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In addition to traditional, modern, and gemstone gift themes, each anniversary has a flower associated with the year of marriage. The historical meaning and symbolism of flowers is so ancient and rich it gave rise to the field floriography in the Victorian Era when flowers were used to communicate different meanings. This guide lists the flower variety for each milestone anniversary year and explains their significance.
Many flowers are grown in a wide range of colors that have different meanings depending on the context in which they are given. In general, pink or red flowers are associated with love and passion and should be your first choice for an anniversary bouquet.
If the specific flower variety for your anniversary year is unavailable or out of season, you can choose a bouquet of your loved one’s favorite flowers or the time-honored red roses which will always be appreciated. Once you’ve selected your bouquet, don’t forget to write a meaningful message on the card.
What Is the 1st Anniversary Flower?
Carnations are the first anniversary flower. Grown in a wide variety of colors and known for their long-lasting freshness, carnations are popular among florists and should be readily available. Although each color carries a different meaning, carnations generally represent young love and a promise of commitment. Dark red carnations symbolize love and admiration and are the best choice for a first anniversary bouquet.
What is the 2nd Anniversary Flower?
Cosmos are the second anniversary flower. Featuring vibrant, delicate flowers that are surprisingly durable, cosmos represent the joyful and harmonious union found in a young marriage. Known for their continuous and abundant blooms throughout mid-summer, cosmos, especially in shades of pink, represent your eternal love for your spouse.
What Is the 3rd Anniversary Flower?
Sunflowers are the third anniversary flower. Featuring vibrant and cheerful colors, sunflowers are synonymous with the summer season and autumn harvests and are symbols of devotion, strength, and abundance. A bouquet with this happy flower represents adoration, loyalty and the long-lasting joy of your marriage.
What Is the 4th Anniversary Flower?
The fourth anniversary flower is geranium. Known for their lush and rounded blooms that flower throughout the summer, geraniums represent abundance, creativity, and joy. Red geraniums symbolize heartfelt emotion and appreciation, making them the best choice to give for the fourth anniversary.
What Is the 5th Anniversary Flower?
Daisies are the fifth anniversary flower. African daisies are the most commonly found variety and feature white petals with a yellow center. These cheerful flowers bloom in the spring and summer. The white color is symbolic of innocence, healing, and purity, while yellow signifies radiance, vitality and creativity. A bouquet with this sunny flower represents the harmony and balance of your marriage.
What Is the 6th Anniversary Flower?
Calla lilies are the sixth anniversary flower. Known for their sophistication and sensual form, calla lilies symbolize the beauty of a couple’s love. While this flower is most commonly white, purple calla lilies represent charm and passion, making these trumpet-like flowers the best choice to include in a sixth anniversary bouquet.
What Is the 7th Anniversary Flower?
Freesias are the seventh anniversary flower and are popular with florists when they bloom in the springtime because they grow in a wide variety of colors. These fragrant and vibrant flowers are long-lasting and embody the thoughtful and dependable joy that marks seven years of marriage. Red and pink freesias have the strongest fragrance and serve as a reminder to savor the sweet moments in you marriage.
What Is the 8th Anniversary Flower?
Lilac, the eighth anniversary flower, has historically had a strong association with love and romance due to their heart-shaped leaves and irresistibly fragrant blooms. Available in multiples shades of blue, purple, and pink, lilacs are synonymous with springtime and a reminder of the the first days of love. Purple lilacs are the best choice to include in a bouquet because they symbolize eternal love and passion. Clematis are considered an alternative for the eighth anniversary flower.
What Is the 9th Anniversary Flower?
Bird of paradise, the ninth anniversary flower, is a tropical flower with with striking blossoms that are reminiscent of a bird in flight. These magnificent flowers represent the paradise found at the core of your happy and fulfilling marriage. A bouquet that features this stunning flower is a reminder of the joyful adventures shared while achieving great heights. Poppies are considered an alternative for the ninth anniversary flower.
What Is the 10th Anniversary Flower?
