Consider the traditional and modern anniversary gifts as a springboard for creative gift ideas. Take the first traditional anniversary gift: paper. For our wedding, we opted for black-and-white photography in documentary style. Because our wedding album featured all 8×10 photos, we had hundreds of photos that were not printed due to the expense (printing them all would cost thousands).
For our first (paper) anniversary, I ordered 30 additional 8×10 wedding photos. I secretly reorganized the wedding album, adding the new pictures. On our anniversary day, I suggested we page through the album together. Soon my wife realized our album had many more pictures — images she had not seen since scouring over tiny proofs. She cherished this gift of memories, this gift of paper.
Traditional and Modern Anniversary Gifts
| Anniversary Year | Traditional | Modern Version |
| First | Paper | Clocks |
| Second | Cotton | China |
| Third | Leather | Crystal or Glass |
| Fourth | Fruit or Flowers | Appliances |
| Fifth | Wood | Silverware |
| Sixth | Candy or Iron | Wood |
| Seventh | Wool or Copper | Desk Sets |
| Eighth | Bronze or Pottery | Linens or Lace |
| Ninth | Pottery or Willow | Leather |
| Tenth | Tin or Aluminum | Diamond Jewelry |
| Eleventh | Steel | Fashion Jewelry |
| Twelfth | Silk or Linen | Pearls |
| Thirteenth | Lace | Textiles or Furs |
| Fourteenth | Ivory | Gold Jewelry |
| Fifteenth | Crystal | Watches |
| Twentieth | China | Platinum |
| Twenty-Fifth | Silver | Silver |
| Thirtieth | Pearl | Diamond |
| Thirty-Fifth | Coral | Jade |
| Fortieth | Ruby | Ruby |
| Forty-Fifth | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| Fiftieth | Gold | Gold |
| Fifty-Fifth | Emerald | Emerald |
| Sixtieth | Diamond | Diamond |
Tags: anniversary, photos, wedding
You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Anniversary Gifts: Traditional and Modern”
Leave a Comment
I love your blog. I have been reading it for about 2 years now, and your suggestions and posts never cease to amaze me. Thanks!
Hi eaa473 – Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I have been on a blogging hiatus as I slog through my MBA semester, and I'm eager to return for the holiday season.