Wedding Anniversary Traditions - Year 2 - Cotton

With our fab selection of stationery and paper products we get quite a few couples looking to us for paper gifts to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. But it might be more surprising to see how much we have to offer for the second year too - the cotton wedding anniversary. It is thought that cotton is a good choice as it is durable and associated with prosperity, a fitting symbol for the second year. But another theory is that the cotton plant requires many hot, sunny days to bloom, just as the marriage bond needs sustained warmth and happiness to blossom.

On our shelves is a fine selection of stationery filled with cotton paper pages. Cotton paper can be made from the cotton plant itself or from used cloth, often called 'rag paper'. It is stronger and more durable than wood-based paper, but importantly it contains much less acid, making it ideal for archival purposes and, in the case of our gifts, for valuable writings and albums.

One of our most popular ranges of journals is our Sari collection. The journals come in all sizes and colours but all are covered in recycled Indian sari fabric.

Mini 'Sari' Notebook

But inside each notebook is a chunk of cotton 'khadda' paper, made from recycled rags from the vast garment industry. The paper is pure unbleached cotton and contains no chemicals but may have splashes of colour from flower petals sprinkled into the pulp. It is a beautiful paper for writing or drawing, but very affordable.

Fair Trade Extra Large Sari Journal

We also stock lovely leather journals also filled with cotton paper like this gorgeous deep tan chunky journal. You can even see the marigold, aster and bougainvillea flowers and threads of silk and grass in the paper.

Large Embossed Leather Journal

There's no need to sacrifice colour for natural cotton stationery. This sweet little gift journal comes in hot pink and is embossed with a lovely traditional design.

Medium Hot Pink Leather Journal

If you like a more classic style of writing paper this beautiful set of Original Crown Mill is ideal.
Original Crown Mill specialises in luxury stationery, replicating the paper produced in the royal paper mills of 17th century Belgium. Presented in a stylish gift box featuring the royal logo of the Original Crown Mill is a writing set of 100% cotton paper, beautifully soft, yet very durable. The paper is incredibly smooth, watermarked and suitable for all types of pen, including fountain pens, as well as printing. This luxury box contains 100 A5 writing sheets with 50 matching envelopes, a versatile and elegant choice suitable for a second wedding anniversary gift.

Original Crown Mill Pure Cotton Luxury A5 Writing Set

Another luxury brand is Cartiera Amatruda, situated in the ancient duchy of Amalfi, Italy, one of the oldest and most renowned papermaking centres in Europe.The paper manufacturing tradition of the Cartiera Amatruda dates back to1380 and each deckle-edged cotton sheet bears a distinctive Amalfi "Amatruda" coat of arms watermark crafted with the utmost care, using many of the traditional methods developed in the Middle Ages. The paper is made from the finest cotton rag and sized for the best possible writing quality, making a beau luxury gift set.

Amalfi Writing Set

One of these ideas is sure to please on your second wedding anniversary; why not finish off your gift by wrapping it with one of our pretty cotton ribbons?

Pretty Heart Ribbon

Pretty Cream 'With Love' Ribbon