Deciphering Wedding Anniversary Symbols

Guest blogger, Barry Kerwin of Loyes Diamonds in Dublin, Ireland shares his thoughts and experience with us about Wedding Anniversary Gifts.

The wedding industry is a huge part of our business and as a result I love to produce content around this special occasion. Sometimes when it comes to wedding anniversaries it can be difficult to know what symbol represents which anniversary (which can be helpful when thinking about what gift to get).

Getting engaged, buying the rings and getting married is definitely one of the biggest and romantic moments of a person’s life but it is also important not to forget the romance once the big day has passed! Every year you are married marks the occasion of a specific anniversary so it is nice to mark it with a celebration of some kind.

The exchange of wedding symbols actually goes back to medieval times when people celebrated 25 and 50 years of marriage. This tradition extended over time and more symbols were added but not for every year. With specific symbols that mark each occasion it’s unlikely you know them all unless you are a table quiz expert! That’s where we come in so read on and learn what is the perfect gift to give when an anniversary rolls around!

Wedding Anniversary Symbols: Traditional

The exchanging of anniversary symbolic gifts is a really nice way to mark this special occasion. Of course the gifts aren’t just exchanged amongst the partners involved, quite often a wedding anniversary is a time celebrated by close and extended family and friends. All of these people are likely to want to mark the occasion with a gift and wedding symbols are wonderful ways to do that. Reaching a milestone like a 40th wedding anniversary is something that should be celebrated as it truly is an achievement!

As you can see from our chart above, some of the symbols could pose some issues when trying to think of a related gift. You have the card with the number of years being celebrated and you probably want a gift to match to make it complete; issues can arise when you need to gift a couple who have reached something like their third anniversary. As you can see in the chart above, that year is symbolised specifically by leather or the 30th anniversary is symbolised by pearl, so what does one purchase?

The thing to remember is that those symbols are purely that i.e. symbolic and don’t necessarily have to be stuck to rigidly. However if you do wish to stay true to this type of gifting, you can still keep the symbolic nature but deviate slightly… So for example, if you are buying for a couple’s third anniversary, which is symbolised by leather, you could buy a regular style of gift – a beautiful painting perhaps and look into having it gift wrapped in leather. Leather, being a costly material might make that a very expensive gift wrap but you get the idea. To reduce costs you could just use a smaller sliver of leather material to use as a ribbon to tie ordinary paper wrap and voilá, you have a symbolic gift! Don’t forget to explain the symbolic element to your recipient however! Of course if you are gifting an anniversary present to your spouse, you could also use the gift wrap idea also; it will keep it traditional yet allows you to choose a present that you really want to give rather than being confined to purely symbolic gestures.

For something like the first anniversary which would be a special one for many as the newlywed glow is still well and truly alive, paper as a symbol might cause some headaches. This is again where you should try think outside the box! A gift such as tickets to a big concert or airline tickets to an amazing destination would certainly impress any recipient!

Wedding Anniversary Symbols & Gifts for a Modern Era

While wedding anniversary symbols are very traditional in themselves, there has been a slight adjustment to fit the modern era and the more modern couple. Whether the majority follow this more modern rule is debatable, it’s still nice to know what has changed …and what has remained the same. What it has done is to extend the ideas that people have for gift giving.

Browsing through the symbols for the modern era, some do seem like they lack heart or meaning in comparison to the more traditional symbols. For example, for a four year wedding anniversary, it suggests ‘electrical appliances’ and while this suggestion is very practical, should wedding anniversary symbols be about practicality? We’re not so sure!

Importance of Celebrating the Wedding Anniversary

The pace of life in today’s modern world moves so fast and there are so many communication outlets available that sometimes those closest to us get lost in the noise. Remember to focus on this life partner that you chose and made a commitment to because they’re the ones who stuck by you at the outset and they’re the ones who will stick by you until the end. Marking occasions such as an anniversary is vital and your partner will only love you more for it. A wedding anniversary symbol isn’t just about the material aspect; it’s about signifying the time you both have spent together and all that you have gone through.