Anniversary Gift Ideas

Every anniversary in a couple's life is a symbolic6th: sugar, wood, iron, candy, amethysts.
marker of commitment, adventure and love. With7th: copper, wool, brass, desk sets, onyx.
each passing year, the bond strengthens, fortified8th: pottery, bronze, appliances, linens, lace,
by all the shared experiences a year can carry.tourmaline jewelry.
Anniversaries are a time to let your spouse know9th: willow, pottery, leather, lapis jewelry.
that he or she is cherished. And, they are a time10th: aluminum, tin, diamond jewelry.
to present a anniversary gift that reflects love,11th: fashion or turquoise jewelry, steel.
creativity and spirit.12th: pearls, jade, colored gems, silk, linen.
Before humans had a way of keeping time, no13th: textiles, furs, citrine, lace.
one paid much attention to the anniversary of14th: ivory, opal, gold jewelry.
important events, such as birthdays. Only when15th: crystal, glass, watches, ruby.
ancient peoples began taking notice of the moon's16th: silver hollowware, peridot.
cycles, did they pay attention to the changing17th: furniture, watch.
seasons and the pattern that repeated itself over18th: cat's eye jewelry, porcelain.
and over. Eventually, the first calendars were19th: bronze, aquamarine.
formulated in order to mark time changes and20th: platinum, emeralds, china.
other special days. From this system tracking21st: nickel, brass.
came the ability to celebrate birthdays and other22nd: copper.
significant anniversaries the same day each year.23rd: silver plate.
Anniversary celebrations began in medieval times24th: musical instruments.
when people celebrated 25 and 50 years of25th: silver, sterling silver
marriage. A husband would crown his wife with aFinding an anniversary gift for a wife can be a
wreath of silver for 25 years and of gold for 50.fairly easy process because as long as a husband
For centuries, couples have observed weddingis aware of his wife's interests, he has a wide
anniversaries as a special time to reflect uponselection of gifts he can choose from.
their marriage and remember the vows theyMaking the search for anniversary gifts for men is
made to one another. Despite the existence ofa challenge. One of the most common pieces of
anniversaries long ago, there aren't anyadvice that you can find on web sites that
long-standing traditions or strict rules concerningprovide gift ideas is to buy gifts that follow
the way anniversaries should or should not betradition: For every milestone regarding to the
celebrated.number of years you are together, there are
The wedding anniversary gift chosen is usuallyappropriate gifts for each. For men, this means
based on the number of years a couple has beenthat wives should get their husbands a gift that is
married. The longer the number of years pastmade out of paper on their first year anniversary,
since the wedding couple has been married, thewhich can come in the form of personalized
more precious the material (symbol) associatedstationary that he can use in his work. For the
with it. Traditional and modern gift ideas help thesecond year, women are advised to get their
invited guests in choosing the appropriate gifts forhusbands anything made out of cotton, which
a wedding anniversary, as well as, it may help theincludes shirts, pillows, or other cotton. On the
hosts choose an appropriate party theme for thethird year, women are then advised to buy their
couple's wedding anniversary.husbands leather products, which include shoes,
It is now generally agreed that there are particularbelts, or a leather suitcase. As for other
traditional symbols for wedding anniversaries. Overmilestones, like the 25th or the 50th wedding
the periods of time - some of these symbolsanniversary, women are advised to give their
have changed but as a rough guide take a look athusbands gifts that are made out of silver and
the table below, which lists the most populargold, respectively.
anniversaries and their traditional gift symbols.Typically, couples observe earlier wedding
1st: paper, clocks, plastic, gold jewelry.anniversaries informally, making their own plans to
2nd: cotton, china, calico, garnet.celebrate alone over dinner, take a weekend
3rd: leather, crystal, glass, pearls.getaway, or simply exchange small gifts. As the
4th: fruit, flowers, electrical appliances, linen, silk,number of years together increases, however,
nylon, blue topaz.the occasion becomes more and more significant.
5th: wood, silverware, sapphires.