As much as you’d like to put all the stress and decision-making behind you once your wedding day has been and gone, I must tell you that the strain of choosing correctly doesn’t end there! Yet, this time, it is all to do with your wedding anniversary years and selecting an appropriate gift as per tradition. So, what wedding anniversary is 1 year, 10 years, 50 years??
We’ve provided a handy list to help you pick a fitting gift each year.
Wedding Anniversaries By Year
Your first decade as a married couple will probably be your most memorable but, unfortunately, as tradition would have it, you won’t say the same for the presents you exchange. As you’ll see from the list below, the year by year conventions appear nothing more than ordinary so it is up to you to use your creativity in coming up with a thoughtful gift.
1st Anniversary – Paper
Meaning: A blank sheet of paper
2nd Anniversary – Cotton
Meaning: Intertwined threads
3rd Anniversary – Leather
Meaning: Protective and durable
4th Anniversary – Fruit and Flowers
Meaning: Blossoming and ripening
Celebrating 10 years and beyond
Give it a few more years (or two dozen!) and things start to get a little more exciting. Everyone loves receiving a thoughtful piece of jewellery on a special occasion and, after 25 years of wedded bliss, you can look forward to something shiny. Of course, the longer you have been married, the more special the trinkets become.
10th Anniversary – Tin
Meaning: Preserving and prolonging
15th Anniversary – Crystal
Meaning: Clarity
20th Anniversary – China
Meaning: Standing the test of time
30th Anniversary – Pearl
Meaning: Hidden beauty
35th Anniversary – Coral
Meaning: Wards off danger and illness
40th Anniversary – Ruby
Meaning: Love
45th Anniversary – Sapphire
Meaning: Loyalty
50th Anniversary – Gold
Meaning: Prosperity and strength
55th Anniversary – Emerald
Meaning: Growth
60th Anniversary – Diamond
Meaning: Love, wealth, invincibility
70th Anniversary – Platinum
Meaning: Endurance
Showing your affection and gratitude
Now that you are up to speed on the wedding anniversary guide, you can start to think ahead about what you can give your loved one to show your affection. You can’t be expected to plan fifty years into the future, granted, but it is worth giving those first five years or so a think as, ideally, you want to start your life as newlyweds on a high!
A fun and creative way to begin exchanging presents is to set up a challenge amongst you… Who can top the other’s gift in terms of thoughtfulness? Who can spend the least yet produce a truly sentimental gift? It’s time to put on your thinking cap!