Wedding Anniversary Gifts by Year: Traditional and Modern List, 1st to 60th

Anniversary gifts by year are the traditional materials assigned to each wedding anniversary: paper for the 1st, cotton for the 2nd, leather for the 3rd, wood for the 5th, tin for the 10th, crystal for the 15th, china for the 20th, silver for the 25th, ruby for the 40th, gold for the 50th and diamond for the 60th. A "modern" list swaps most of them for things you'd actually buy: clocks, china, watches, platinum.

Quick list (traditional): 1 paper · 2 cotton · 3 leather · 4 fruit or flowers · 5 wood · 6 iron · 7 wool or copper · 8 bronze or pottery · 9 willow or pottery · 10 tin or aluminum · 11 steel · 12 silk or linen · 13 lace · 14 ivory (now usually gold jewelry) · 15 crystal · 16 wax · 17 furniture · 18 porcelain · 19 bronze · 20 china · 25 silver · 30 pearl · 35 coral · 40 ruby · 45 sapphire · 50 gold · 55 emerald · 60 diamond.

Both lists are below, year by year, side by side. And because a material is a prompt rather than a rule, every year also gets the experience gift that fits it: a real Everwow gift, with its real starting price, for the couple who would rather do something than dust something. Jump to the full table, or go straight to the 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th or 50th anniversary.

Wedding anniversary gifts by year: traditional and modern list, 1st to 60th

Traditional and modern, 1st through 20th, then every fifth year to the 60th. The traditional column is the one most people mean when they ask "what's the anniversary gift for year X". The third column is our suggestion for turning the material into a day.

Four places the reference lists disagree, so you don't have to wonder. The 6th is iron on most lists and candy on Hallmark's. The 9th is pottery on Wikipedia's list and willow or pottery on The Knot's and Hallmark's. The 14th is ivory on the older lists and gold jewelry on nearly every current one (nobody should be buying ivory). And Wikipedia's list skips years 16 to 19 entirely; those rows come from The Knot, Hallmark and the Chicago Public Library's modern list, which agree with each other. Elsewhere the lists agree on the material and differ only in wording: Wikipedia gives bronze alone at 8, silk alone at 12 and porcelain rather than china at 20; Hallmark adds silverware beside wax at 16.

Anniversary gifts after 60: the 70th, 75th and 80th

The traditional list thins out after the diamond anniversary. Wikipedia's list continues with platinum for the 70th, diamond and gold for the 75th, and oak for the 80th. Lists that run "1 to 100" beyond that are filling the gaps with guesses; there is no traditional material for the 63rd anniversary, whatever a gift list says. For those years, choose the couple's mood over the material.

Anniversary flowers, colors and gemstones by year

Some guides also assign each year a flower, a color and a gemstone. We've left those out of the table because the reference lists only agree on the milestone flowers: carnation for the 1st, daisy for the 5th, daffodil for the 10th, iris for the 25th, and yellow roses with violets for the 50th (Wikipedia and The Knot both list these). Gemstones and colors vary from one guide to the next, so treat them as inspiration rather than tradition.

Where the anniversary gift lists come from

The oldest associations are silver for the 25th and gold for the 50th, customs documented in German-speaking Europe since the 1500s. Giving a gift tied to the anniversary year became common in English-speaking countries in the nineteenth century, and in 1937 the American National Retail Jeweler Association (now Jewelers of America) published an expanded list. The "modern" list arrived later in the twentieth century as a consumer-era update, clocks instead of paper and appliances instead of fruit. One widely copied compilation of the lists was put together by librarians at the Chicago Public Library from the World Almanac and World Book Encyclopedia. The history and both lists are on Wikipedia's wedding anniversary page. Neither list is law. They're a shared vocabulary that makes a gift feel chosen rather than grabbed.

Traditional vs. modern anniversary gifts: which list should you follow?

