that unfolds over days. Physical postcard, digital content released on a schedule. Day 1: your video message. Day 3: photos from the year. Day 7: final surprise.
$35-60
Experience Gifts
19. Flight Credits Toward Next Visit — Practical and deeply meaningful. Put money toward the next time you'll see each other. Some couples prefer this to physical gifts—it directly reduces the time until you're together.
Variable
20. Virtual Date Night Subscription — 3-6 months of planned virtual dates. Services that send coordinated activities, games, or experiences. Takes the planning pressure off for months of quality video call time.
$100-250
Milestone Documentation
21. Photo Book of the Year — Different from a first-anniversary book—this is specifically documenting this year's journey. Visits, screenshots of video calls, everyday moments. A tradition worth starting.
$30-60
22. Video Compilation — Clips from throughout the year edited together. Video messages, snippets from calls you recorded, footage from visits. Services exist to help compile these, or DIY with basic editing software.
$0-100
23. Written Relationship Story — Your relationship story in a custom-printed book. How you met, the journey so far, where you're headed. Some services interview you and write the narrative; others let you write and design it yourself.
$50-150
Anniversary Ideas When You Can't Be Together
Sometimes the anniversary falls during the distance phase. Here's how to make it special anyway:
- Synchronized dinner. Order from the same restaurant chain (or similar cuisine from local spots), set up video call with candles, eat "together." Some couples dress up for this—it's a real date, just virtual.
- Open gifts together. Ship gifts early with strict instructions not to open until the call. Open simultaneously on video. Watch each other's reactions in real time.
- Virtual trip down memory lane. Create a presentation of your relationship highlights. Photos, screenshots, videos, significant moments. Walk through it together, reminiscing.
- Start a new tradition. Something you can do every anniversary, together or apart. Same movie watched simultaneously, same recipe cooked, same walk taken while on the phone. Traditions create continuity.
- Plan the next year. Spend part of your anniversary call planning visits for the year ahead. When will you see each other? What do you want to do together? Making plans is its own form of celebration.
Budget Anniversary Gifts
Not every anniversary needs to be expensive. These options prove that effort matters more than price:
- Handwritten love letter (Free) — Real paper, real pen, real emotions. Takes time, costs nothing, means everything.
- Custom playlist (Free) — Songs from your relationship, in chronological order. Include notes about why each song matters.
- "Open when" anniversary edition ($10-20) — Letters for the year ahead: "Open on our 6-month mark," "Open when you miss me," "Open on our next anniversary."
- Photo calendar ($20-30) — A calendar featuring your favorite photos from the relationship, marking important dates throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's a good first anniversary gift for a long distance relationship?
- For the traditional paper theme, consider a custom star map showing the sky on the night you started dating ($40-50), a year-one memory book with photos and mementos ($30-50), or a collection of 12 love letters reflecting on each month. Custom map prints connecting your two locations also work beautifully.
- How do you celebrate an anniversary when you can't be together?
- Plan a synchronized experience: order from the same restaurant and eat together on video call, ship gifts early and open them simultaneously, create a presentation of your relationship highlights to share, or start a new tradition you can continue every anniversary. The key is creating shared moments despite the physical distance.
- Should I follow traditional anniversary gift themes for LDR?
- Traditional themes (paper for 1st, cotton for 2nd, leather for 3rd, etc.) can add meaningful structure to your gift-giving, but they're not required. What matters most is choosing something that acknowledges your unique LDR journey. Many couples blend traditional themes with LDR-specific items like connection devices or experience gifts.
- What's a good budget anniversary gift for LDR couples?
- Handwritten love letters (free), custom playlists chronicling your relationship ($0), "Open When" letter collections for the year ahead ($10-20), and photo calendars ($20-30) are all meaningful options under $30. The effort and personalization matter more than price for anniversary gifts.
- Are connection devices good anniversary gifts?
- Yes—anniversaries are an ideal time to invest in connection devices like touch lamps ($85-170) or touch bracelets ($70-150). These provide daily value throughout the next year of your relationship, making the anniversary gift meaningful far beyond the day itself.
Looking for more ideas? Check out our complete LDR gift guide, explore unique gift ideas for something different, or see gifts for girlfriend and gifts for boyfriend for gender-specific ideas.