The tenth anniversary flower is daffodil. One of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, these cheerful yellow blossoms symbolize resurgence and resilience. For a meaningful and memorable anniversary, pair a bouquet of daffodils with a renewal of your wedding vows and celebrate the resilience and vitality that has helped you reach this marriage milestone.
What Is the 11th Anniversary Flower?
Morning glories are the eleventh anniversary flower. With vigorous climbing vines that feature heart-shaped petals and trumpet-like flowers that bloom in the morning light, morning glories are associated with tenacity, new beginnings, love and affection. A bouquet of morning glories is a fitting way to begin your second decade as a married couple.
What Is the 12th Anniversary Flower?
Peonies are the twelfth anniversary flower and are associated with the blissful union of a happy marriage. With their lush, romantic blooms, peonies are symbolic of femininity and prosperity. Pink peonies represent love and romance while red peonies signify passion and desire. A bouquet that includes this flower signifies good fortune and a loving marriage.
What Is the 13th Anniversary Flower?
The thirteenth anniversary flower is chrysanthemum. Commonly known as mums, these autumn blooms are known for their hardiness and longevity, even in colder temperatures. Often given as signs of sincerity, optimism, and joy, red chrysanthemums represent love and deep passion and are the best choice to include in an anniversary bouquet.
What Is the 14th Anniversary Flower?
Dahlias are the fourteenth anniversary flower. Available in a wide range of shapes and colors, these showy blooms are associated with creativity, sophistication, and possibility. A bouquet of red dahlias are symbols of love and commitment, conveying feelings of deep romantic attachment and the strong bond at the heart of your marriage.
What Is the 15th Anniversary Flower?
Roses are the fifteenth anniversary flower and have always been considered the ultimate flower of love and romance. Due to their sweet fragrance and soft, delicate petals, red roses symbolize beauty, passion and true love. A single red rose communicats love at first sight while a dozen roses tells your loved one they are in your heart always. Darker shades of red signify deep passion and desire, making them the best option for an anniversary bouquet.
What Is the 20th Anniversary Flower?
Twentieth anniversary flower is aster, which gets its name from the Greek word astron, meaning star. With their vivid colors and multitude of petals, asters represent deep connections, commitment, and loyalty. Red asters specifically symbolize undying devotion, and pink asters represent sensitive love, making either a good choice to include in an anniversary bouquet.
What Is the 25th Anniversary Flower?
Irises are the twenty-fifth anniversary flower. Associated with the goddess Iris who served as a messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, irises represent communication and wisdom. These showy flowers bloom in the late spring and early summer and are a favorite among florists for their height and vibrant colors. Giving an anniversary bouquet of irises symbolizes your love and affection, communicating deep emotion and admiration.
What Is the 30th Anniversary Flower?
Lilies are the thirtieth anniversary flower and are popular with florists due to their tall stems and large, resplendent blooms. Generally, lilies represent transformation and growth, but red and orange lilies symbolize ardor and renewed love in the context of romantic relationships. Stargazer lilies are specifically associated with passion and romance and an anniversary bouquet of this flower conveys deep feelings of love and desire.
What Is the 40th Anniversary Flower?
The fortieth anniversary flower is gladiolus. Featuring tall spikes of blossoms, gladioli are a popular flower with florists because of the drama they add to arrangements. Deriving their name from the Latin word gladius, meaning sword, gladioli are generally associated with strength, sincerity, and loyalty. Red gladioli symbolize passion, romance, and love, making them the best choice to include in an anniversary bouquet.
What Is the 50th Anniversary Flower?
Inspired by the golden color of the traditional, modern and gemstone themes, yellow roses are the fiftieth anniversary flower. Roses have always been considered the flower of love and romance. With their sunny color, sweet fragrance, and soft petals, yellow roses represent the inner radiance and grace found at the heart of an enduring marriage.
The list of anniversary flowers varies by source so we’ve looked to the consensus of leading florists to develop this guide. However you decide to celebrate your anniversary we send our best wishes for a day full of joy and many happy years to come!
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