Home > Wedding anniversary

Broader groups in society, especially the families, and even more especially the children of such a couple may help to celebrate such occasions.

Standard associations of such anniversaries have come to include:

• 25th anniversary: silver
• 30th anniversary: pearl
• 35th anniversary: coral
• 40th anniversary: ruby
• 45th anniversary: sapphire
• 50th anniversary: gold
• 55th anniversary: emerald
• 60th anniversary: diamond

A sample of a slightly more ambitious (but less-widely recognised) list, exhibits the practicality of certain cheap but frequent gifts in the early years of marriage, combined with the ratchetting up of value:

• 1 paper
• 2 cotton
• 3 leather
• 4 linen
• 5 woodThis article describes the wood that comprises trees and boards. For the Chinese element, see wood (classical element). For the town, see Wood, South Dakota or Wood, Wisconsin. For the type of golf club, see golf club (equipment). Veluwe, The Netherlands
• 6 ironThis article is about metallic iron. For the ironing device, see ironing manganese iron cobalt Fe Ru Full table General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4 , d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3,
• 7 woolThis article is about wool, the fiber. For alternative meanings see Wool (disambiguation). Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. Material Most of the fiber from domestic sheep has two qualities that distinguish it
• 8 bronzeBronze is the traditional name for a broad range of alloys of copper, usually with zinc and tin but not limited to those metals. First used during the Bronze Age, to which it gave its name, bronze made tools, weapons and armor that were either harder or m
• 9 potteryPottery is a form of ceramics technology, where wet clays are shaped and then dried or fired to harden them. The term is generally used only for relatively easily constructed utensils such as pots, cups, bowls, etc. and for decorative items but not for co
• 10 tinThe word tin is often used to mean a can, even if it does not contain any tin metal. Tin is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Sn ( L. Stannum and atomic number 50. This silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized i
• 11 steelSteel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. Carbon acts as a binding agent, locking the otherwise easily-moved iron atoms into a rigid lattice. Varying the amount of carbon and its distribution in
• 12 silkSilk (SERICVS / Gr. sigma;ηρικoς ("silken") SERES / Gr. Sigma;ηρες ("Chinese") or alternatively < Ch. or ( pronounced "si") meaning "silk", the pictogram representing two strands of silk. is a natural fiber
• 13 lace
• 14 ivory
• 15 crystal
• 20 chinaware
• 25 silver
• 30 pearl
• 35 coral
• 40 ruby
• 45 sapphire
• 50 gold
• 55 emerald
• 60 diamond
• 65 blue sapphire
• 70 platinum

In German usage wedding anniversaries have many associations, such as the following, adapted from the German Wikipedia:

• 0 - green wedding or white wedding
• ½ - dream wedding
• ¾ - beer
• 1 - paper
• 2 - cotton
• 3 - leather, fruit, fir tree, wheat
• 4 - silk, amber, linen, wine, wax
• 5 - wood, diligence (if the couple have children), cattle (if the couple have no children), rubber, windsock
  • The couple have become used to one another, and the marriage appears stable. Carved wooden figures symbolise the stability.
• 6 - tin, sugar
• 6¼ - mutton
• 7 - copper, wool, brass
• 8 - sheet metal, corn poppy, nickel, stone, earthenware, salt, bronze
• 9 - ceramics, porcelain, Faïence, glass, crystal, cattle, water, pasture
• 10 - roses, wood, bronze, glass, sheet metal, tin, cattle
  • The marriage, in full bloom, occasions gifts of red roses, the flowers of love.
  • In northern Germany neighbours and relatives of a couple married for 10 years decorate the entrance to their house with wooden garlands made of yokes.
• 11 - steel, coral, carnival
• 12 - nickel, silk, earth, linen
• 12½ - parsley, bronze, violets
• 13 - violets, lily of the valley, salt, lace
• 14 - ivory, blue, agate
• 15 - crystal, clothing, rags, glass, bottles
• 16 - sapphire (compare 45 and 55)
• 17 - orchids
• 18 - turquoise
• 19 - Cretonne , mother-of pearl
• 20 - porcelain, chrysanthemum
• 21 - beechwood, opal
• 22 - bronze, tourmaline
• 23 - beryl, titanium
• 24 - satin, silk
• 25 - silver
  • The marriage has lasted a quarter of a century. On this day silver decorates everything. The marriage should remain of lasting worth.
• 26 - jade, oak
• 27 - jute, mahogany
• 28 - carnations, nickel
• 29 - velvet, ebony
• 30 - pearl
  • The years of marriage follow each other like pearls on a string: accordingly a husband will give his wife a pearl necklace.
• 31 - basan, lime-wood
• 32 - soap, lapis lazuli, copper
• 33 - porphyry, tin
• 33½ - garlic, vegetables
• 34 - amber, emerald
• 35 - canvas, coral, jade, linen, clothing, ruby
• 36 - moon, muslin, emerald
• 37 - malachite, paper
• 37½ - aluminium
• 38 - fire, mercury (quicksilver)
• 39 - sun, crepe
• 40 - ruby, garnet, emerald
  • After four decades of marriage the fire of love remains unextinguished; accordingly a ruby enhances the wedding ring.
• 41 - birch, iron
• 42 - garnet, mother-of-pearl
• 43 - lead, flannel
• 44 - stars, topaz
• 45 - brass, sapphire, edelweiss, platinum, tourmaline, gilt
• 46 - lavender, marble
• 47 - cashmere, sapphire
• 48 - amethyst, diadem
• 49 - Uranus, cedar
• 50 - gold
  • The marriage has become as precious, glittering and secure as gold, the noblest metal. Often a renewed religious blessing takes place.
• 51 - willow
• 52 - topaz
• 53 - Uranus
• 54 - Zeus
• 55 - sapphire, platinum, jewels, emerald
• 60 - diamante, diamond
  • Diamonds symbolise love, strength and brilliance for all eternity.
• 61 - elm
• 62 - aquamarine
• 63 - mercury (quicksilver)
• 64 - heaven
• 65 - iron
  • The married couple have experience the vicissitudes of almost an entire human lifetime: often that demands an iron will.
• 67 - stone
• 70 - platinum, grace, copper
  • The grace of God gives the couple a long, very seldom granted, life together.
• 72½ - jewels
  • A long life together, with many sorrows and joys, will soon end. Its value far exceeds that of the most expensive jewels.
• 75 - crown jewels, radium, stone, alabaster, grace, iron
• 80 - oak
• 100 - heaven

Compare: Golden Jubilee, hierarchy of precious substances.