Thinking of the perfect gift for someone is always tricky, but with wedding anniversary gifts we get a little bit of help as traditionally every year has its own theme. For example, silver for 25 years, paper for one. The tradition of giving a gift to commemorate an anniversary goes back to the Ancient Romans, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that certain gifts were assigned to different years of marriage.
The list has changed over the years; it originally only covered the first 15 years and then every five years after that, but then a more modern list was introduced that incorporated gifts for every year up until 75, (possibly encouraged by the retail industry…) there are even gift suggestions for up to your 90th anniversary (it’s granite and stone, if you’re wondering) which may sound far-fetched but the longest marriage on record was David and Sarah Hiller who were married for just shy of 89 years!
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of wedding anniversary gifts by year for all the major anniversaries. (It’s worth noting that the US has a slightly different list).
| Years of marriage/ anniversary | Modern | Traditional | Gemstone | Gift suggestion |
| 1st | Clocks | Paper | Gold jewellery | Stationery/tickets to an event/an art print Watch or sundial |
| 2nd | China | Cotton | Garnet | Clothing/Egyptian cotton bedding/towels Mugs/vase/bowls/plates |
| 3rd | Glass/crystal | Leather | Pearl | Wallet/handbag/gloves/photo album Vase/wine glasses |
| 4th | Appliances (electrical) | Silk, Linen | Blue Topaz | Bedding/scarf Coffee machine |
| 5th | Silverware | Wood | Sapphire | Salad bowl/jewellery box/puzzle Jewellery/wine bucket |
| 6th | Wood | Sugar | Amethyst | Box of sweets/dessert recipe book/homemade cake Wooden chess set |
| 7th | Desk Sets, Brass | Wool | Onyx | Gloves/jumper/blanket Vase/ornament |
| 8th | Lace/Linen | Salt | Tourmaline | Salt & pepper pots Linen bedding/lingerie |
| 9th | Leather | Copper | Lapis Lazuli | Ornament/pans Belt/gloves/photo album |
| 10th | Diamond Jewellery | Tin | Diamond | Biscuit container/storage tins Jewellery |
| 11th | Accessories, Fashion Jewellery | Steel | Turquoise | Cutlery/men’s jewellery Jewellery/scarf/hat |
| 12th | Pearls | Silk, Linen | Jade | Silk underwear/sheets Jewellery |
| 13th | Furs, Textiles | Lace | Citrine | Lingerie/table wear Fur trimmed gloves/blanket |
| 14th | Gold Jewellery | Historically, this was ivory, but it is now the elephant due to raised awareness of poaching/animal rights | Opal | Elephant art print/donation towards an elephant charity Necklace/ring |
| 15th | Watches | Crystal | Ruby | Wine glasses/vase/paperweight Watch/sundial |
| 16th | Silverware | Silverware | Peridot | Photo frame/jewellery |
| 17th | Furniture | Furniture | Carnelian | Coffee table/bookcase |
| 18th | Porcelain | Porcelain | Cat’s Eye | Vase/mugs |
| 19th | Bronze | Bronze | Aquamarine | Bronze windchimes/bronze figurine |
| 20th | Platinum | China | Emerald | China sculpture/mugs/bowls Jewellery |
| 25th | Silver | Gold | Silver jewellery | |
| 30th | Diamond | Pearl | Pearl | Jewellery |
| 35th | Jade | Coral | Emerald | Jewellery/coral ornament/coral-based gift (trip to an aquarium, etc) |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby | Jewellery |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | Jewellery |
| 50th | Gold | Gold | Gold | Jewellery |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald | Alexandrite | Jewellery |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond | Jewellery |
Wedding anniversaries are a great time to celebrate and reflect on the memories you’ve made, as well as the memories still to come. The beauty of our list is you can choose how to interpret it depending on whether you want to stick to tradition or be more modern and depending on your budget.
Marriage doesn’t come cheap; the average cost of a wedding could be over £20,000, so this is where wedding insurance comes in. Whether you’re aiming for something small and intimate, or an elaborate three-day affair, chances are those costs are going to creep up and the last thing you need to worry is what would happen if the caterers go out of business, or if something goes wrong on the big day. We have policies with increasing levels of cover to suit your needs and your budget, so you can say I do with the peace of mind of knowing we’ve got you covered. Take a look at our website, or give us a call for a free, no-strings quote today.
All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. We make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. We will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. We will not be liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from the display or use of this information. This policy is subject to change at any time.
We offer a variety of cover levels, so please check the policy cover suits your needs before purchasing. For your protection, please ensure you read the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and policy wording, for information on policy exclusions and limitations.
