GIFT GUIDES
Wedding Anniversary Gift Guide by Year: From Traditional to Modern
Your wedding anniversaries are special milestones that deserve to be celebrated. Anniversaries mark your ongoing love and dedication, all of the ups and downs, achievements and important life moments that you have been through together as a couple.
Let your partner know how much you cherish them with a thoughtful wedding anniversary gift. There are traditional anniversary gifts for each year of marriage. This custom dates back to the Middle Ages and each of the traditional gifts have a unique symbolism. See below for some ideas to honour these traditional gifts, or some more modern ways to tap into their meaning.
Anniversary Gifts by Year
1st Anniversary
Your first wedding anniversary is a special milestone – one year since you tied the knot! The traditional anniversary gift for your first year is paper; representing a blank slate for you to write your story together. The modern gift for first wedding anniversaries is a clock, and a practical and stylish way to tap into this is by gifting your partner a watch.Explore our range of men's watches, ladies' watches, and diamond watches for the perfect gift idea. Accompany the gift with a heartfelt card letting your partner know how much they mean to you, for the best of both modern and traditional gestures!The first wedding anniversary is also a popular time to give your partner an eternity ring. Eternity rings symbolise your everlasting love, and are usually given on your anniversary or another significant moment, such as the birth of your first child.
2nd Anniversary
Cotton is the classic choice for second anniversary gifts. The interwoven threads of cotton fabric symbolise your lives and aspirations becoming more entwined as your marriage progresses.For something unique but perfectly tied to the symbolism of your second anniversary, a jewellery piece from our exclusive Knots collection is a lasting reminder that love is when two people get tied together in the best possible way.
3rd Anniversary
Leather represents how strong your marriage has become by your third year, and how you are each other's shelter. Treat your partner to a gorgeous leather-strap watch or leather bracelet from our men's jewellery range.The modern gift for third wedding anniversaries is crystal, and you can honour this with a beautiful piece of gemstone jewellery.
4th Anniversary
The traditional gift for your fourth anniversary is fruit or flowers, signalling how your marriage has blossomed. While a bouquet of fresh flowers is beautiful, a symbolic piece of jewellery will give you years of shine.Our exclusive Spirits Bay collection honours the theme of nature, and is designed to celebrate strength and resilience.
5th Anniversary
After five happy years of marriage, your relationship has its roots. Fittingly, the anniversary gift for this year is wood, symbolising the strength and stability of trees.Consider a Tree of Life pendant for a meaningful gesture in line with tradition. As your fifth anniversary is a significant milestone, many couples choose it as the time to give an anniversary ring.
10th Anniversary
Your 10th wedding anniversary is a significant milestone – congratulations! 10 happy years together is traditionally represented by a gift of tin or aluminium, metals which represent both strength and flexibility; an important balance in harmonious relationships.While tin or aluminium might not sound too exciting, the modern equivalent certainly does – diamonds! As a special milestone, your 10th anniversary may be the perfect time to give your partner a diamond anniversary ring.
25th Anniversary
A quarter of a century together! Your love for each other shines bright, just like the 25th anniversary gift of silver.A stunning piece of sterling silver jewellery will show your one and only how precious they are to you. For an extra special touch, opt for sterling silver jewellery with diamonds.
30th Anniversary
30 wonderful years of marriage is marked by pearls – nature's poignant symbol of resilience and beauty. Pearls are the only gem formed by living creatures, and are the result of time and patience.Give your partner an exquisite piece of pearl jewellery, such as a pearl pendant, or an accessory featuring pearls, for a beautiful and traditional way to mark your 30th anniversary.
40th Anniversary
40 years of marriage is only achieved with deep love for each other. Fittingly, the 40th anniversary gift is ruby; a stunning, red precious gemstone. Rubies symbolise love and passion, making this gem the perfect anniversary gift.Delight your partner with a magnificent piece of ruby jewellery, such as earrings, a pendant, or a ring.
50th Anniversary
Precious and durable, with beauty that shines on, gold is the apt symbol for your 50th wedding anniversary.Gold is a precious metal prized the world over; just as you and your partner are precious to each other. Celebrate this incredible milestone with a luxe piece of gold jewellery; a solid gold bangle or chain, a men's gold ring or gold promise ring, are wonderful choices.
60th Anniversary
As precious as can be, 60 years of marriage is about strength and love; represented by the 60th wedding anniversary gift of diamonds. The name diamond comes from the ancient Greek word for 'unbreakable', perfectly aligned with the strong, lifelong bond between the two of you.
It goes without saying that precious diamond jewellery is the perfect gift for this anniversary. Consider a diamond ring; diamond solitaire earrings; a diamond pendant; a men's diamond ring; or diamond-adorned watch.
Why do we celebrate anniversaries?
Wedding anniversaries are a reminder of the time that you have spent together. Rather than simply marking another year since you first said "I do", celebrating your anniversary encourages you to express your love and care for one another, to reflect on how far you have come together and all the things you have learned. In an increasingly busy and distracted world, anniversaries are a meaningful reminder to pause and focus on the things that are truly important.
Which anniversaries are the most important?
All anniversaries are important, because they mark your ongoing love and commitment to one another. It is common for couples to celebrate in a bigger way when they reach milestone anniversaries; which are usually 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 25 years, 50 years and 60 years.
What's the difference between traditional and modern anniversary gifts?
Like many changing traditions, anniversary gifts have evolved over time for practical reasons. Many of the modern iterations of anniversary gifts are aligned with items that are useful, or that are more in line with what people enjoy today.
What is an anniversary ring?
An anniversary ring, also known as an eternity ring, is a special piece of jewellery that you give to your loved one after you're married, as a reminder that they are your everything and that your love is for eternity.
The concept of an anniversary ring dates back to an ancient symbol, the Ouroboros, which depicts a serpent biting its own tail. This represents a continual loop, or eternity.
Modern anniversary rings look similar to wedding bands, with their shared symbolism of love that lasts forever. The most popular styles of anniversary rings are set with diamonds, and usually the anniversary ring will feature a row of diamonds along the top and shoulders of the ring, or all the way around.
Your anniversary ring is worn on your left-hand ring finger, the same finger as your wedding and engagement rings, and it's traditionally worn on top of your engagement ring – closest to your fingertip.
Couples will usually exchange this special piece of jewellery on a milestone anniversary, such as 5, 10 or 25 years of marriage.
