Wedding Anniversary Gifts

Not many people realise that what we think of as the traditional list of gifts only dates back less than 100 years!

The now accepted list of gifts is first known to have appeared in 1922 in a book by Emily Post called "Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home". This initially listed suggestions for only anniversaries 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50 and 75. The 1957 reprint of Post's book included suggestions for gifts for the first 15 anniversaries and every 5th year after that up to 75. Later commentators have filled in the other years in various ways however the 1957 list remains the most popular.

In Post's original list, the different gifts were made of materials that represented increasing durability and/or value as the years went by - thus ranging from paper up to diamond. This symbolism is largely lost with the expanded lists.

Post's famous list isn't the only one around. As well as traditional gifts, there are also lists associating with each anniversary various gemstones, modern gifts and flowers.

List of Traditional Gifts List of Gemstones