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Anniversaries are a special day to celebrate love and reaffirm a special connection and commitment. While they have different significance for every couple, giving a thoughtful gift is generally considered an important part of commemorating the occasion. Each anniversary year has a specific traditional theme and that can make finding the perfect gift a challenge.
If you’re here, you’ve most likely decided to look to the traditional anniversary themes to guide your gift giving. Maybe you’re wondering what the traditional gifts for each year are. What are they and what do they mean? Or maybe you’re looking for great gift ideas. Either way, we’ve put together this guide to help you discover the perfect gift for every major year of marriage.
The most important thing to remember about choosing the right gift is to give something from the heart. No one knows your spouse as well as you do, so our goal is to provide creative ideas to help you find the perfect traditional gift. You can browse the gifts we’ve selected for every year or click your anniversary year on the table below to jump to gift ideas specific to that year’s theme.
| 1st: Paper | 2nd: Cotton | 3rd: Leather | 4th: Fruit & Flowers |
| 5th: Wood | 6th: Candy or Iron | 7th: Wool or Copper | 8th: Bronze |
| 9th: Pottery | 10th: Tin or Aluminum | 11th: Steel | 12th: Silk or Linen |
| 13th: Lace | 14th: Ivory | 15th: Crystal | 20th: China |
| 25th: Silver | 30th: Pearl | 40th: Ruby | 50th: Gold |
What Is the Traditional 1st Anniversary Gift?
Paper is the traditional gift for the first anniversary. The paper anniversary is probably the most famous anniversary theme and it chronicles the first of many for your marriage. Like paper, a young marriage is delicate and fragile but if you handle it with love and care it can last for decades.
Also representative of new beginnings, paper is a blank page to write the first chapters of your love story. Don’t forget to include a handwritten card with your first anniversary gift!
Traditional 1st Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 2nd Anniversary Gift?
The traditional gift for the second anniversary is cotton. Durability, flexibility and comfort are characteristics of cotton and excellent traits to have in a maturing marriage.
Cotton also represents the weaving together of two lives into a solid union. Because it is a strong material used in many everyday items, a cotton gift can serve as a regular reminder of your love.
Traditional 2nd Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 3rd Anniversary Gift?
Leather gifts are traditional for the third anniversary and symbolize the strength, flexibility and durability of your marriage after three years together. With many options ranging from practical to pretty, leather gives you the opportunity to give a gift specific to your loved one’s interests or needs.
Traditional 3rd Anniversary Gift Ideas
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What Is the Traditional 4th Anniversary Gift?
While flowers are a great anniversary gift every year, the traditional gift for the fourth anniversary is fruit & flowers. After four years of marriage your love has fully blossomed and ripened to maturity. These qualities are perfectly symbolized by a gift of fruit & flowers.
Traditional 4th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 5th Anniversary Gift?
The fifth anniversary is the first major marriage milestone and the traditional gift is wood, representing stability, strength and longevity. After five years your marriage has stable roots, a strong core and has stood the test of time. Wood is versatile and easily engraved. This gives you the opportunity to choose a wooden gift that is specific to to your loved one’s interests or needs.
Traditional 5th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 6th Anniversary Gift?
The sixth anniversary gives you the option of candy or iron for the traditional gift. Nothing is sweeter than a gift of candy. While iron represents the ongoing strength of your marriage.
Traditional 6th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 7th Anniversary Gift?
Wool or Copper are the traditional gifts for the seventh anniversary. Wool represents the strength, warmth and comfort of your marriage. While copper has long held the meaning of good luck & prosperity.
Traditional 7th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 8th Anniversary Gift?
Bronze is the traditional eighth anniversary gift. Made from a fusion of copper and tin, bronze represents the strong union between you and your spouse. Because bronze is such a specific material you may decide to choose a gift that is is bronze in color, rather than one made from solid bronze.
Pottery is considered an alternative traditional gift for the eighth year of marriage but it is also the traditional gift for the ninth anniversary. We recommend reserving this gift theme for your next anniversary.
Traditional 8th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 9th Anniversary Gift?
The traditional ninth anniversary gift is pottery. Tough enough to be a part of everyday life but fragile enough to treat with care, pottery represents the dedication required to maintain a loving marriage.
Willow is considered an alternative traditional gift for the ninth anniversary. Because willow is such a specific material, the gift options for this theme are mainly limited to basketry and wickerwork products. For this reason, we recommend choosing pottery as your traditional ninth anniversary gift theme.
Traditional 9th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 10th Anniversary Gift?
The tenth anniversary is a major marriage milestone that is traditionally celebrated with tin or aluminum. Both metals are durable yet flexible, representing the incredible strength and ability to compromise found in long-lasting relationships.
Traditional 10th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 11th Anniversary Gift?
The traditional gift for the eleventh anniversary is steel. A gift made from stainless steel, representing untarnished strength, is a perfect choice for a couple entering the second decade of marriage.
Traditional 11th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 12th Anniversary Gift?
The traditional gift for the twelfth year of marriage is silk or linen. As some of the most luxurious and comfortable textiles, a gift of silk or linen will serve as a reminder that you love and value your spouse.
Traditional 12th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 13th Anniversary Gift?
The traditional thirteenth anniversary gift is lace. While seemingly delicate, lace is stronger than it looks and represents the dedication and work you’ve put into creating a beautiful bond with your spouse.
Traditional 13th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 14th Anniversary Gift?
Ivory is the traditional gift for the fourteenth year of marriage. Due to the historical rarity of the material, ivory has long been revered as a symbol of wealth and opulence. But, because the ivory trade has resulted in the decline of elephant populations it is now illegal.
We recommend that, in lieu of giving genuine ivory, you choose a gift that is ivory in color or elephant themed. You can also choose to celebrate with opal, this year’s gemstone gift.
Traditional 14th Anniversary Gift Ideas
What Is the Traditional 15th Anniversary Gift?
The fifteenth anniversary is a major marriage milestone that is traditionally celebrated with crystal. Representing the clarity required to achieve a long-lasting relationship, crystal is a delicate but also a decidedly decadent gift.
Traditional 15th Anniversary Gift Ideas
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