Traditional Anniversary Gifts
If you are a traditionalist when it comes to romance and anniversary gifts, there are two simple set guidelines to follow when buying/making/creating gifts for your wife or husband, the traditional gifts or the modern gifts.
| Anniversary year | Traditional gifts | Modern gifts |
|---|---|---|
| First | Paper | Clocks |
| Second | Cotton | China |
| Third | Leather | Crystal / Glass |
| Fourth | Fruit / Flowers | Appliances |
| Fifth | Wood | Silverware |
| Sixth | Candy / Iron | Wood |
| Seventh | Wool / Copper | Desk Sets |
| Eighth | Bronze / Pottery | Linens / Lace |
| Ninth | Pottery / Willow | Leather |
| Tenth | Tin / Aluminum | Diamond Jewelry |
| Eleventh | Steel | Fashion Jewelry |
| Twelfth | Silk / Linen | Pearls |
| Thirteenth | Lace | Textiles / Furs |
| Fourteenth | Ivory | Gold Jewelry |
| Fifteenth | Crystal | Watches |
| Twentieth | China | Platinum |
| Twenty-Fifth | Silver | Silver |
| Thirtieth | Pearl | Diamond |
| Thirty-Fifth | Coral | Jade |
| Fortieth | Ruby | Ruby |
| Forty-Fifth | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| Fiftieth | Gold | Gold |
| Fifty-Fifth | Emerald | Emerald |
| Sixtieth | Diamond | Diamond |
As you can quickly see, one can potentially end up being must more costly in the long run. Maybe it is worth having a discussion with your spouse a few months prior to your first wedding anniversary to discuss if you want to follow one of these traditional or modern anniversary gift paths to ensure there are no unsatisfied expectations further down the road.
These gift ideas leave a lot of room for creativity. For instance, paper can come in many forms; it might simply be a romantic poem written out on a fancy piece of paper or it might be some artwork that was done on paper.
You do not need to follow the tradition or modern anniversary gifts; they are just, well traditional gift ideas. No one knows your spouse better than you do so if you can come up with great idea for gifts, go for it. Some ideas for things to do together on your wedding anniversary can be given as surprise gifts to your spouse, such as a couples' massage, wine tasting and a night in a fancy hotel. Remember though, unless you can pack all the necessities of your spouse secretly, pulling off the surprise of a swanky hotel by just showing up there, might not go off as well as you intended.
Remember to keep the gifts appropriate, to show your husband or wife that they are very special and dear to your heart. No kitchen tools, vacuums or irons, as these items common and easily purchased on their own, unless of course you know they really, really want them. Think of special gifts and things that can be shared or used by both of you, together if possible. Things like tickets to the theatre, opera, sporting events or visits to museums or art galleries.
If you prefer to give gifts to each other remember that women love to receive things like spa treatments and products, so giving gift certificates to their favorite spa or cosmetic shop might be very nice. It goes without saying that most women love jewelry. As for the men, if you husband like beer, maybe arranging tour of a local micro brewery would be enjoy, this can be done as a couple or as a gift certificate for him to bring a long his friends. It is still nice to add something like an activity that you will do together to celebrate your anniversary.
