# Wedding anniversaries by year

> Every wedding anniversary by year, with the traditional and modern gift, what it means and a gift idea. Enter your wedding date to see which one you're at.

Enter your wedding date to see which anniversary you’re at, how long you’ve been married and when the next one comes, with its meaning and a gift idea.

## Wedding anniversaries year by year

Each anniversary has a symbol, usually a material that gets stronger and more precious with time: paper for the first year, gold for the fiftieth. Here’s every one, with the traditional and modern gift, what it means and a gift idea. The traditional and modern lists used in the United States, as compiled by the Chicago Public Library. Lists differ by country: the UK’s, for one, has its own names for some years.

| Year | Traditional | Modern | Meaning and gift idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper | Clocks | A blank page: your story together is only starting to be written. Gift idea: a handwritten love letter, a photo book or concert tickets. |
| 2 | Cotton | China | Soft but strong, like a couple that has settled into life together. Gift idea: new bed sheets, matching robes or a cozy throw. |
| 3 | Leather | Crystal, glass | Leather bends without tearing: your marriage handles change. Gift idea: an engraved wallet, a leather bag or a watch strap. |
| 4 | Fruit & flowers | Appliances | What you planted is starting to bloom and bear fruit. Gift idea: a bouquet, a fruit tree or breakfast in bed with fresh fruit. |
| 5 | Wood | Silverware | Your roots are deep now, like a tree that has grown. Gift idea: an engraved wooden box, a picture frame or planting a tree together. |
| 6 | Iron | Wood | Iron is strong and lasting: a marriage that holds firm. Gift idea: a cast-iron pan and a dinner cooked together, or an iron sculpture. |
| 7 | Wool (or copper) | Desk sets | Wool keeps you warm: you're each other's shelter. Gift idea: a wool scarf, a sweater or a soft blanket. |
| 8 | Bronze | Linens, lace | An alloy of two metals, stronger together than apart. Gift idea: a bronze keepsake or a pair of bronze-toned frames. |
| 9 | Pottery | Leather | Clay shaped with care and fired to last. Gift idea: handmade mugs, a vase or a pottery class for two. |
| 10 | Tin (or aluminum) | Diamond jewelry | A decade: a flexible metal that doesn't rust. Gift idea: an engraved tin keepsake or a trip to celebrate ten years. |
| 11 | Steel | Fashion jewelry | Steel is tough and hard to bend, like eleven years together. Gift idea: a watch, kitchen knives or steel jewelry. |
| 12 | Silk | Pearls, colored gems | Silk is delicate and precious: a love looked after with care. Gift idea: a silk scarf, tie or pajamas. |
| 13 | Lace | Textiles, furs | Threads woven patiently into something beautiful. Gift idea: lace lingerie, a lace table runner or a framed print. |
| 14 | Ivory | Gold jewelry | Rare and lasting, getting lovelier with age. Gift idea: ivory-toned jewelry or a jewelry box (never real ivory). |
| 15 | Crystal | Watches | Clarity and sparkle: a love with nothing to hide. Gift idea: crystal glasses for a toast, a vase or a crystal lamp. |
| 20 | China | Platinum | Delicate and strong at once, like a twenty-year marriage. Gift idea: a fine china set or a special dinner at home. |
| 25 | Silver | Sterling silver | A quarter century: the precious metal of the big party, often with vow renewals. Gift idea: silver jewelry, engraved silver or a vow renewal. |
| 30 | Pearl | Diamond | A pearl grows slowly, layer by layer, like thirty years together. Gift idea: a pearl necklace or earrings. |
| 35 | Coral | Jade | Coral grows slowly and shelters life, like your home and family. Gift idea: coral jewelry or a beach trip. |
| 40 | Ruby | Ruby | Four decades: the red stone of a passion still burning. Gift idea: ruby jewelry or red roses. |
| 45 | Sapphire | Sapphire | A hard, deep-blue stone linked to loyalty and wisdom. Gift idea: sapphire jewelry or something in deep blue. |
| 50 | Gold | Gold | Half a century: the noblest metal, which never loses its shine. Gift idea: gold jewelry, new rings or a family celebration. |
| 55 | Emerald | Emerald | A rare green stone that stands for renewal and lasting love. Gift idea: emerald jewelry or a garden plant. |
| 60 | Diamond | Diamond | Six decades: the hardest stone, nothing scratches it. Gift idea: diamond jewelry or a party with the whole family. |
| 65 | Blue sapphire | Blue sapphire | A rare stone for a rare marriage. Gift idea: blue sapphire jewelry or a family photo album. |
| 70 | Platinum | Platinum | A metal even rarer than gold, for seventy years together. Gift idea: platinum jewelry or a family gathering. |
| 75 | Diamond & gold | Diamond & gold | Three quarters of a century, crowned with the two most precious symbols. Gift idea: a family tribute with photos from every decade. |


