Curated Anniversary Gift Ideas for Every Year of Marriage

Close up of a young couple's hands as they exchange a gift

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Anniversaries are a special celebration of the love shared by two people. Finding a great gift for your loved one can already be tough, add in the challenge of fitting a specific theme and it can seem impossible. Don’t worry, that’s why we’re here!

We’ll help you discover the traditional, modern, gemstone and flower gifts for every major anniversary and learn the meanings behind each theme. Our gift guides and curated selection of anniversary gifts will make it easy to find the perfect present for every major year of marriage. Whether you’re shopping for your spouse, your parents or close friends, don’t just wonder what present you’re supposed to give, give a wonderful gift every time!

Of course, no one knows your loved one like you do and the most important thing to remember about choosing the right gift is to give something from the heart. Our goal is to provide inspiration to help you find the perfect gift.

Anniversary Gifts by Year
Year	Traditional	Modern	Gemstone	Flower
1st	Paper	Clocks	Gold	Carnation
2nd	Cotton	China	Garnet	Lily of the Valley
3rd	Leather	Crystal or Glass	Pearl	Sunflower
4th	Fruit & Flowers	Appliances	Blue Topaz	Hydrangea
5th	Wood	Silverware	Sapphire	Daisy
6th	Candy or Iron	Wood	Amethyst	Calla Lily
7th	Wool or Copper	Desk Sets	Onyx	Freesia
8th	Bronze	Linens & Lace	Tourmaline	Lilac
9th	Pottery	Leather	Lapis Lazuli	Bird of Paradise
10th	Tin or Aluminium	Diamond Jewelry	Diamond	Daffodil
11th	Steel	Fashion Jewelry	Turquoise	Tulip
12th	Silk or Linen	Pearls & Gems	Jade	Peony
13th	Lace	Textiles	Citrine	Chrysanthemum
14th	Ivory	Gold Jewelry	Opal	Orchid
15th	Crystal	Watches	Ruby	Rose
20th	China	Platinum	Emerald	Aster
25th	Silver	Silver	Silver	Iris
30th	Pearl	Diamond	Pearl	Lily
40th	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby	Gladiolus
50th	Gold	Gold	Gold	Yellow Rose

The tradition of giving specific anniversary gifts by year of marriage has a long history. The practice is believed to have roots in the 18th century German custom of giving wreaths of silver and gold on the 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries.

We’ve based our guides on the list compiled by librarians at Chicago Public Library. The traditional list of anniversary gifts by year was expanded in 1937 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association when modern gifts were added for each anniversary.

In addition to the traditional and modern gift lists, each year of marriage is also associated with a specific gemstone and flower.