Wedding anniversaries are one of the most celebrated milestones in life and the reason for this is not far-fetched, marriages are crashing all the time, and the divorce rate is getting higher by the day. Current world statistics according to 2020 research has it that about 41% of all marriages will end in divorce. From these stats, it becomes even more apparent that a celebration is required for every year a marriage survives all of the odds and challenges that have led others to divorce. What better way is there to celebrate a loving spouse than to get them the very best wedding anniversary gifts money can buy.
If you have an anniversary coming up soon and are not sure where to start, take a look at the gift ideas below, you might find the kind of anniversary gifts you’ve been looking for.
What Makes a Good Wedding Anniversary Gift?
Couples who are still in the first five years of their union do not often find it difficult to pick out wedding anniversary gifts for their spouse. But those who have lasted longer may need help deciding. So to get the best wedding anniversary gifts ideas, you will need to dig deep into all of the things you know about your spouse. No detail is too small in this case, think about the things they love, the visions they have, their dreams, things they have always wanted to do but have not had time to do, things they want to buy but have not saved up enough money for, etc. Literally, anything can help you get ideas on what to get your spouse on this all-important milestone. Here are some other things to consider:
How Long Have You Been Married?
Getting a gift for a very young person cannot possibly be the same as getting a gift for an older person. If you and your partner are well into your mid lives, chances are that you have probably had a lot of firsts and have experienced things younger couples have not had the pleasure of knowing. A younger partner would enjoy having a lot of first while an older partner would appreciate the more refined things having already had a wealth of experiences.
Do You Have a Budget?
While it can be fun to shop for your better half, you also have to remember to stick to a budget that works for you. This means that before you go out to the shop or before you start checking stuff out on Amazon, decide what the highest amount you can spend is, and then try not to get carried away once your creative juices start flowing. However, if you can afford to go all out, by all means, do.
Is Your Spouse The Adventurous Type?
Have you often heard your spouse talk about their love for traveling and how they would love to see the world someday? Then you should consider adding an adventurous getaway as one of your wedding anniversary gifts to them. It could be a second, third, or even a fourth honeymoon. Alongside the plans, you can also gift them a Corkboard globe, a Go Pro, a Personalized his + her luggage tags, or a Scratch Map to make the journey more memorable.
Is Your Spouse The Cozy Stay at Home Type?
If your partner’s idea of an adventure is time spent on the couch watching movies, playing board games, eating ice cream, or doing some mundane things they are totally in love with, then you should have no issues planing the perfect anniversary gift for them. Just think of some of those things they love and give them a more classy experience of it. You can set up a mini cinema at home and binge-watch their favorite movies in matching couple robes, you can hire a chef to make their favorite meals or you can get them a stargazing telescope and so they can see the stars from home.
Do They Have a Bucket List?
Everyone has a bucket list of things they want to have, do, or experiences they want to have at least once in their lifetime before they die. This is a perfect way to arrange the perfect wedding anniversary gift for your partner. This option can be terribly easy to pull off, very expensive to put together or require the help of professionals to achieve. In The end, the joy of giving your spouse the one thing they want to do before they die will definitely make your anniversary fun.
If none of the above gives you any good ideas, you could consider going with the traditional theme or gift of the anniversary year you want to celebrate. Here is a list of the wedding anniversary years and the gifts/themes they go with.
| Anniversary Year | Traditional Theme | Modern Gift Idea | Color | Gemstone |
| 1st Year | Paper | Clock | Yellow or Gold | Gold |
| 2nd Year | Cotton | China | Red | Garnet |
| 3rd Year | Leather | Crystal/Glass | Jade or White | Pearl |
| 4th Year | Silk | appliances | Green or Blue | Blue Topaz |
| 5th Year | Wood | Silverware | Blue, Turquoise, Pink | Sapphire |
| 6th Year | Candy or Iron | Wood | Purple, Turquoise, White | Amethyst |
| 7th Year | Wool or Copper | Brass or Desk Sets | Yellow and Off-White | Onyx |
| 8th Year | Salt or Bronze | Linen or Lace | Bronze | Tourmaline |
| 9th Year | Copper or Pottery | Leather | Terracotta | Lapis Lazuli |
| 10th Year | Tin or Aluminium | Diamond Jewelry | Silver or Blue | Diamond |
| 11th Year | Steel | Jewelry or Accessories | Turquoise | Turquoise |
| 12th Year | Linen or Home Decor | Pearls | Oyster-White | Jade |
| 13th Year | Lace | Fur | White | Citrine |
| 14th Year | Ivory | Gold Jewelry | Ivory | Opal |
| 15th Year | Crystal | Watches | Red | Ruby |
| 16th Year | Wax | Silver Holloware | Silver or Emerald Green | Peridot |
| 17th Year | Furniture | Furniture | Yellow | Carnelian |
| 18th Year | Porcelain | Porcelain | Blue | Cat’s Eye |
| 19th Year | Bronze | Bronze | Bronze | Aquamarine |
| 20th Year | China | Platinum | Emerald Green | Emerald |
| 21st Year | Nickel | Brass | Orange | Lolite |
| 22nd Year | Copper | Copper | Green | Spinel |
| 23rd Year | Â – | Silver Plate | Silver | Imperial Topaz |
| 24th Year | Opal | Musical Instruments | Lavender | Tanzanite |
| 25th Year | Silver | Silver | Silver | Silver |
| 26th Year | Pictures | – | – | – |
| 27th Year | Sculptures | – | – | – |
| 28th Year | Orchids | – | Lavender | Orchid Tourmaline |
| 29th Year | – | Furniture | – | – |
| 30th Year | Pearl | Diamond | Green | Pearl |
| 35th Year | Coral | Jade | Coral | Emerald |
| 40th Year | – | Ruby | Red | Ruby |
| 45th Year | – | Sapphire | Blue | Sapphire |
| 50th Year | – | Gold | Gold | Gold |
| 55th Year | – | Emerald | Emerald Green | Alexandrite |
| 60th Year | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond or White | Diamond |
How Much is Appropriate To Spend on Wedding Anniversary Gifts?
Let’s face it, when it comes to your spouse, no amount is too much or too small to spend on an anniversary gift. Every new year is a milestone that should be celebrated in the best way possible. If this means spending very little or spending very big, all that matters is that your spouse feels loved and well-appreciated. If you work along the lines of your partner’s love language, that should give you a general idea of how much the wedding anniversary gifts could possibly cost you. So here’s how it works; there are five major love languages and the idea is that everyone falls into one, two, or three of those categories.
Words of Affirmation are mostly cost-free and can be done at just about any time of the day or the year.
Acts of Service requires you to do stuff for your partner which can cost you some bucks if you have to hire a professional to do it for you or cost-free if you can do them yourself.
Receiving Gifts – If your partner enjoys receiving gifts, then go all out and spend as much as you can afford to.
Quality Time might sound like it should cost nothing, but if your partner enjoys your company, you could tweak it by whisking them away to a place of zero interruptions.
Physical Touch – If your partner enjoys your touch, consider going for a massage class and practicing it on them.
