When you’re married, each year together symbolises a new stage in your life. Each wedding anniversary also has a different meaning and gift which is associated with the year, depending on how many you are celebrating!

Whether you’re celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary, or are looking for gift ideas for someone who may be reaching one soon, there are many different gift ideas online for each of the years. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the different anniversary gifts by year from traditional thoughtful ideas, to modern and funny gift ideas.

1st Anniversary Gift

The first anniversary gift for married couples is paper, chosen to represent the new marriage and being a “blank sheet”. Of course, you don’t want to just gift a piece of paper, so instead, many couples choose things which are instead printed on paper – think concert tickets or vouchers for a restaurant or store. Gold is also the traditional colour, with blossoms and pansies being the associated flowers.

5th Anniversary Gift

Wood is the traditional 5th anniversary gift. The meaning behind the wood is that it symbolises strength and stability that comes from the tree it was felled. It shows that the marriage is solid, with deep roots. With gift ideas, there are many things you could consider, from a wooden figurine to a wooden sign for your home, or for a more impressive gift, consider an antique piece of wooden furniture or an oak box of wine. A modern 5th anniversary gift is silverware, which is said to represent all the meals you’ve shared since being married.

10th Anniversary Gift

Traditionally, the gift for celebrating 10 years of marriage is tin. This is because tin has long been used to preserve and store things, keeping them safe from the elements. It prevents corroding and can prolong the life of what is stored inside. To mark 10 years of marriage, you could look at gifts such as a quaint piece of tin jewellery, or a tin of seeds to add to your garden. There are many thoughtful gift ideas online, depending on which avenue you wish to take with your gift-giving.

16th Anniversary Gift

Wax is the traditional anniversary gift to celebrate 16 years of marriage. Some people may think that wax is a tricky anniversary gift to buy for, but there are many different ideas from which to choose. Wax represents how life has been moulded during the marriage because, after all, wax can bend, melt and change shape, much in the same way that you have to be flexible when it comes to marriage. Luxury and personalised candles are a go-to gift choice to celebrate 16 years of marriage, with so many scents and styles to choose from.

25th Anniversary Gift

25 years of marriage is something to celebrate and the traditional gift is silver. Silver is considered to be one of the most precious metals and is timeless. When it comes to gift ideas, there are so many to choose from, from jewellery or a watch to something more different such as a personalised champagne bottle.