Each anniversary year has traditional wedding anniversary gifts attached to it. In addition to the traditional anniversary gifts, there are also more modern presents associated with each year. Occasionally, the traditional and the modern gift are the same, such as silver for the 25th anniversary and gold for the 50th wedding anniversary.
Traditional gifts are paper for the first, cotton for the second, leather for the third, flowers or fruit for the fourth, wood for the fifth, candy or iron for the sixth, copper or wool for the seventh, pottery or bronze for the eighth, pottery and willow for the ninth, tin or aluminum for the tenth, china for the twentieth, silver for the twenty-fifth, and gold for the fiftieth.
The trick to making traditional wedding anniversary gifts relevant to today is to think symbolically as well as practically. While paper might not seem like a good gift, it can be many things. A scrapbook, a love poem, tickets to a special event, and any book falls under the paper heading. Wood might take the form of a jewelry box or can be a tree that you plant in your names.
Jewelry is a traditional anniversary gift, especially for the 25th anniversary and the 50th. For the 25th wedding anniversary, the jewelry should be made of silver. Consider getting the piece engraved. If money is a concern, you can engrave a current piece of jewelry, but avoid personalizing the family heirlooms. You can do the same for the 50th wedding anniversary, but with gold jewelry. For women the jewelry can be rings, necklaces, bracelets or watches. For men consider rings or watches.
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Flowers are another traditional wedding anniversary gift. Although they are the specific traditional gift of the fourth anniversary, they are often given yearly. Red roses, which symbolize love, are the most common anniversary flower. While a good choice, the more romantic gesture is a bouquet of the woman’s favorite flowers. If you want to truly impress your wife with flowers, give the same flowers that were used on your wedding day. If you can’t remember what the flowers were, take some pictures to a florist. The flowers don’t have to be in bouquet form. Potted plants can also make a good gift.
Incorporating elements of traditional anniversary gifts is a way to honor tradition while not being bound to it. Use them as a starting point and add your creativity to come up with the perfect present that will be appreciated and remembered.
