Anniversary gifts by year: the traditional and modern list
Paper for the first, silver for the 25th, gold for the 50th — most people know a few of the anniversary themes, but not what the 16th or 17th is. This anniversary gift by year guide shows the traditional and modern theme for every listed anniversary from the 1st to the 80th, with the US and UK lists side by side, because they are not the same: the 6th is iron in the US and sugar in the UK, and the 8th is bronze in the US and salt in the UK.
Type a year, tap a milestone, or enter your wedding date to see which anniversary comes next and how many days away it is. Each year comes with a few gift ideas to get you started.
How to use the Anniversary Gift by Year
- Enter the anniversary year, or tap one of the popular milestones.
- Or enter your wedding date: the tool shows your next anniversary, the date and the days to go, and selects that year.
- Read the US traditional, US modern and UK themes, with gift ideas below.
- Search the full list by material — try “silver”, “crystal” or “wood” — or click any row.
- Press Copy gift theme to save it in a note or send it to family.
Anniversary Gift by Year features
Three lists compared
US traditional, US modern and UK themes for each year, with alternatives in brackets where published lists disagree.
Every listed year
Every year from the 1st to the 25th, then the 30th to the 70th every five years, plus the 75th and the 80th.
Next anniversary
From your wedding date: which anniversary is next, on what day, and how many days to go — 29 February weddings included.
Search by material
Find which years are silver, paper or crystal in any of the lists.
Gift ideas
Two or three concrete ideas for every theme.
Honest about gaps
Years with no theme say so and point to the nearest milestone instead of inventing one.
Where the anniversary lists come from
There is no official anniversary list. The traditional list grew from etiquette books — Emily Post’s Etiquette (1922) named gifts for a handful of anniversaries — and in 1937 the American National Retail Jewelers Association published a fuller list with a theme for each of the first fifteen years and every five years after. The “modern” list (clocks, appliances, diamonds) is a later addition; sources credit it variously to that jewellers’ list and to a list compiled by the Chicago Public Library. In the UK, the list most often published keeps food and household themes in the early years (sugar, salt) and has themes only every year to the 10th, then the 12th, 15th, 20th and every five years.
Because lists are copied from one another, details differ between publishers. This page compares widely published versions and shows the common alternatives rather than picking one as “correct”.
The milestone anniversaries
The 60th became the diamond anniversary in the late 19th century, often linked to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897; some older lists put the diamond at the 75th, which is why the UK list gives “diamond, gold” for the 75th.
| Anniversary | Name | US modern | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | Silver | Silver | Silver |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond | Pearl |
| 35th | Coral | Jade | Coral |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 50th | Gold | Gold | Gold |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald | Emerald |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond |
| 70th | Platinum | Platinum | Platinum |
Choosing a gift that fits the theme
- Take the theme loosely. A “paper” first anniversary can be tickets, a book or a framed print; a “tin” tenth can be a tin of treats or an aluminium photo print.
- Avoid harmful materials. For ivory (14th) and coral (35th) choose the colour, not the real thing.
- Make the big ones about people. A 25th or 50th often becomes a family party; plan the wording with the invitation wording generator, or renew your promises with the wedding vow generator.
- Count the exact years and days with the date difference calculator.
Anniversary Gift by Year FAQ
What is the anniversary gift by year list?
A list of traditional and modern themes for each wedding anniversary — paper for the 1st, cotton for the 2nd, leather for the 3rd, up to silver for the 25th and gold for the 50th. This page shows the US traditional, US modern and UK versions side by side.
What is the 16th anniversary gift?
On the US lists the 16th is wax (traditional) or silver holloware (modern). The UK list has no 16th theme, so most people use the US one.
What is the 17th anniversary gift?
Furniture, on both the traditional and modern US lists. The UK list skips the 17th.
Are UK and US anniversary gifts different?
In places. The UK list has sugar for the 6th (US: iron), salt for the 8th (US: bronze) and copper for the 9th (US: pottery or willow), and no themes for most years between 10 and 25. The milestones from the 25th onwards are almost the same.
Which anniversary is it this year?
Enter your wedding date above and the tool shows your next anniversary number, its date and its theme.
Do I have to follow the theme?
Not at all — the lists are traditions, not rules. They are useful for ideas, and many couples mix the traditional and modern themes or ignore them altogether.