While the modern era we are living in has paved the way for all kinds of new traditions, there seem to be a few old ones that we seem to cling to with a tight grip. Customs such as the traditional wedding anniversary gifts for each year which, despite how much time goes by and how much our interests have evolved, have remained the same for what feels like forever.
Today, couples all over the globe can't seem to go past the traditional list of wedding anniversary gifts, relying on the list each year for inspiration on what to get their partner. Some couples even take it that step further by combining the traditional gifts with the more modern jewellery gift list.
Read on to discover the traditional and modern wedding anniversary gifts by year or jump to a year by clicking the links below.
Wedding Anniversary Gifts By Year - Choose Your Year:
- 1st Wedding Anniversary
- 2nd Wedding Anniversary
- 3rd Wedding Anniversary
- 4th Wedding Anniversary
- 5th Wedding Anniversary
- 6th Wedding Anniversary
- 7th Wedding Anniversary
- 8th Wedding Anniversary
- 9th Wedding Anniversary
- 10th Wedding Anniversary
- 11th Wedding Anniversary
- 12th Wedding Anniversary
- 13th Wedding Anniversary
- 15th Wedding Anniversary
- 20th Wedding Anniversary
- 25th Wedding Anniversary
- 30th Wedding Anniversary
- 35th Wedding Anniversary
- 40th Wedding Anniversary
- 45th Wedding Anniversary
- 50th Wedding Anniversary
- 60th Wedding Anniversary
- 70th Wedding Anniversary
1st Wedding Anniversary: Paper | Gold Jewellery
The traditional theme for the first anniversary is paper. Much like the first year of marriage, paper is fragile but will flourish over time if you look after it. Reflecting the unwritten future of the couple, paper is said to act as a blank canvas. Gold jewellery on the other hand symbolises love, compassion, courage and prosperity, hence why gold jewellery appears on the modern anniversary gift list. For 1st year anniversary gift ideas, you can't go past gold.
2nd Wedding Anniversary: Cotton | Garnet
The second anniversary is about recognising the maturation of a couple and your marriage. Cotton is very symbolic of this as each fibre represents two people that have become interwoven with one another. Garnet jewellery is the ideal modern second-anniversary gift as they represent love and friendship, the two essentials in any marriage.
3rd Wedding Anniversary: Leather | Pearl or Watch
By the third year of marriage, you've likely been through some stuff and come out of it stronger than ever. Tough and durable, there is no better gift for a third anniversary than watches, pearl jewellery or leather. Some couples will even combine the traditional and modern gift by giving their significant other a leather watch, or leather bracelet featuring a pearl.
4th Wedding Anniversary: Fruit or Flowers | Topaz
One year short of half a decade of marriage, by the fourth year into your union, your relationship is ripening and maturing like a piece of fruit or blooming flowers. This is why the traditional anniversary gift for year four is flowers or fruit-themed. Symbolising nobility, love and passion, the Topaz jewellery is a more contemporary gift for your fourth anniversary.
5th Wedding Anniversary: Wood | Sapphire
Representing the strength and durability of your marriage after five years, gifts made out of wood is what is traditionally given for this anniversary. Jewellery containing sapphires are also given for the fifth anniversary as much like wood, sapphire jewellery is strong, durable and will stand the test of time if well looked after.
6th Wedding Anniversary: Sugar | Amethyst
The sixth anniversary is all about the sweet moments, and what could be sweeter than sugar?! For those who aren't much of a sweet tooth, they may prefer investing in the more modern gift for year six which is an Amethyst. Made out of quartz, Amethyst jewellery is very strong, a lot like your marriage at this point.
7th Wedding Anniversary: Copper or Wool | Onyx
Copper helps create heat, much like the warmth you give each other. Wool on the other hand is all warm and fuzzy, just like the way your partner makes you feel inside. This is why either wool or copper is gifted by couples on their seventh anniversary. Believed to protect couples from trials and tribulations, the modern gift for the seventh year is Onyx jewellery.
8th Wedding Anniversary: Bronze | Tourmaline
At eight years of marriage, the traditional wedding anniversary gift is bronze, which is a biblical symbol of strength. The more contemporary jewellery gift on the other hand is Tourmaline. Composed of iron, aluminium, magnesium and several other well-known elements, this tough stone is said to foster compassion and healing. Because tourmaline comes in a variety of colours, you can choose whichever piece of gemstone jewellery you like as a substitute.
9th Wedding Anniversary: Pottery | Lapis or Tanzanite
One year shy of the ten-year mark, the traditional gift for a ninth wedding anniversary is pottery. Moulded and shaped by an artist or a potter, pottery is reflective of the way that marriage is formed and shaped over time. The modern jewellery gift or gifts for year nine are Lapis and Tanzanite jewellery which represents deep honour, wisdom and positive energy.
10th Wedding Anniversary: Tin | Diamond
For this significant marriage milestone, the traditional anniversary gift is tin or aluminium-which is symbolic of the strength and resilience of your union after a whole decade of marriage. Similarly, as one of the toughest and most durable stones in the world, diamond jewellery is a favoured contemporary anniversary gift for year ten.
