Every anniversary represents a new milestone in your marriage and as partners, so it is something to be celebrated. Additionally, following tradition can be a special way to honor your marriage as every year ticks by. After all, the tradition of giving gifts on wedding anniversaries dates back to the middle ages.
When considering the type of gift you’ll be giving, it’s important to consider the history and significance of the gift. There are what’s known as traditional anniversary gifts as well as modern anniversary gifts.
Here are a list of wedding anniversary gifts for every milestone! If you’re still in need of a few ideas after seeing the list, leave us a comment or reach out on Facebook!
1) First Wedding Anniversary
The first anniversary is the most important.
Traditionally, your first anniversary gift should be something made of paper. But don’t worry, as mundane as a paper gift may sound, there are many options when it comes to anniversary gifts made from paper.
Here are a few traditional options:
- Books
- Tickets to a trip, the theater, or a concert
- Beautiful stationary (notebooks, journals, etc)
- Paintings
- Special certificates dedicated to your first year
The modern option is a clock (or watch) for the first anniversary. This works for him or her.
Second Anniversary:
Traditional: Cotton
Modern: China
3) Third Anniversary
Traditional: Leather
Modern: Crystal or glass
4)Fourth Anniversary
Traditional: Fruit or flowers
Modern: Appliances
5) Fifth Anniversary
A traditional gift to mark your fifth milestone together is something wooden.
A few options:
- Engraved wooden keepsake or object
- Cutting board
- Wooden picture frame with your wedding photo inside
The modern gift for your fifth anniversary is silver. This can be anything that’s sterling silver, like an engraved flask for him or a gorgeous bracelet for her.
6) Sixth Anniversary
Traditional: Candy or Iron
Modern: Wooden
7) Seventh Anniversary
Traditional: Copper
Modern: Desk set
8) Eighth Anniversary
Traditional: Bronze
Modern: Linens or lace
9) Ninth Anniversary
Traditional: Pottery
Modern: Leather
10) Tenth Anniversary
A decade is a very significant and sacred year for traditional anniversary gifts. Generally, gifts in the tenth year are tin or aluminum.
Gift Ideas:
- Tin jewelry or art
- Cookware
- A tin of your partner’s favorite things
The modern gift idea for the tenth anniversary is diamonds. If you’re buying for her, the options are endless. After all, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. For him, you could have diamond studded cufflinks, a ring, or a watch.
The first ten involve countless original gift ideas for your husband or wife’s anniversary presents. And –as you can see below– it only continues with each passing year.
Over 10 Years
11th Year: Steel or jewelry
12th Year: Silk/linens or pearls
13th Year: Lace or textiles
14th Year: Gold jewelry
15th Year: Crystal or watches
16th Year: Coffee or tea
17th Year: Wine or Spirits
18th Year: Appliances
19th Year: Jade
20th Year: China or platinum
21st Year: Fire
22nd Year: Water
23rd Year: Air
24th Year: Stone
25th Year: Silver
26th Year: Art
27th Year: Music
28th Year: Linens
29th Year: Tools
30th Year: Pearls and diamonds
A few big milestones after your 30-year mark together:
40th Year
The traditional gift for the 40th year of marriage is ruby. You can do something symbolic like using the color (or gem!) ”ruby” in your gift.
50th Year
50 years is really something to celebrate! And what better gift for your 50th year than gold. The options are truly endless when it comes to gold. You can engrave an item from your wedding date, purchase a new piece of jewelry, or locate some type of unique gold keepsake.
60th Year
Of course, to celebrate your 60th year of marriage, the traditional gift is a diamond. As mentioned before, you can have almost anything studded with diamonds or him or her.
Final Thoughts
The choices are never-ending when it comes to wedding anniversary gifts. At MyDayRegistry.com we offer a vast selection of beautiful and timeless certificates for any anniversary. You can also contact us for more information anytime.