BirthdayEvery wedding anniversary traditionally has a theme, usually a material that gets stronger or more precious as the years go by: paper for the first year, silver for the 25th, gold for the 50th. The tradition gives you a starting point when you are out of gift ideas, and it turns an ordinary date into a small occasion.
Where the tradition comes from
The best known milestones, silver at 25 years and gold at 50, have a long history in Europe, while the full year-by-year lists were filled in later and differ between countries. The list below follows the common English-language tradition. If your culture has its own list, use it: the idea is always the same, a stronger or rarer material for a longer marriage.
The early years (1 to 10)
1st: paper. 2nd: cotton. 3rd: leather. 4th: linen or silk (some lists use fruit and flowers). 5th: wood. 6th: iron or sugar. 7th: wool or copper. 8th: bronze. 9th: pottery. 10th: tin or aluminum.
The middle years (11 to 25)
11th: steel. 12th: silk or linen. 13th: lace. 14th: ivory. 15th: crystal. 20th: china. 25th: silver. Ivory is rarely used today for ethical and legal reasons, so people choose ivory-colored items instead.
The big milestones (30 and beyond)
30th: pearl. 35th: coral. 40th: ruby. 45th: sapphire. 50th: gold. 55th: emerald. 60th: diamond. Some older lists place diamond at the 75th anniversary, from a time when reaching 60 years of marriage was rare.
Gift ideas that match the theme
You do not have to be literal. For paper, a handwritten letter, a framed print or concert tickets work well. For wood, think of a hand-carved item or a plant in a wooden planter. For crystal, a glass keepsake. For silver, jewelry or a silver photo frame. The theme is a prompt, not a rule, and experiences also work: a trip for the 10th, or a dinner at the place where you first met.
Count more than full years
Not every couple marks only full years. You can celebrate 1,000 days together, which is about 2 years and 9 months, the day you met, or your first date. Enter any of these dates in our Anniversary Calculator to see exactly how long you have been together and when your next traditional milestone arrives, and use the Date Difference Calculator to compare any two dates.