11th Wedding Anniversary: Steel | Turquoise or Aquamarine
Valued for its strength and durability, steel is incredibly reminiscent of the strength of your union, as well as you and your partner's ability to weather through any difficult storms that come your way. Many will also surprise their partner with Turquoise jewellery or Aquamarine jewellery for their eleventh wedding anniversary. Known for their beautiful ocean-like hue, Aquamarine and Turquoise are often associated with serenity, tranquillity, universal harmony, wisdom and protection.
12th Wedding Anniversary: Silk | Jade
Much like the cocoon of silk that silkworms wrap around themselves, this luxurious fabric symbolises security, protection and comfort, which is reminiscent of the stability you feel by year twelve of your marriage. The more modern twelfth-anniversary gift is jade. A stone for luck, jade has long been cherished in China for symbolising love, prosperity, fidelity, wisdom, longevity, compassion, stability and knowledge. A great alternative for jade is emerald jewellery.
13th Wedding Anniversary: Lace | Citrine
Dainty, delicate and simply beautiful just like the balance of a steady marriage, lace is the traditional thirteenth-anniversary gift for couples. The less traditional wedding anniversary gift for year thirteen is citrine jewellery, a stone that is said to be good for your overall emotional wellbeing.
15th Wedding Anniversary: Crystal | Ruby
Symbolising the clarity and sparkle in your marriage, crystal is the traditional gift to commemorate fifteen years of a marriage-another significant milestone in your union. With a beautiful deep-red hue, the modern gift for the fifteenth anniversary is ruby jewellery. A stone that is said to repair broken friendships and make all obstacles in the path of happiness melt away.
20th Wedding Anniversary: China | Emerald
Twenty years of marriage is a huge milestone, therefore, it calls for a pretty extravagant gift to celebrate this landmark achievement. China is the traditional way of marking this anniversary as it represents the beauty and delicate nature of your relationship. An emerald is a modern way to commemorate this occasion as they are said to encourage reflection, growth, balance and healing.
25th Wedding Anniversary: Silver | White Gold
Halfway to your golden anniversary, this anniversary is often referred to as your Silver Jubilee', hence why silver jewellery is traditionally given to commemorate twenty-five years of marriage. Silver not only reflects the brilliance and shine of your marriage, but it's also incredibly timeless-making for a memorable milestone anniversary gift. A more modern twist on this traditional anniversary gift is white gold. Similar in appearance to silver, white gold jewellery represents friendship.
30th Wedding Anniversary: Pearl
A pure gem that represents innocence, honesty, perfection and incorruptibility, pearls are the modern and traditional gift to commemorate thirty glorious years of marriage to your soulmate. Pearls are also representative of the wisdom you've probably gained after a whole three decades of marriage.
35th Wedding Anniversary: Coral | Emerald
Coral becomes more beautiful and vibrant with age, just like your marriage. This is why coral is the traditional gift to mark thirty-five years of wedded bliss. Incredibly precious, coral was once thought to have magical properties that protect against illness and danger. Like year twenty and fifty-five, the enchanting emerald is the more modern gift to celebrate thirty-five years of marriage. It's no wonder when this ring is said to bring bliss to any marriage.
40th Wedding Anniversary: Ruby
Just ten years off being married for more than half a century. The ruby is both a modern and traditional gift to celebrate forty years of marriage. As red is often seen as the colour of love, there couldn't be a better way to commemorate forty years of loving one another than with a beautifully rich ruby stone.
45th Wedding Anniversary: Sapphire
You've almost made it to your golden anniversary, celebrate it with something regal! Sapphires are the preferred traditional and modern gift for your forty-fifth anniversary. Highly sought after, this rich blue stone symbolises sincerity, faithfulness and wisdom, traits that were arguably required from both of you to reach this tremendous milestone.
50th Wedding Anniversary: Gold
Congratulations! You've made it to your golden anniversary. Unsurprisingly, the modern and traditional gift to mark this milestone is in fact, gold. Highly-desired since the days of Ancient Rome, gold is commonly associated with knowledge, wealth and prosperity, key traits of a fifty-year marriage. Many believe that wearing gold every day increases personal wisdom, power and illumination as well as your overall enjoyment of life.
60th Wedding Anniversary: Diamond
Sixty years is your chance to go BIG with an anniversary gift, as making it to this incredible milestone highlights that you and your partner's bond is pretty much unbreakable. One of the toughest substances on earth, diamonds are not surprisingly the modern and traditional gift to celebrate sixty years of marriage. A symbol of eternal love, diamonds are forever-just like your union.
70th Wedding Anniversary: Platinum
One of the hardest-wearing metals on earth, platinum is extremely rare-much like you and your partner's long-standing union. Hence why it takes precedence as both the modern and traditional gift for seventy years of marriage. A symbol of true love, purity and strength, platinum jewellery can stand the test of time, providing it with the opportunity to be passed down for future generations to enjoy-potentially even saving it for when they reach this incredible milestone.
