Wedding anniversary gifts by year: traditional and modern
Your next anniversary, its traditional and modern gift, and one free email on the day every year.
Enter your wedding date
See how many years you have been married, your next anniversary and the gift for it.
Pick the day you married. Your date stays in this page. We do not save it or send it anywhere.
One short email on the day, with the gift for that year. The yearly email is free, and one tap stops it.
Wedding anniversary gifts by year, 1st to 75th
Traditional anniversary gifts are materials, from paper in the first year to diamond in the sixtieth. Modern gifts are things you can buy, such as clocks or crystal. This chart puts both lists side by side for every year the lists name.
At a glance, the traditional gifts are paper for the 1st, wood for the 5th, aluminum or tin for the 10th, silver for the 25th and gold for the 50th. The modern list says clocks, silverware, diamond jewelry, silver and gold.
| Anniversary | Traditional gift | Modern gift |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks |
| 2nd | Cotton | China |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal or glass |
| 4th | Fruit or flowers | Appliances |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware |
| 6th | Iron or candy | Wood |
| 7th | Copper or wool | Desk sets |
| 8th | Bronze or pottery | Linen or lace |
| 9th | Pottery or willow | Leather |
| 10th | Aluminum or tin | Diamond jewelry |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewelry |
| 12th | Silk and fine linen | Pearls or colored gems |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles or furs |
| 14th | Gold | Gold jewelry |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches |
| 20th | China | Platinum |
| 25th | Silver | Silver |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond |
| 35th | Coral | Jade |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 50th | Gold | Gold |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond |
| 65th | Blue sapphire | Blue sapphire |
| 70th | Platinum | Platinum |
| 75th | Diamond | Diamond |
Which list is this, and where does it come from?
The traditional column follows Leah Ingram's US list. The modern column follows Bridebook's modern list. There is no single official list, so we name the one each column follows instead of calling it the list.
Sources disagree on years 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, and the US and UK lists differ in those years. On this chart: the 4th: fruit or flowers here, linen or silk on the UK list; the 6th: iron or candy here, sugar on the UK list; the 7th: copper or wool here, wool on the UK list; the 8th: bronze or pottery here, salt on the UK list; the 9th: pottery or willow here, copper on the UK list; the 10th: aluminum or tin here, tin on the UK list. Even inside one country the sources split: Papier gives sugar for the 6th and copper for the 9th, where Bridebook gives iron and pottery or willow.
The gifts for years 1, 2, 3 and 5 are the same on every list we read. Papier's list has no gift for years 11, 13, 14, 35, 45 or 55, so we filled those with the gift most lists print.
What about years that are not on the chart?
The lists skip from the 15th to the 20th, then go up in fives. For a year that is not on the chart, such as the 17th, use the nearest milestone. Here that is the 15th: crystal for traditional, watches for modern. A card and a small gift in the in-between years is plenty.
How to use the anniversary gift chart
Find your anniversary number. Count the years you will have been married on the day. If you married in June 2025, your next anniversary is the 2nd. Or enter your wedding date above and it does the counting.
Read across to the gift. Each row shows the traditional gift, a material such as paper or leather, and the modern gift, an object such as clocks or crystal. Either one is a fine answer.
Check which list you are reading. The lists are named under the chart. Where sources disagree, in years 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, the US column follows Leah Ingram's US list.
Use the nearest milestone for in-between years. The lists skip from the 15th to the 20th and then go up in fives. For a year that is not on the chart, use the nearest year that is.
Ask for a reminder. Sign in for one email on the day every year, with the gift for that year. It is free, and one tap stops it.
Questions
- Why do anniversary gift lists differ from one site to another?
- There is no official list. Publishers keep their own, and the US and UK lists differ most in years 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. This chart names the list each column follows, so you can check it against the source.
- What is the modern anniversary gift list?
- A newer set of gifts that name objects rather than materials, such as clocks for the 1st and silverware for the 5th. This chart follows Bridebook's modern list.
- What are the gifts for the 5th, 10th, 25th and 50th anniversaries?
- the 5th: wood (traditional) and silverware (modern), the 10th: aluminum or tin (traditional) and diamond jewelry (modern), the 25th: silver (traditional) and silver (modern) and the 50th: gold (traditional) and gold (modern).
- What is the gift for an anniversary that is not on the chart?
- Use the nearest milestone year on the chart. The 17th, for example, borrows the 15th. A card and a small gift is plenty in an in-between year.
- Do I have to give the gift on the list?
- No. The list is a tradition, not a rule. Treat the gift as an idea for a theme, such as paper for a letter or wood for a framed print, and give anything you like.
- What is the first anniversary gift?
- paper (traditional) and clocks (modern). Both lists agree on paper for the first year, and our first anniversary guide has ideas.