Need the best wedding anniversary gifts for your spouse? Look no further! This is a HUGE anniversary gift ideas post, so you’ll definitely want to pin it, tweet it out, share it on your timeline, or kick it old-school and bookmark it (CTRL + D) ’cause you’re going to need this list! Did you know there are twenty-seven traditional wedding anniversary gifts by year? It’s true! In this post, we’ll share a plethora of amazing anniversary gift ideas by year so you can wow your significant other with your thoughtfulness. We’ll explain why there are only twenty-seven suggestions AND dazzle you with a few handmade (+ a few non-handmade) gift ideas. Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Anniversary Gifts by Year

First and foremost, you may be wondering, but Emma, there are only twenty-seven suggestions. What gives? Great question. You see, whoever constructed these ‘traditional’ anniversary gift ideas either a) ran out of ideas, or b) wanted to give free rein to gift-givers on those in-between years. (We vote the latter.) So, there are suggestions for anniversary gifts by year from 1st through 15th, after which you’re shopping totally on your own until 20th. The list picks back up again, but only at the 5s and 10s: 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 50th, and 60th. Hence: 27 suggestions in total. Sidebar: you start with paper at the 1st year, concluding the list with a diamond on the 60th. Just putting it out there: diamond pretty much puts any gift after the 60th to shame, don’t you think? They should have saved it for 70th. :) #longlifehusbandwife

Anyway, I digress. It’s time to get to the list of hand-picked, totally knock-your-socks-off anniversary gifts. Ready to get started? Me too. Let’s start with 1st… paper, which is actually sweeter than it sounds.

Anniversary Gifts

1st Paper

Paper! On your first anniversary, celebrate by eating the top tier of your wedding cake (that you froze on your wedding day, right?) and give each other a simple, totally heartfelt gift: a card. A card is simple and sweet: gifts don’t have to be pricey to be meaningful. This one, for instance, says, “I’ve been in love with you for _____ days.” Cute idea!

Another option: a beautiful photo print like this one from Minted. Customize it in your favorite words and choose a favorite photo. Frame included!

Other paper ideas: movie tickets, football tickets, a certificate for a fun experience like this, lottery tickets, a book they’ve been wanting to read, or this book which puts all other journals to shame.

2nd Cotton

Year two: cotton. An embroidery hoop with cotton fabric and custom embroidery is an excellent idea.

3rd Leather

Leather luggage tags with ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ inscribed on them are a traveler’s dream. Perfect for your big three!

Alternate ideas: nice leather oxfords for him and this adorable leather purse for her.

P.S. Get your HUGE gift list for leather!

4th Fruit / Flowers

For the 4th wedding anniversary gift, you can choose either fruit or flowers: your choice. I chose fruit as an example and picked a fruit tree. Plant it in your backyard or place on a patio and enjoy the fruit for years to come.

5th Wood

Andrew & I celebrated our five year anniversary in December, and ironically our entire year revolved around wood: we built a wood fence, stained said fence, and then had about a hundred old wood planks (from our old, weathered fence) to cut and recycle. We also bought a new wood coffee table. I then undertook a project where I was making table numbers out of reclaimed wood, but since scrapped it and recycled it (I was apparently not meant to be a table number maker). Also, we received this beautiful teak wood shelf. It makes a fantastic anniversary gift! Click here for more info.

Full disclosure, I received the shelf above from our friends over at UncommonGoods so we could review it for our readers. THIS SHELF IS AWESOME. Not only is it beautifully made, but the color is gorgeous and the teak wood smells amazing! I also love the minimalist design. This shelf is great for small spaces, too, because since it drills right on your wall, it takes up no floor space! I give it five stars. We’ll cherish this piece in our home for years to come.

Another idea that I just had to mention is a state shaped cutting board. I gifted one of these to my sister and brother-in-law a few years ago. It’s a great way to show your stately pride.

6th Candy / Iron

This is another year where you can pick between two: candy or iron. I like candy just like the next girl, but this iron “You & Me” sign is too amazing to pass up.

7th Wool / Copper

For your 7th wedding anniversary, the suggested gifts are wool or copper. For wool, we love these decorative felt letter boards.

Or, try you hand at making your own felted gifts (or animals even, like these adorable creatures. Okay, maybe not so much for an anniversary gift, but I couldn’t help myself since that looked too adorable.

