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Finding the best anniversary gift for your partner or for a couple you’d like to celebrate can be challenging. After all, how do you find one present that will be appreciated as a representation of love, commitment, and moving forward together?
“The best anniversary gifts are timeless, not just because they merge modernity with tradition, but because they demonstrate genuine love and admiration for your partner or the couple you’re gifting,” says Boris Muchnik, President at Music Box Attic.
Popular Anniversary Gifts
Tulips Gift Flowers White
While creativity in gift-giving can make for a unique and memorable present, you also can’t go wrong with the classics. Some of the most popular anniversary gifts include:
Jewelry
Always a classic choice, from necklaces to bracelets and rings. Choose jewelry with your partner’s birthstone or your anniversary year’s traditional material, like silver on your 25th year and sapphires on your 45th. Engrave a personal message to make it extra special.
Personalized items
Add a personal touch to your present with customized items. Personalized gift ideas include customized photo albums, commissioned artwork, a scrapbook of memories, or a map of the world showing places you have traveled to together.
Experiences
People find more value in experiences rather than material possessions, studies show. Make new memories to cherish together. Treat your partner to a vacation or romantic dinner. Share a special experience like a hot air balloon ride, a class or tour, or a show or concert.
Music Boxes
These timeless treasures can be customized with a special song or message, making them a sentimental and memorable gift. They can also be practical, serving a double purpose as jewelry or keepsake boxes.
Modern and Traditional Anniversary Gifts by Year
Man Surprising the Woman with Diamond Necklace
Different materials represent each anniversary, although what these materials are can vary depending on tradition or modern sensibilities.
For example, the traditional first-anniversary gift is something made of paper, while more modern gifting trends suggest gifting a clock. For the fourth anniversary, traditional gifts for your partner include fruit or flowers, like special occasion leis or a gorgeous bouquet, but an appliance would be more modern.
10th Anniversary Gifts
The traditional gift for the 10th anniversary is tin or aluminum, which symbolizes the durability and flexibility needed to sustain a long-lasting relationship. Some gift ideas include photo frames, wall art, or sculptures made out of these materials.
Modern interpretations often use diamond jewelry to mark the 10th anniversary, symbolizing enduring strength and brilliance.
20th Anniversary Gifts
The traditional gift for the 20th anniversary is China. This represents the delicate yet resilient nature of a long marriage. Gift ideas include a fine china dinnerware set, china figurines, or decorative plates.
In recent years, platinum has become a popular modern gift for the 20th anniversary, signifying the strength and enduring nature of the relationship.
30th Anniversary Gifts
Pearls are traditionally gifted on the 30th anniversary. They symbolize purity, honesty, wisdom gained through experience, longevity, and the beauty that comes from overcoming adversity over time. While jewelry or cufflinks are obvious choices for pearl gifts, you can also get keepsakes or photo frames with mother-of-pearl accents.
Modern gifts for the 30th anniversary incorporate diamonds, which symbolize strength and clarity. On the practical side, these “forever” stones make for great investments and heirloom pieces.
40th Anniversary Gifts
Both traditional and modern gifts call for rubies to celebrate four decades together. Symbolizing passion, protection, and the strength and power of love, rubies are some of the most distinctive and romantic gemstones. They’re perfect in necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, and cufflinks.
50th Anniversary Gifts
Traditionalists and modern gifters agree: 50 years marks the gold anniversary. As a universal standard for wealth, gold symbolizes prosperity and the resilient and enduring nature of love.
While jewelry may seem like the obvious gift choice, you can also think out of the box. Gift your partner with a trip to Australia’s Gold Coast or to see the golden Eglise du Dome in Paris, France. You can also find a tasteful piece of art that incorporates the precious metal.
Meaningful Gifts of Love
People Holding a Gift
Whether you go with tradition or follow a more modern philosophy when selecting an anniversary gift, remember to choose something that holds meaning for the person you’re giving the gift to. This could be in the form of shared memories, personal preferences, hobbies, and even inside jokes.
By Tiffany Young
who is a freelance writer, content strategist, and former graduate assistant. She writes about the latest developments in teaching, public policy, standardized testing, and educational technology.
Member since March, 2024
View all the articles of Tiffany Young.
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