FiftyFlowers Blog

Wedding Anniversary Gift Guide

January 31st, 2007 Posted in Wedding Planning and Ideas

Wedding anniversaries celebrate the union of a couple and the life they have shared over the years. Whether a couple is celebrating their 1^st year anniversary or their 50^th, each year is a milestone filled with love, understanding and triumph. The couple exchanges gifts to expresses their gratitude for one another. Sometimes friends and family provide gifts as well. This tradition dates back to medieval Europe, where friends and family would give the wife a silver wreath upon her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, and a golden wreath to mark her fiftieth. Over the years both a traditional and more modern gift-giving list has been complied. A particular material is associated with each year of marriage. The material becomes more elaborate with each passing year. While this traditional list may seem simple and a bit boring, couples who choose to follow these romantic traditions have become quite creative! Take the first year anniversary for example. You would probably find yourself sleeping on the couch is you gave a ream of paper alone as a gift. But wrapping a dazzling bracelet in an origami paper box, or buying him (paper) tickets to his favorite sporting event is sure to be a hit! To jump-start the creative process, we have provided you with a list of the traditional wedding gift themes, the more modern list (which is already out-dated and may no longer seem “modern”) and the color associated with each passing year.

1^st         Paper                Clock                            Yellow

2^nd        Cotton               China                            Linen White

3^rd         Leather             Crystal, Glass                Fawn

4^th         Books               Appliances                    Green

5^th         Wood                Silverware                     Turquoise

6^th         Iron                   Wood                            White

7^th         Copper              Desk Accessories          Off-white

8^th         Electrical           Linen/Lace                    Bronze

9^th         Pottery              Leather                         Terracotta

10^th       Tin                    Diamond                       Silver

11^th       Steel                 Fashion jewelry              Turquoise

12^th       Silk                   Pearls                           Oyster white

13^th       Lace                 Textile/Furs                   White

14^th       Ivory                 Gold                             Ivory

15^th       Crystal              Watch                           Ruby red

16^th       -                       Silverware                     Silver

17^th       -                       Furniture                       Yellow

18^th       -                       Porcelain                       Blue

19^th       -                       Bronze                          Bronze

20^th       China                Platinum                       Emerald green

21^st       -                       Brass                            Orange

22^nd       -                       Nickel                           Green

23^rd       -                       Copper                          Silver

24^th       -                       Musical instrument         Lavender

25^th       Silver                Silver                            Silver

30^th       Pearl                 Diamond                       Green

35^th       Coral                 Jade                             Coral

40^th       Ruby                 Ruby                             Ruby red

45^th       Sapphire           Sapphire                       Sapphire red

50^th       Gold                 Gold                             Gold

55^th       Emerald            Emerald                        Emerald green

60^th       Diamond           Diamond                       Diamond

65^th +    Whatever your heart desires!