Since summer is the time for weddings, it is also the time for anniversaries. Parties are bound to be plentiful, and while any gift is sure to be appreciated, why not follow a traditional list? Here, we tell you the proper gifts for several important milestones in the life of a marriage. 

 First Anniversary 

The traditional first anniversary gift is paper. Since paper can span a broad list of items, keep in mind to keep your gift personable, and perhaps even practical. For the wife, perhaps some personalized stationery with top of the line fountain pen, or a book relevant to their stage in life, like a baby names book if the couple is expecting. For the husband, try a subscription to a magazine that specializes in one of his hobbies. Of course, if all of this seems too pretentious, you can always throw the anniversary party and have plenty of streamers, paper plates and cups. 

Fifth Anniversary 

To emulate the strength of a marriage, the fifth year present is wood. If your union has made it this far, it stands to reason it will live for many years, just like trees. For her, a beautiful engraved picture frame should do the trick, or perhaps that small end table she has been eyeing for the living room. For him, try wooden carvings that can be placed around his home office, or maybe even an antique fishing rod. If you are looking to gift each other, maybe you are due for a nice new bedroom set. 

Tenth Anniversary 

Here, the gift giving gets a little more complicated. The traditional gift is tin and aluminum. Your ideas for gifts here are just as good as mine. Since you don’t have to be absolutely rigid in your pursuit of traditional gifts, why not stretch this theme to include metal, steel, or my favorite, silver. If he has a favorite sport, try giving a nice new set of golf clubs or even the best brand of aluminum baseball bat out there. If she loves to decorate, try precious metal candlestick holders, or handcrafted silver jewelry. Then again, she could be the one that likes to play golf, in which case you could get matching sets of golf clubs. 

Twentieth Anniversary 

For the twentieth year celebration, you know these two are in it until the end. The gift called for this year is China, or pottery. While it may have been a while since your nuptials, why not look and see if your original china pattern can be found, or find something as close as possible. Through the years you original set has most likely been worn down, and pieces lost or broken. Refresh your China for an instant reminder of why you took the plunge all those years ago. 

Fiftieth Anniversary 

Very very few couples make it this far, so it is most definitely a time to pull out all the stops. The first thing that came to mind when I found out the traditional gift was gold was the wedding band. While the old ones must hold volumes of sentimental value, why not trade up for larger bands, or keep the old ones and add new exciting embellishments? If giving a gift to the happy couple, gold lends itself to many items. A gold frame with a retouched wedding photo is sure to please, or gold plated home items. 

Whatever you decide to give, just make sure the gift comes from the heart. 

Posted in Marriage