Finding a personalised anniversary gift for someone you’ve loved for twenty-five years isn’t easy, particularly when neither of you feels the need for more things.

My husband Paul and I have always preferred travel, experiences and hobbies to possessions, so when our 25th anniversary came around, I was stuck. What do you give someone who already has everything he needs?

In the end, I went back to where our story began: a beach in Sri Lanka.

Why Sri Lanka Became Our Wedding Story

I'm American, Paul is Scottish, and we were both living in England when we decided to get married. Bringing our families together from the States and Scotland wasn't particularly straightforward, so we decided to do something completely different.

We booked a three-week trip to Sri Lanka, planned a beach wedding towards the end of it, and arranged two celebrations at home afterwards — one in Scotland and one in the States.

It turned out to be a trip we would never forget.

We visited temples, tea plantations and historic sites, ate Sri Lankan curry almost every day and experienced weather that could go from torrential rain to blazing sunshine in minutes.

And then there was the monkey.

One hotel left us a welcome bouquet and cake in our room. A large monkey somehow got inside, stole the cake and ate the entire thing in front of us.

Twenty-five years later, we still laugh about it.

Getting Married on a Sri Lankan Beach

Towards the end of our trip, we stayed at a beach hotel and arranged our wedding with local organisers.

It was unlike anything either of our families would have imagined. Attendants in traditional dress walked us in to the sound of drums, our fingers were tied together with golden thread, and a coconut was broken with a sword as part of the ceremony.

The coconut was supposed to predict whether we'd have children.

We now have three, so perhaps it worked.

It wasn't a traditional wedding, but it was completely ours. And twenty-five years later, that beach still feels like the beginning of everything.

Finding a Meaningful Anniversary Gift

Twenty-five years, three children and a great deal of life later, Paul is still my best friend. I wanted to give him something that marked the occasion without simply becoming another thing in the house.

So, I made a bracelet with the latitude and longitude of the beach where we got married.

To anyone else, they're just numbers.

To us, they mean Sri Lanka. Our wedding. The beginning of our marriage. And a very good story involving a monkey and a stolen cake.

He knows what they mean.

I do too.

And that's exactly what I wanted.

Turning a Special Place into a Gift

That's the idea behind our grid coordinates jewellery. You can choose a place that means something to you — a beach, a city, a favourite holiday spot, or anywhere that holds a special memory — and have its exact coordinates engraved on a bracelet or necklace.

It's personal without being obvious, which is what I love about it.

You don't need to explain the numbers to anyone else. They're simply a little reminder of a place and a story that belongs to you.

And perhaps that's what makes a truly personal anniversary gift: not how much it costs or how impressive it looks, but what it reminds you of.

For us, it's a beach in Sri Lanka.

Twenty-five years on, I'm still very glad we found our way there.

Explore our personalised grid coordinates jewellery

How to find the coordinates of your special place

Want more gift ideas and stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter for new blogs, product news and special offers.