These Themed Anniversary Gifts Are Traditional With a Twist

Paper symbolizes a blank slate, allowing you and your partner to write your own story in the coming years. More specifically, the threads that make up paper are a symbol of you and your love weaving your lives together. Romantic, right? While you could write a mushy love note or gift your partner a card, something like this custom photo calendar isn’t only made of paper, but it represents the actual days you have spent together and the days to come. Plus it’s an excuse to show off all your adorable wedding photos.

Continuing with the woven-together theme, cotton is the symbol of your second anniversary. It’s more durable than paper, and it’s a timeless material. For this gift, consider something you can both use, like a new set of buttery soft cotton sheets.

As you go into your third year of marriage, you’re proving that your relationship is strong, rugged, and durable, just like leather. While you could easily interpret this gift as a belt or wallet, something like a weekender bag may be more versatile. This one from Madewell is under $300, and it’s big enough to hold clothes for a quick anniversary weekend getaway.

Flowers seem like a no-brainer anniversary gift, and for your fourth year of marriage, it’s also the symbolic gift. To celebrate your blossoming relationship, give your partner a bouquet of their favorite flowers, or you could even gift them a plant, that way you can watch it grow as you both continue to grow together. We’re fans of this succulent arrangement that will continue to grow as you both nurture it, and it comes in a cute car-shaped planter that’s unique yet classic.

Maturing from flowers to wood, almost like a seedling to a tree, is a symbol of your relationship being solid. While you could go super literal and gift a piece of furniture or something like wood coasters, we think this tree ring art piece (complete with special dates carved in it) is a cute way to commemorate making it to your fifth year of marriage.

As you get closer to a decade of marriage, it’s important to remember the sweet moments you’ve spent together. As a playful nod to all the good times, get your sweetie a candy sampler with some of their favorite treats in it. Or go full-in on the celebration with a resplendent candy experience. We love this assorted selection of mini treats that comes in a sumptuous trunk (because who doesn’t appreciate over-the-top packaging?). Since this nine boxes set is a definite splurge, feel free to scale down with the more budget-friendly three-pack candy gift box. 

Your partner should be someone who makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, just like how copper insulates and holds heat efficiently. It’s not the most romantic analogy, but the seventh year of marriage is symbolized by copper. Leaning into the idea of warmth, gifting something like a tea kettle (for the tea and coffee lovers) will ensure they always have a warm drink in hand — and it’s something they’ll likely use every single day.

Year eight is symbolized by bronze, a metal made from copper and tin. The two metals come together to make a strong, inseparable bond, just like you and your partner. You could definitely go for a piece of jewelry or a metal sculpture, but this bronze art piece can be customized with the lyrics of your song and a photo from your wedding. For Katie and John, that might be the lyrics to “Til There Was You,” the song they walked down the aisle to.

As you would carefully mold a piece of pottery into something you will have for years to come, you and your love are molding a life together. To celebrate your ninth anniversary, get each other something like new dishes that you will use everyday together during meals. This set from Our Place is a Katie Couric Media favorite, as they’re beautiful enough for special occasions, but also durable enough for everyday use.

You’ve made it to a decade! To symbolize the strength of your union, get each other gifts made from aluminum. Caraway’s ceramic-coated cookware actually has an aluminum base, which is made to last a lifetime. Plus, a set of cookware is something you can always share, especially when you’re taking time to cook a delicious meal together.

We’re skipping ahead a bit here. Fifteen years of matrimony have come and gone, and it’s time to raise a (literal) glass to the time you’ve spent together. Crystal symbolizes the 15th year of marriage, and something like a set of glasses and a gorgeous decanter makes for a useful and beautiful anniversary gift. Plus, it’s an excuse to pour up a drink and give a toast!

As you reach your second decade of marriage, fine china symbolizes the monumental accomplishment. Relationships are delicate, just like fragile porcelain, but they’re so intricately stunning. You could easily update the china you received as a wedding gift 20 years ago with a new set, or you could go for a unique take on the gift and get a porcelain fragrance diffuser, which acts as both décor and a long-lasting scent diffuser.

A quarter of a century! Congratulations! Symbolizing the brilliance and beauty of your marriage, silver is what is traditionally gifted after 25 years of matrimony. Jewelry is probably what comes to mind first when you think of silver, but you could also interpret it a little less literally. Something like a silver ice bucket will be endlessly practical during the many parties you’re bound to throw in the coming decades, but it’s also fancy enough that your spouse probably wouldn’t buy it for themselves. The engraved monogram elevates this wine-chiller to total heirloom status. 

Thirty years of marriage is incredible, and today, it’s somewhat rare to make it to this milestone — just like it’s rare to find a perfectly round pearl. While that’s a romantic sentiment, we all know that marriage isn’t perfect, but it’s still pretty sweet. To celebrate your 30th, we say opt for an organically shaped pearl to appreciate the ups and downs. Although imperfect, it’s still beautiful. These pearl cufflinks have slightly misshapen pearls that catch the light just right.

Honestly, this was hard to find a gift for! The 35th anniversary is symbolized by coral, which often represents the beauty of life and the tranquility of the ocean. We chose to go literal with this gift, as coral is objectively such a gorgeous object. This sculpture can proudly sit on your mantle, symbolizing your love. Katie and John love gifting each other art, in fact they often pick out a piece they both like to gift each other for anniversaries and holidays. If you want to go all in, consider taking a vacation to a coral reef — after all, everyone loves a romantic getaway.

Symbolizing success and love, rubies are considered “the king of gemstones” and the symbol of 40 years of marriage. We’re programmed to think that gemstones automatically mean jewelry, but for this anniversary, consider gifting something ruby colored rather than an actual ruby. This art piece has a ruby background and a strong, healthy tree in the center, symbolizing how you both have put down roots together and grown into something beautiful. The trunk is even made with a countdown of the months, days, and minutes you both have spent married.

As you near half a century together, sapphires symbolize the sincerity and faithfulness of both of you. Again, you could always go the jewelry route, but we chose to opt for something a little more practical. This Le Creuset dutch oven will also stand the test of time, and it’s something that you’ll find yourself using often in the kitchen.

Ah, the golden anniversary. First, congratulations on a half century of marriage! Symbolized by gold, 50 years of marriage is no small feat. Just like you and your partner have become wise and prosperous throughout your marriage, gold symbolizes both of these things. We say splurge for this milestone on a beautiful and practical treasure, like a classic gold watch. When you check the time, you’ll think of your love and all the time you’ve spent together in wedded bliss. By the way, Shinola is John’s go-to brand for watches — which is the exact kind of expert opinion we require before a big purchase.