Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts by Year (UK Guide)

October 29, 2026

Each wedding anniversary has a traditional theme, starting with paper for the first year and building up to gold for the fiftieth. The idea is that the materials get stronger and more precious as the marriage does. Lists vary a little between the UK and the US, and between different sources, but these are the most widely used traditional gifts.

Anniversary gifts by year

1st – Paper
2nd – Cotton
3rd – Leather
4th – Linen (in the UK, fruit and flowers is also used)
5th – Wood
6th – Iron (sugar is the traditional UK alternative)
7th – Wool (sometimes copper)
8th – Bronze
9th – Pottery (sometimes copper or willow)
10th – Tin (or aluminium)
11th – Steel
12th – Silk
13th – Lace
14th – Ivory
15th – Crystal
20th – China
25th – Silver
30th – Pearl
35th – Coral
40th – Ruby
45th – Sapphire
50th – Gold
55th – Emerald
60th – Diamond

Do you have to give the traditional material?

Not at all. Plenty of people take the theme loosely – a gift that nods to it, rather than something actually made of tin or bronze. That's where a personalised keepsake works well: it carries the anniversary theme and the couple's names and wedding date, so it means something even if it's not made of the material itself.

Personalised anniversary keepsakes

I make a ceramic ornament for each of the first eleven anniversaries, themed around that year's traditional gift and personalised with names and wedding date. Each one arrives in a linen gift bag, ready to give.