## How anniversaries are counted

Anniversaries count **full years of marriage** from your wedding date. If you married on March 12, 2021, your 5th (wood) anniversary was March 12, 2026, and your 6th (iron) is March 12, 2027.

The calculator works it out on the calendar: it shows the anniversary you're at, how long you've been married in years, months and days, the total in days, and the date of the next anniversaries with how long is left. If you married on February 29, it uses February 28 in years that aren't leap years.

## Where the tradition comes from

The custom goes back to Central Europe, where couples who reached 25 years of marriage were given a silver wreath, and a gold one at 50. Over time the other years got symbols too, following the same idea: the material starts out fragile, like **paper** in the first year, and grows harder and more precious the longer the marriage lasts, up to **silver** (25), **gold** (50) and **diamond** (60).

There's no official list. In the US, the traditional list sits next to a modern one with more practical gifts, and other countries use names of their own.

## The milestone anniversaries

- **1st, paper:** your first year married. A handwritten letter or a photo book of the wedding fits the theme.
- **5th, wood:** the first round number. Many couples plant a tree or take a trip.
- **10th, tin:** a decade together, a good excuse for a bigger celebration.
- **15th, crystal:** sparkle and clarity; crystal glasses for a toast are the classic gift.
- **25th, silver:** the most traditional party, often with a vow renewal.
- **50th, gold:** half a century married, usually with the whole family.

## Ideas for any anniversary

The gift can follow the year's material, but what people remember is the gesture: going back to where you first met, retracing your honeymoon, collecting a photo from every year of marriage, or writing down what has changed since "I do". A surprise with your photos and your song, opened from a QR code over dinner, works for every one of them, from paper to diamond.

Not married yet? The [relationship calculator](/how-long-have-we-been-together/) shows how long you've been together and when your next [monthsary](/monthsary/) is.


## About anniversaries.

### What are the wedding anniversaries by year?

The traditional US list is: 1st paper, 2nd cotton, 3rd leather, 4th fruit and flowers, 5th wood, 6th iron, 7th wool, 8th bronze, 9th pottery, 10th tin, 15th crystal, 20th china, 25th silver, 30th pearl, 40th ruby, 50th gold and 60th diamond. Each year up to 15 has its own, then every five years.

### What's the difference between traditional and modern anniversary gifts?

The traditional list is the older one, built on materials that get stronger with time. The modern list was added later with more practical gifts, like clocks for the 1st or watches for the 15th. Pick whichever you like, or mix them.

### Which anniversaries are silver, gold and diamond?

Silver is the 25th anniversary, gold the 50th and diamond the 60th. Between them come pearl (30th), coral (35th), ruby (40th) and sapphire (45th).

### Is there an official list?

No. Lists change from country to country, and the UK, Germany or Brazil each use their own names for many years. This page uses the traditional and modern lists most used in the United States.

### When is our anniversary if we married on February 29?

In years that aren’t leap years, the calculator uses the last day of February, the 28th. The same goes for any date a month doesn’t have, like the 31st.

### Is the information I enter saved?

No. It’s worked out in your own browser and nothing is sent to LoveMemo. If you share the result, the date and names only travel in the link you send.

## Your married-for counter, on your home screen.

In the LoveMemo app, how long you’ve been married sits in a home screen widget, with your favorite photos of the two of you rotating on their own. Free, nothing to buy.

- App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6743683200
- Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.jxnata.lovememo