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Anniversary gifts definitely require more thought than the average gift. They represent the celebration of a union, not just the appreciation of an individual.
Anniversaries do come with certain traditions that can help point you in the right direction for your gift ideas, but how closely you stick to these customs is completely up to you.
Wedding Anniversary Traditions
The most well-known wedding anniversary traditional gifts are silver and gold. This tradition dates back over a thousand years to the time of the Roman Empire. Over the centuries, more traditions were added to the list by different cultures, and today we have a nice, long list of gifts for every milestone.
Here are some traditional anniversary milestones, and anniversary gift ideas for each.
1-Year Anniversary: Paper
A relationship that’s just starting out could benefit from some memory-keeping. You can portray the traditional first-anniversary gift of “paper” as a journal or photo album to share your memories with your partner. A photo album would be an especially appropriate gift for parents celebrating a newborn child.
This handmade journal is wrapped in genuine leather, so it’ll be sure to last a long, long time. It’s an excellent gift that gives couples something to jot down their favourite memories together. Maybe on your 60th anniversary, you can look back at written records of 59 wonderful years together.
2-Year Anniversary: Cotton
In this tradition, cotton metaphorically stands for comfort, as it’s pretty much a given that you’ll be comfortable around your partner at this point, especially in bed. So why not sweeten the deal and make your bedsheets even more luxurious? Few people have really experienced a good, high-thread-count bedsheet, but no one ever looks back after trying them.
These gorgeous Egyptian Cotton sheets are so comfortable that you might never want to get out of bed.
10-Year Anniversary: Tin or Aluminum
Going through a decade of marriage is certainly cause for celebration. By this time, you’ve surely truly entrenched in each other’s lives (in the best possible way). Sometimes, that means that the grand gestures can be done away with, in favour of appreciating simpler, more meaningful gifts.
Tenth-anniversary gifts are traditionally made of aluminium or tin, some of the cheapest materials you can think of. But they offer plenty of flexibility for creative gifts. Consider buying an aluminium or tin sign. You might think that we’re crazy for suggesting this, but it’s an especially great gift for a man! A tin-sign can really bring a touch of personality and a masculine atmosphere to your home. There are plenty of vintage signs from the old days that are for sale on various stores, there’s something really nostalgic about old tin signs, they have a certain golden-age charm to them.
Here’s a good place where you can get tin signs like this!
17-Year Wedding Anniversary: Furniture
At 17 years of marriage, you’ll have spent a good portion of your life with your partner already, you have set up a life together, you share almost everything. This is a zone of stability, and what better way to celebrate it than a sturdy piece of furniture?
These retro-inspired sofas from the past have stood the test of time, just like your marriage. You can relax together on a piece that’s a tribute to your lasting union.
20th Wedding Anniversary: China
The gift of china sounds like a fairly straightforward affair, but you don’t want to skimp on quality lest your gift fades away with time.
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