For copper, I love these stacking rings:

8th Pottery / Bronze

For year eight, pottery or bronze are the suggested gift options. For pottery, I spotted one for her and one for him, and one for your home. For her, a ring holder dish is a lovely (+ functional) gift…

For him, I’ve selected a clay shaving mug and brush set.

And, I spotted this leather bracelet for him that would also fit into the ‘bronze’ suggestion nicely.

Or how about a bronze wall art piece that ALSO doubles as a wine rack? Get out.

And for the home… this lemon cake stand.

9th Willow

Okay, I know this one says ‘willow’, but I couldn’t help but think of Willow Tree, you know, those beautiful sculptures? You’ve probably seen one like this example below:

Oh, and this is a great gift for new parents!

If you want a literal use of willow, try this gold foil willow tree print for your home:

… or plant a willow tree in your backyard.

10th Aluminum

For 10 years, it is suggested to give gifts of aluminum. Here are a pair of aluminum stamped collar stays for him…

For her, a hand-stamped aluminum cuff bracelet:

For the couple, this aluminum ‘love’ sign:

11th Steel

Toast to eleven sweet years together with a stainless steel champagne bucket.

12th Silk

Ah, silk: a soft, sumptuous fabric. One of my favorite items? This beautifully soft + silky robe.

Another option? Luxurious silk sheets!

13th Lace

For a lace anniversary gift, consider a lace scarf…

… lace necklace…

… and since all of the lace finds are typically for women, we’re skipping the lace find for men. Skip it and pick something you think he could use instead.

14th Ivory

Ivory is such a general category; for this, I chose an ivory and gold personalized art print.

15th Crystal

My favorite suggestion for crystal: crystal stemware. I heart Riedel, simply because their glassware is so sleek, chic, and modern.

20th China

The 20th anniversary is china, aka your chance to grab those china plates over at Kate Spade or restock your kitchen with new dinner plates.

25th Silver

You can’t go wrong on 25th with anything silver. Here’s a unique canvas I spotted at UncommonGoods.

30th Pearl

A pearl-covered clutch is just right for her on your 30th…

… paired with this three-strand pearl necklace…

And I couldn’t help but share this bracelet (can you tell I love pearl?)

For him, maybe these mother of pearl cufflinks?

Sidebar: admittedly, once you get to 35th and into the gemstones, it becomes increasingly more difficult to find men’s gifts that he’ll actually want. The way I figure it, these are more or fewer suggestions for her, and she should buy him something he really wants or needs instead. (And, of course, same goes for the wife if she’s not really into the suggested gift category.)

That new fishing pole he’s been eying. Tickets to a football game. Movie tickets where you let him pick the movie. And you watch it and you don’t complain or, you know, fall asleep (Lord of the Rings — all three movies — yes, I confess). Something that really means a lot to him means more than anything! So, for these next suggestions, I’ll just be providing a gift idea for the lady.

35th Coral

You can select coral gemstones for this one (like a necklace, earring set, or ring) but I like this alternative: a pretty watch with a coral strap.

40th Ruby

Love, love, love this ruby quartz pave diamond necklace! It’s gorgeous.

45th Sapphire

For 45th, sapphire is the gemstone of choice. Here’s a blue sapphire bracelet…

Or this gorgeous ring…

Or THIS. Holy smokes, this is so pretty.

50th Gold

Gold: the possibilities are endless! Here’s a beautiful 14k gold bar necklace…

… or this triple initial necklace in solid gold…

60th Diamond

And, last but not least, we have diamond. This one’s easy: diamond jewelry, or, diamonds around a timepiece. You can go with a gorgeous in-your-face diamond bracelet…

… this green cushion-cut diamond ring…

… or these diamond stud earrings.

Just for kicks, we looked up the most expensive diamond on Amazon. Holy smokes, over $100k, that’s some serious sparkle.

And, like I said earlier, after 60th… you’re on your own with gift-giving ideas. But by then you won’t need anyone’s gift-giving help because you’ll know your spouse better than anyone! Here’s to 60+ years of wedded bliss! ♡

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xo
Emma

Anniversary Gifts by Year

What would you add to our list? What do you think of these anniversary gift suggestions?

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