Whichever gives you the better idea. The traditional list is more poetic (paper, wood, crystal) and easier to turn into something personal. The modern list is more literal and, for the big years, identical: silver, ruby, sapphire, gold, emerald and diamond are the same on both. A good rule: use the traditional material as the theme, and let the modern one settle the budget. Or skip the object entirely and give the day. An experience gift lets you honor the material in spirit (a crystal glass of champagne at 15, a diamond sky at 60) without adding to the shelf, and the couples experience gifts are made for two.

1st anniversary gift: paper

Paper is the first year because it's a beginning, a blank page. The gift that takes it most literally is a list: the Bucket list gift (from $149) is a curated menu of the days you've both said "one day" about, and they pick which one comes first. For the couple who'd rather have the evening than the plan, Better Together (from $199) is the couples bundle. And if the year needs marking on the wall, a professional photoshoot (from $149) is paper you'll keep. One year anniversary gifts for him tend to run faster: supercar driving (from $229) or a whiskey and bourbon tour (from $189). If the wedding was this year, the wedding experience gifts still fit.

2nd, 3rd and 4th anniversary gifts: cotton, leather, fruit or flowers

The early years get the softest materials. Cotton at two is comfort, which is why the classic cotton gift is a robe and why spa day packages (from $149) are the experience version. Leather at three is durability; woodworking and leather crafts (from $99) sends them home with something they made from it. Fruit or flowers at four is a relationship in bloom, and garden and botanical tours (from $119) are the afternoon that fits. The modern list says china, crystal and appliances for these years; the table above has both.

5th anniversary gift: wood

Wood is about something that has taken root. The traditional route is furniture or a carved keepsake; the modern list says silverware, which points straight at a table. A private chef (from $179) sets that table at home; a cooking class (from $99) gives you both a skill to bring back to it. If you want the material itself in their hands, woodworking and leather crafts (from $99) sends them home with something they made. More of the table-setting kind in the food and drink experience gifts.

10th anniversary gift: tin or aluminum

Ten years is the first big one, and the traditional metals are the humble ones: tin and aluminum, chosen for durability rather than shine. Aluminum's best modern expression is flight. Helicopter tours (from $329) for the skyline seat, or a hot air balloon with champagne (from $99) if the morning should be quieter; the rest of the sky is in the flying experience gifts. The modern list says diamond jewelry; a jewelry-making experience (from $109) is the version where the ring comes with a story.

15th anniversary gift: crystal

Crystal catches light, and the point of fifteen years is that it's still doing that. Champagne tasting (from $99) is crystal at its most enjoyable; glassblowing (from $99) is crystal as a Saturday you'll talk about. The modern gift is a watch, time again, and stargazing (from $159) is the biggest clock there is.

20th anniversary gift: china

China is delicate and made to be used every day, which is the marriage after twenty years. Give the dinner rather than the plates: Spanish cooking (from $99) or a private chef (from $179). The modern material is platinum, rare and understated, and the Better Together premium tier (from $279) is the quiet upgrade.

25th anniversary gift: silver

The silver anniversary is the oldest tradition on the list and the one most families still mark. The Anniversary Experiences collection (from $139) was built for exactly this: a menu of anniversary days, they choose one, no expiry. For silver on the water, a yacht afternoon (from $249); for silver you can pour, champagne tasting (from $99). If children are buying for parents, the Second Honeymoon gift ($899) is the one they won't book for themselves.

30th anniversary gift: pearl

Pearls come from the sea and take years to form; thirty years earns the metaphor. Sailing cruises (from $99), Smooth Sailing (from $179) or a sunset cruise (from $99) put them on the water, and the cruise and sailing gifts hold the rest. The modern gift is diamond; see the 60th below for the sky version.

40th anniversary gift: ruby

Ruby is the same on both lists: deep red, the color of a long-running fire. The obvious pour is wine tasting (from $139). For the couple who'd rather move than sip, a horse-drawn carriage ride (from $99) is the old-fashioned kind of romantic, which after forty years is a compliment.

