A First Anniversary Present – Paper & Number Plate

Couples the world over are celebrating a certain day today. It’s not their wedding day but a celebration of it. It’s their First Wedding Anniversary. The first anniversary is a cherished one. The year flies by, almost in a New York second. It’s the first year that a couple is husband and wife and it’s often been described as one of the hardest years of marriage. It could be the adjustment of sharing or putting someone else first, but the first anniversary is the time to celebrate the year behind and look forward to the year ahead.

In the UK, it’s hard to get away from celebrating one particular couple’s first anniversary. It’s splashed across every magazine on every magazine stand. Prince William and Kate Middleton are celebrating their first year of marriage and looking forward to the next one.

Your first wedding anniversary is worth celebrating because it means you got through one of the most difficult years of marriage. It’s also a chance to look back at your wedding day and assess how far you’ve come as a couple — and where you’re going.

Whenever the ‘first anniversary’ is mentioned, all talk moves to presents. What to buy that super special person in your life.

Traditionally, the gift for the first anniversary is paper. However, many articles suggest buying something unique for your spouse.

A perfect unique gift that fits both categories is a personalised number plate.

Personalised number plates do come with what it says on the tin – you get a personalised number plate. But you also get a certificate of entitlement.

As a general rule there are two ways to buy a personalised number plate. The first way is to buy it from a specialist number plate supplier and the second is to get it from the DVLA.

Using either suppliers, there is a lot of paperwork involved, which ticks the box for a traditional first anniversary gift. Once you’ve made your purchase, you will either get a Certificate of Entitlement (V750) or V317 Transfer Form for you to complete and return along with your V5C and MOT Certificate. You will need to keep it safe (just like your marriage certificate) as this is the form you will need when you are ready to put your personalised registration mark onto your vehicle. This is particularly relevant if you buy from the DVLA rather than direct from a personalised number plate supplier.

What you need in terms of paperwork when buying personalised number plates.

Reputable personalised number plate suppliers will require the following information if you’re looking to get a number plate made up.

1. Identification Documents One of the following documents must be supplied in order to confirm your name, address and of course entitlement to the plate.

A driving licence
A passport
A national identity card
A utilities bill (electricity, gas, water, landline telephone bill, council tax bill or rates bill)
A bank statement, no less than six months old
A debit or credit card

2. Entitlement Documents Your personalised number plate supplier will want to see originals of one of the following:

Certificate of entitlement V750 or V750NI
Vehicle registration certificate (V5C or V5CNI)
Retention document (V778) (not applicable in Northern Ireland)
Renewal reminder for a tax disc or SORN (V11 or V11NI)
Temporary registration certificate (V379 or V379NI)

And just like your marriage was legally binding, your personalised number plate created by a specialist personalised number plate supplier will be created and available for display in accordance with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulation 2001.

Buying a personalised number plate for your first anniversary gift will be both unique and traditional.