Wedding anniversaries
The traditional and modern gift for every documented year — including the years where the UK and US lists genuinely diverge, which most sites get wrong — and real accounts of what people gave.
Traditions by year
| Year | Traditional | Modern (UK) | Modern (US) | Stories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks | Clocks | — |
| 2nd | Cotton | China | China | — |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal, glass | Crystal, glass | — |
| 4th | Linen, silk | Appliances | Appliances | — |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware | Silverware | — |
| 6th | Iron | Wood | Wood | — |
| 7th | Wool, copper | Desk sets | Desk sets | — |
| 8th | Bronze | Linen, lace | Linen, lace | — |
| 9th | Pottery | Leather | Leather | — |
| 10th | Tin, aluminium | Diamond jewellery | Diamond jewellery | — |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewellery | Fashion jewellery | — |
| 12th | Silk | Pearls | Pearls | — |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles, furs | Textiles, furs | — |
| 14th | Ivory | Gold jewellery | Gold jewellery | — |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches | Watches | — |
| 20th | China | Platinum | Platinum | — |
| 25th | Silver | Silver | Sterling silver | — |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond | Diamond | — |
| 35th | Coral | Jade | Jade | — |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby | — |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | — |
| 50th | Gold | Gold | Gold | — |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald | Emerald | — |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond | — |
