The best anniversary gifts are the ones that could only have been made for one couple. A calendar photo poster does exactly that: your two names, a heart made of your photographs, and a real calendar page with one day marked, the day it all started.
It is also one of the few personal gifts you can make in an afternoon, even if you have left it to the last minute.
What goes on the poster
- Both names across the top, on either side of a heart
- Up to eighteen photographs, arranged into the heart shape
- The month and year of your date, drawn as that month's real calendar
- Your day marked, the way you would ring it on a wall calendar
- A line at the foot for the number of years, or a short message
Step 1: pick the date
Decide which day the poster celebrates. It might be the wedding, the first date, the day you moved in together, or the day you got engaged. Choose the one that means the most to both of you, not necessarily the official one.
Step 2: choose the photographs
Eighteen sounds like a lot until you start choosing. A few ideas:
- Tell the story in order, from the earliest photo you have together to the most recent.
- Mix close-ups and scenes. Faces are what people look at first, but a beach or a kitchen you shared adds the setting.
- Include one or two that only the two of you would understand. That is what makes it personal.
- Use the original files from your phone, not copies from a chat app, which are shrunk and print blurry. Our guide to printing a phone photo as a poster explains why.
Step 3: get the calendar right
This sounds obvious, but many ready-made anniversary prints get it wrong: the template's calendar is copied from a design rather than calculated, so the first of the month lands on the wrong weekday. Anyone who checks their own date will notice.
Our template works out the calendar itself. Choose the month and year, and it calculates which weekday the month starts on, how many days it has and how many rows it needs, then marks your day on the right square.
Step 4: add the finishing line
The line at the foot is a good place for "5 years", "Since 2019", or a single line from your song. Keep it short so it does not crowd the photographs.
Step 5: print and frame it
Export the print file and take it to a local print shop, or print it at home on good-quality photo paper. An A3 or 12 by 16 inch frame suits the layout well. A plain wood or white frame lets the photographs carry the colour.
Make yours
Open the anniversary calendar poster, add your names and photos, pick your date, and print it or export a PDF. Your photos stay on your device; nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.