Wedding Anniversary Gifts

Giving anniversary gifts originated in Central Europe. Medieval Germans presented gifts to a wife after she had lived with her husband for twenty-five years or more. The gift was usually silver and symbolized harmony. If the couple made it to fifty years, they were given a wreath of gold. This is how silver and golden wedding anniversaries came about. The first anniversary gift is supposed to be paper or plastic, the second, cotton, etc. But in the early years, most don’t stick to the protocol. When the tenth anniversary arrives, people start taking tradition a little more seriously, and this continues for the twenty-fifth (silver anniversary) and fiftieth (golden).

In most cases, people by anniversary gifts depending on what the couple may need. Some of the most popular anniversary gifts include jewelry and flowers. Candy, lingerie, beauty products and travel are also popular.

There is a list that has been compiled that gives suggested gifts that go along with each anniversary year. For example, the 10th anniversary traditional gift is tin or aluminum, or the modern day gift is diamond. The 20th anniversary traditional gift is china or the modern gift is something made of platinum. For the 25th year celebration, silver is the traditional gift and sterling silver is a popular modern day choice. Should a happy couple make it to 50 years, the traditional gift is gold, as is the modern day version.

The list can help making choosing a gift easier, but these days, anniversary gifts can be almost anything. The main thing is that you remembered the couple’s special day in some way. Sometimes, even a card will do.

Wedding anniversaries have special personal significance. Each additional year is a milestone in the life a couple. It encapsulates the daily struggles in life, the memorable moments of happiness, and the simple joys of being with each other, and celebrates yet another year of togetherness. It is a triumph of a personal sort for couples, for all of us are aware of that living together requires much more than just love for each other. A wedding anniversary gift exchange is a tangible symbol of love that grows stronger with each passing year. It signifies that a person still occupies a special place in the heart. It provides an opportunity to couples to sit back and reminiscence about the golden moments of their life that often gets obliterated in routine drudgery. A special gift often rekindles dying romance in a couple’s life.

The traditional concepts of paper, cotton, leather, fruit and flowers, wood gifts, in the initial wedding years found its genesis in England. Englishmen in olden times presented their brides with a paper gift in the first year, silver wreath in the 25th year and golden wreath in the 50th year of their wedding, as a celebration of a successful marriage. Whether a gift is traditional, extravagant, creative or emotional depends solely on the giver. A traditional gift can be given some creative, ingenious and modern touches to make it stand out.

For example: a paper frame with a beautiful metal clock, an leather album with the wife’s and husband’s name engraved in gold, or two Broadway paper tickets and a romantic candlelight dinner afterwards might be suitable. You can also give a vintage cotton cloth or a cotton dress wrapped around some ornament or perfume, customized cotton pillow and quilt set with the couples pictures printed on it. Or a fruit bowl made out of a beautiful decorative bowl can also twist tradition and add some personal touch as well.

Theme parties are some fun options for those who enjoy parties. Gift certificates for two given to husband or wives to enjoy the tropical Florida sun, dive to watch corals, and undertake an adventure trip or a refreshing spa experience are wonderful unconventional gifts.

A gift’s purpose is not to follow traditions or display extravagance. The encoded message of love is communicated successfully when it is chosen or created and sealed with love. A handmade scrapbook or an album with photos of the most memorable moments in the couple’s marriage may not be a pricey display of love, but there is perhaps nothing more precious than such personal thoughtful gifts. It displays the effort, time and energy one has put in.