Happy Anniversary is a milestone phrase, no matter how long you have been married. Treating that anniversary like a special occasion every year is something you should always do. My husband and I have been together for 34 years. This year we are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on March 6th. Did you know that every anniversary has a traditional gift, a special symbol, and sometimes a gem? The traditional 30th-anniversary gift is a pearl. Even though I’m not a big jewelry person, a pearl necklace would be a special gift.
The Best Anniversary Gifts
There are different ways to celebrate wedding anniversaries without breaking the bank. The first few years of a marriage are usually the hardest, especially in the financial area. This is why these perfect traditional anniversary gifts are inexpensive and easy to create. Don’t get me wrong, spend the money on the major milestone years, like the 10th, 20th, 25th, and of course our 30th. But spending a fortune isn’t always the best way to show your best friend how much you love them.
Related – Anniversary Gifts Through The Years
You Don’t Always Have To Be Traditional
My husband isn’t the most romantic guy, nor does he always pick out the best gifts, but he sure shines when it counts. Even though the traditional 30th wedding anniversary gift is pearl jewelry, my ideal gift is travel, adventure, and fun. I would rather create happy memories than have a pair of pearl earrings that I know I will never wear. My favorite photo of us was taken at White Sands outside of Las Cruces, NM.
Celebrating Our 30th Wedding Anniversary Where It All Began
We were married at the local San Antonio Zoo. I worked there at the time, and my boss allowed us to share our vows with our close friends and family, and of course, the over 5000 guests that were there for the reveal of the white alligator. It was an absolutely beautiful day. My best friend, mom, and brother were there for me, and my husband’s parents, best friend, and brother were there for him. My dress was T-length with lace and pearls, and we had pink flamingos behind us.
The San Antonio Zoo
We celebrated our 30th year of marriage by reliving our wedding day. We headed to the zoo and took photos and visited the place where we held our wedding. It is so different now, the river with the island and flamingos is now a tiny tot area, still beautiful, but different. And baboon hill is completely different
The Magic Time Machine
After the visit to the zoo, we headed to the Magic Time Machine Restaurant. This is where we had our first date and our wedding reception, and it’s a staple restaurant in San Antonio. The themed restaurant has its waiters and waitresses dressed as characters from cartoons, movies, celebrities, and more. During our reception, our waitress was Patsy Cline.
Over the years we have had dinner here for some of our milestone anniversaries and have had Thor, Spongebob, and this time we had Snow White as our waiters. The cocktails are themed as well as the different menu items. It truly holds a special place in our hearts and was the perfect place for celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary.
La Cantera Resort
For the weekend, we were hosted at one of San Antonio’s premier resorts, the La Cantera Resort & Spa. As we drove through the security gate, we were greeted by a wonderful guard that gave us our parking card and told us where to go. Driving through the grounds on our way to the resort was absolutely beautiful. Lined with trees and beautifully landscaped grounds. We arrived at the entrance where they grabbed our bags and valeted the Jeep. We checked in and were whisked to the 7th floor of the resort. I will never stay on any other level of this resort again. The 7th floor is where all the magic happens.
Staying On The 7th Floor
When I say staying on the 7th floor is where it’s at, I’m not kidding. We were greeted again by a friendly person handing us glasses of champagne. As she walked us around the open guest area and showed us all the amenities that were included in our stay, like free drinks, and coffee, yes, she had me at coffee. Then she told us about the free happy hour, 2 hours of free drinks, and munchies. An amazing breakfast was also included in our 7th-floor stay, and our valet was part of the deal.
Exploring The La Cantera Resort
We decided to explore the resort and rest a little before we headed off to our big dinner. It’s funny, you know it’s true love when you both get excited about the arcade located on the ground floor of the resort. We then visited the little boutique by the pool, and of course, I found the sale items. I needed something for the next day at the spa and found a great overlay shirt to relax in.
Celebrating Our 30th Wedding Anniversary With Dinner At Signature
Have you ever had a dream of the perfect meal? Well, that dream came true for us at the restaurant Signature. I don’t know if I can even explain what an amazing dinner experience this was. We were picked up from our hotel for an open-air ride to the restaurant located by the golf course. We even saw a deer on the way, you know spotting critters is my thing. As we walked into this amazing restaurant, we were once again greeted by an amazing staff that made us feel very special.
Beautiful View
The view from the restaurant was spectacular, and they even came around the tables with a tray of every kind of fruit you could think of to put into our water glass.
Starting With Cocktails
We started with cocktails, I of course ordered a smoked old-fashioned, which they call a new fashion and they use chocolate bitters and vanilla simple syrup. And the hubs ordered a cocktail called once bitten not shy, it was so good and had mezcal, cherry, cranberry, and agave in it.
Cleansing The Palate
The cocktails were followed with a palate cleansing treat, a spoonful of gazpacho, which is a cooled soup, along with rolls and their amazing onion-infused butter.
Appetizers To Start
We ordered 2 appetizers and split a caesar salad. For the appetizers, I ordered fried oysters and caviar, and he ordered charred baby carrots. The salad had whole anchovies on it, which I had never had, but really enjoyed.
What Silverware To Use
Another palate-cleansing treat came next, it was mango sorbet. I even contacted my etiquette friend Diane Gottsman to ask her what the little spoon was for. I mention this because, after every dish, new silverware was placed on our table. The presentation was the best I have ever experienced, and I have eaten at numerous high-end restaurants around the country.
Choosing The Main Course
With so many choices, it was hard to choose our main course. I ordered the Maine scallops which were paired with a delectable pork belly, parsnip & pear puree, red cabbage, and apple cider jus.
He ordered the short ribs, which were smoked and braised, and came with a saffron pommes puree, carmelized shallot, mushrooms, and jus. I tell you, the pictures don’t do this exquisite meal justice.
Coffee And Dessert
We finished the meal off with french press coffee, you know I love my coffee, and this one did not disappoint. We chose the mystery lemon dessert which came with vanilla and white chocolate ganache, lemon curd, lime olive cake, orange crunch, and mango sorbet, and we were treated to a personalized selection of the chef’s signature desserts.
Perfect Dinner For A Milestone Event
When I say this dinner was a great way to celebrate this significant milestone, I am not exaggerating at all, it was truly one of the best meals we have ever eaten.
Ice Cream Anyone
We headed back to our room for a couple of hours and then headed down for a bowl of ice cream. If you know my husband, he has to finish his night with a bowl of ice cream, and the ice cream shop at La Cantera is open 24 hours, this is a great selling point for him.
Starting Our Day With A Yummy Breakfast
Our amazing stay at La Cantera Resort and Spa was about to get even better. After our yummy breakfast on the 7th floor, which included a smoked salmon crescent, ham & cheese quiche, freshly brewed coffee, and mimosas, we packed up our things and headed to the spa.
The Spa In La Cantera Resort & Spa
The grounds at La Cantera are truly spectacular, so our walk to the spa was absolutely beautiful. It was a perfect weather day, which was great because we were gifted a full day in a private cabana at the resort. If you’re going to do it, do it right. The Loma de Vida spa at La Cantera offers so much along with the massage treatments we were going to receive later that afternoon. You have full use of the pool, hot tub, sauna, salt room, infinity pool, and exercise room.
Have A Bite At The Juice Bar
There is a juice bar that also creates yummy sandwiches and my favorite, a charcuterie board. We enjoyed cocktails and lunch as we waited for our massage. The cabana was furnished with very comfortable chairs overlooking the hill country of Texas. We were greeted by lizards, and a fresh breeze all day.
Time For A Couples Massage
Even though I get massages regularly, my husband has never had one. I was so happy that he was “willing” to give it a try. We had the couples massage in another beautiful place in the spa that was private and overlooked the hill country as well. Our massage therapists were amazing, and the foot scrub and aromatherapy were a perfect addition to this unique gift. We chose the CBD oil massage, and my husband even said he would do it again, that says a lot, and shows that you should experience everything you can in life.
The End To Celebrating Our 30th Wedding Anniversary
We headed back to the private cabana for a last cocktail and to relax before we ended our perfect 30th wedding anniversary gift. We relaxed and listened to music, and reminisced about this perfect weekend.
Happy Marriage Happy Life
Whatever you choose to do for your wedding anniversary, it is a good idea to talk about it. Talk about the perfect way you both want to enjoy this special day. Though I didn’t get any pearl items, this was the perfect 30th-anniversary gift. When people ask me my advice for a happy long-lasting marriage, I tell them to always have fun, life is short, and being happy is the best way to years of love.