50th anniversary gift: gold

The golden anniversary. If you're the children or grandchildren buying, this is the year to go big on time rather than things: Golden Years (from $349) is the bundle made for it, and Second Honeymoon ($899) sends them somewhere they've been meaning to go for a decade. For a gentler golden day, a balloon flight at sunrise (from $99) is the literal gold hour. More for the grandparents in the experience gifts for grandparents.

60th anniversary gift: diamond

Diamond at sixty is the summit of the list. Stargazing & Astronomy (from $159) is the version everyone can do: a guide, a dark sky, and the two of them. Honeymoon Escape ($1,499) is for the family that wants to give the trip. Either way, the recipient chooses the date, so a gift bought for the anniversary can be the spring they're strongest for it.

Anniversary gifts by city

If the couple lives in, or is traveling to, one of these cities, there's an anniversary bundle built around it. The person who knows the city chooses the day; you choose the bundle.

• Anniversary in New York City — from $99
• Anniversary in Chicago — from $99
• Anniversary in Los Angeles — from $119
• Anniversary in San Francisco — from $109
• Anniversary in San Diego — from $99
• Anniversary in Seattle — from $129
• Anniversary in Dallas — from $99
• Anniversary in Houston — from $99
• Anniversary in Washington DC — from $99

The core anniversary range, from the couples bundles to Golden Years and Second Honeymoon, is gathered in the anniversary experience gifts collection; the city bundles live on their own pages above.

Anniversary gifts for parents and grandparents

If you're a son, daughter or grandchild buying for a couple who have everything, two things help. First, the milestone years are the ones worth marking together (25, 40, 50, 60) and the material gives the whole family a theme to rally around. Second, the best gift for a couple who have everything is time they wouldn't book for themselves. Golden Years (from $349), Second Honeymoon ($899) and Spa Day (from $299) were all built for this; the Anniversary Experiences collection (from $139) is the safe pick when several siblings are chipping in. It arrives by email with your message, they choose the day, and nobody has to guess a size. The wider range is in the experience gifts for parents and the spa day gifts.

Anniversary gift ideas by budget

• Under $120: most of the classes and tastings. Chocolate making, cooking, glassblowing, candle making, champagne tasting, sailing, snorkeling, the balloon flight and most of the city anniversary bundles start at $99 to $119 per person (Seattle is $129). A full day out for the price of dinner.
• $120–$250: the anniversary collection ($139), wine tasting ($139), spa day packages ($149), the bucket list ($149), photoshoots ($149), stargazing ($159), a private chef ($179), Better Together ($199), supercar driving ($229) and the yacht afternoon ($249). This is where most of the list lands.
• $250 and up: Better Together premium ($279), Spa Day ($299), couples massage and helicopter tours (both from $329), Golden Years ($349), Second Honeymoon ($899) and Honeymoon Escape ($1,499) for the fiftieth or sixtieth the whole family is funding.

Prices are the starting price for each gift, per person for the category collections and city bundles, checked on the live store in September 2026.

How to choose an anniversary experience gift

• Start with the material, end with the mood. The year gives you a theme; the couple's taste decides whether it's a champagne tasting or a glassblowing class. Choose the mood (romantic, relaxing, adventurous) and let them pick the exact experience inside it.
• Buy for two. Anniversary gifts are shared by definition. The bundles on this page (Bucket list, Better Together, Golden Years, Second Honeymoon, the yacht and sailing days, Honeymoon Escape) are priced for the couple; the category collections and city bundles show the per-person starting price, and each has a two-person option on its page.
• Don't tie it to the date. The anniversary is the reason, not the deadline. Nothing here expires, so a gift given in November can be booked for a June weekend.
• Send it or hand it over. An Everwow gift arrives by email in minutes with your message, or on a date you set. If you'd rather give something to unwrap at the table, a physical gift box is available at checkout.

Anniversary in October? There's a second date on the calendar. Sweetest Day falls on the third Saturday of October, and the Sweetest Day gifts overlap with everything above. Our guide to when Sweetest Day is and what to do for it has the details.