Special Anniversaries and What to Buy for Them

For as long as there have been weddings, there have been special anniversaries and over time, certain gifts have become associated with certain anniversaries.  Most of us know the most popular ones, such as 50 years being the golden wedding anniversary but do you know what to buy someone for their 7^th anniversary?  And what is the recommended gift for someone who had been married for 10 years?  Here is a look at some of the most popular.

One to Ten

From years one to ten, there is a specific association and a recommended gift that goes with it.  While this doesn’t mean that a present for the anniversary has to fall in line with these ideas, it can be a great starting place if you are unsure what to buy someone.

The 1^st anniversary is associated with paper in the US and cotton in the UK and the suggested modern gift to give is a clock.  For the 2^nd anniversary, the US and UK versions swap around and the modern gift is recommended to be a piece or set of china.  For the 3^rd anniversary, both agree on leather while the gift is either something made from crystal or from glass.  While the traditional idea for this would be a pair of crystal flutes or a set of nice glasses, a new idea is to give a personalised crystal token that has the couple’s names and wedding date inscribed on it.

Here is a list of the first ten anniversaries and their suggested gift:

Year	US	UK	Gift idea
1st	Paper	Cotton	Clock
2nd	Cotton	Paper	China
3rd	Leather	Leather	Crystal, glass
4th	Linen, silk	Fruit, flowers	Electrical appliances
5th	Wood	Wood	Silverware
6th	Iron	Sugar	Wooden objects
7th	Wool, copper	Woollen	Desk sets or pen and pencil sets
8th	Bronze	Salt	Linens, lace
9th	Pottery	Copper	Leather goods
10th	Tin, aluminium	Tin	Diamond jewellery

Fifteen to twenty

From years 15 to 20, there are less associations with each year and many people stop giving gifts for each anniversary, instead concentrating on the 15^th and 20^th only.  However, there are still recommended gifts for each year if you do want to continue the tradition.

The 15^th anniversary is associated in both countries with crystal and giving of a watch is the modern ideal present.  Silver hollowware is associated with the 16^th, furniture with the 17^th and porcelain with the 18^th.  Bronze is the gift of choice for a 19^th anniversary and when 20 years comes around, china is seen as the traditional option while something in platinum is a modern alternative.

Twenty five and up

Twenty-five years universally calls for a silver present while the 30^th anniversary can be either Pearl or something with diamonds involved.  The 35^th is the coral anniversary but the modern alternative is to pick up something in jade as a present.  40 years is commemorates with ruby, 45 with sapphire and of course the 50^th anniversary is the golden anniversary.  Finally, 55 years is emerald, 60 is diamond and 70 is platinum.

Conclusion

The great thing about these ideas is just that – they are ideas to give you inspiration to find that perfect present for someone.  And while you may not be able to buy a diamond necklace for your friend and diamond cufflinks for her husband, something as simple as a diamond wedding picture frame may be a perfect match.