How to Celebrate Relationship Milestones with Your Significant Other

Last Updated on December 18, 2024 by Joshua Isibor

There’s a lot of talk about which milestones to celebrate (and, in turn, which to skip). However, it feels like the part about how to celebrate always seems to get lost in the weeds. There’s no one correct way to celebrate each milestone, but you’d think a little guidance would help. Since there isn’t a whole lot out there, we figured it was time to put something together.

Which Relationship Milestones to Celebrate

Okay, we’re still going to talk about which ones are worth celebrating. It’s an important part of the whole thing! Obviously, you’ve got the classic milestones of one month, six months, one year and each anniversary after that. However, there are plenty of events you can use as excuse to buy some new everyday jewelry or go to a fancy dinner. Do you need an excuse? Well, no, but it sure doesn’t hurt!

Your First Kiss

This one seems like a no-brainer, though it really seems to get left behind a lot. Do you remember the first time you kissed someone? Maybe you can picture it, but do you remember the date? If so, congrats on the photographic memory. Most of us mere mortals aren’t keeping that one stored safely in our memory vaults. Regardless, if you commit to this early, you can keep celebrating it for years to come.

Meeting the Friends

This is a big one! It can be wildly nerve-wracking to meet your significant other’s friends (for both of you, honestly). You want them to like you. In fact, you need them to like you. It’s gonna be tough if they don’t. Give yourself an annual pat on the back for making a good first impression on the friends. Unless you didn’t. In which case, the annual pat on the back can be for winning them over despite making a terrible first impression.

Meeting the Family

In most ways, more nerve-wracking than meeting the friends. You can switch out friends, but you’re stuck with family. We’re sure you made a fantastic first impression and didn’t spill red wine everywhere because you don’t actually know how to use a wine key. If so, congrats on pulling yourself back from that mortifying incident and moving on.

Saying ‘I Love You’

Huge! One of the biggest and most often forgotten dates in a relationship. That’s a big deal, and most couples don’t know when it first happened. Here’s an extra celebration excuse.

Your First Fight

Counterintuitive? Maybe. Still, (assuming you worked through it in a healthy way and it’s been long enough) this is actually really worth celebrating. Any good relationship is going to have fights. Maybe not huge, screaming fights where furniture flies, but fights nonetheless. In fact, it’s beneficial in some ways to fight. Consider the positives on this one.

How to Celebrate Relationship Milestones

Gift Giving

This is a classic component of celebrating any relationship milestone because it works. It’s a great way to show your affection and say, “I love you this many dollars’ worth.” It’s also just a nice healthy exchange, too, but whatever. Proposing or giving promise rings is often done on the anniversary of some significant relationship moment.

Recreate Your First Date

This is always a winner when done right. Even if your first date was awful. In fact, this may be a great way to resurrect your first date and do it properly. It can be a really fun way to reflect on just how far you’ve come, too.

A Fancy Dinner

It’s not just for proposals, though it’s also often for proposals. Temper expectations on this one because there’s nothing more uncomfortable than one person expecting a proposal while the other has no plans to propose.

A New Wedding Band

Anniversary bands are generally given on major wedding milestones like 10 or 25 years, though you’re more than welcome to give them any time. If you got married young and you want to replace the old band with his and her wedding ring sets now that you’re more financially stable, this is a great time to do so.

A Night in

Sometimes you just want to stay in. You’ve got a lot going on, and you’ve been together a while. Order pizza, put on a movie and fall asleep at 9:30. You’ve earned it.

What If You’re in a Long-Distance Relationship?

It’s definitely tougher, but not impossible. Read on for our fave suggestions.

How About a Box Service?

You can get anything in a box. If your partner loves coffee, chocolate or the outdoors, there’s a box for it. If they have some wild, one-off hobby, there’s honestly probably a box for that, too. You can literally get a potato delivered with a message on it, so the sky’s the limit.

Send Them a Letter

This puts a lot of faith in the United States Postal Service, but roll those dice if you like. A handwritten letter is just more romantic than pretty much any other form of communication. Yes, even more romantic than the potato.

Plan to Meet Up

Seems like the obvious solution, but also the most logistically complicated. If, however, you can make it work, your sacrifice will be incredibly appreciated.

At the end of the day, celebrate however you like. If, however, you were stumped on ideas, we hope this helped!

Originally posted 2023-04-12 17:24:39.