Anniversary gifts by year: traditional themes, handmade ideas
Paper, cotton, leather, wood… The traditional anniversary materials, and a handmade way to give each one.
We independently choose everything we write about. Some outbound links are affiliate links, which help keep this site running at no cost to you. How we earn.
The tradition of giving a different material for each wedding anniversary is wonderfully practical: it gives you a starting point every year. The list below follows the most common traditional (UK/US) themes; there are modern variations, but these are the classics, and they suit handmade gifts perfectly.
| Year | Traditional theme |
|---|---|
| 1st | Paper |
| 2nd | Cotton |
| 3rd | Leather |
| 4th | Linen (or fruit & flowers) |
| 5th | Wood |
| 6th | Iron (or sugar) |
| 7th | Wool (or copper) |
| 8th | Bronze |
| 9th | Pottery |
| 10th | Tin |
| 15th | Crystal |
| 20th | China |
| 25th | Silver |
| 40th | Ruby |
| 50th | Gold |
Here are our favourite handmade takes on the early years, where most of us need ideas.
1st, paper: custom vow or first-dance print
Your vows, the lyrics of your first dance (ask the artist about licensing), or a map of where you married, printed on beautiful paper.
2nd, cotton: an embroidered keepsake
A hand-embroidered hoop with your initials and date, or a cotton quilt for cold evenings.
3rd, leather: an initialled wallet or journal
Vegetable-tanned leather, hand-stitched, to age alongside you. Initials on the inside are subtle and lovely.
4th, linen: bedding or a tablecloth
Linen for the bed you share or the table where you eat together. Our linen guide.
5th, wood: a carved keepsake box
A box for letters, tickets and small mementos from your first five years, engraved with your names.
7th, wool: a hand-woven blanket
Big enough for two on the sofa. Woven blankets from small mills last for decades.
9th, pottery: a matching mug pair
Two mugs from the same potter, for slow mornings. Or a serving platter for the meals you host together.
25th, silver: a sterling keepsake
A sterling pendant, cufflinks or a hand-hammered ring. Silver deepens with time, a nice metaphor.
The card matters more than the gift
Whatever you choose, write down one memory from the year. In ten years, the box of cards will be the most precious gift of all.
