Traditional Wedding Anniversary Presents
August and September are the busiest months for weddings, so it goes without saying that it is the busiest time for wedding anniversaries too. For most couples the 25th anniversary, silver, is the first one they really celebrate with family and friends, followed by ruby (40th), gold (50th) and diamond (60th). According to Debrett’s, the silver and gold tradition arose in Medieval Germany when a husband gave his wife a present of a silver or gold wreath after 25 and 50 and years of marriage respectively – I suspect these were very rare back then.
The diamond anniversary was first used to celebrate Queen Victoria’s reign and then became linked to 60th wedding anniversaries. It is not clear where these other “traditional” anniversaries come from – many seem to come from the USA in the earliest 20th century and are possibly attributed to commercial interests.
The name for the anniversary gives a guide to the couple as to what to buy each other. So, if you need inspiration for an anniversary gift for your spouse, or you want to gain some points at the next pub quiz, here is the full list of “traditional” presents:
1st - Paper
2nd - Cotton
3rd - Leather
4th - Linen
5th - Wooden
6th - Iron
7th - Copper
8th - Bronze
9th - Pottery
10th - Tin
11th - Steel
12th - Silk & Fine Linen
13th - Lace
14th - Ivory
15th - Crystal
20th - China
25th - Silver
30th - Pearl
35th - Coral
40th - Ruby
50th - Gold
60th - Diamond
65th - Blue Sapphire
70th - Platinum
80th - Oak
If you don’t like the idea of giving an iron gift, for instance, I have managed to locate some alternative anniversary lists, again probably developed for commercial purposes, but at least they can provide some alternative present or theme inspiration.
