Wedding Anniversaries Wedding anniversaries is an old tradition which was initiated somewhere in the Middle Ages, but was marked with celebrating only the twenty fifth and the fiftieth anniversary. On these days the husband put the wreath of silver or gold on his wife’s head, thus crowning her. Wedding anniversaries are very popular today and besides are very useful, because they solve the problem of a present at least for a half. As far as there are different variants of the wedding anniversaries, we’ll consider the one presented by the librarians of the Chicago Public Library in 2000. The name of each anniversary symbolizes something, like the strength of the diamond, for instance, or the frailty of paper. The key aim of presents for anniversary is the symbolizing of celebration.
| Year | Anniversary Title | Flower | Possible Presents |
| 1st | Paper | Carnation | Tickets, vouchers, letter, poems, books etc. |
| 2nd | Cotton | Lily of the valley | Pillows, cotton clothes |
| 3rd | Leather | Sunflower (fuchsia) | Leather wallet and other things of leather |
| 4th | Linen | Hydrangea (geranium) | Bed clothes, underwear |
| 5th | Wood | Daisies | Carved wooden ware with engraved wishes, romantic trip to the woods |
| 6th | Iron | Calla | Candlestick, frame |
| 7th | Wool | Freesia | Woolen clothes |
| 8th | Bronze | Lilac (clematis) | Candlestick, frame, bronze medal |
| 9th | Pottery | Bird of paradise (poppies) | Stylish ceramics |
| 10th | Tin | Daffodil | Gemstones, especially diamonds |
| 11th | Steel | Tulip (morning glory) | Stylish jewelry |
| 12th | Silk | Peony | Silk lingerie, linen |
| 13th | Lace | Chrysanthemum (Hollyshock) | Lace; Trip to Bruges, the motherland of lace manufacture |
| 14th | Ivory | Dahlia | Gifts of ivory color (car, telephone), or something resembling it |
| 15th | Crystal | Rose | Crystal glasses, champagne, millions of roses all over the house |
| 16th | Topaz | Topaz jewelry | |
| 17th | Amethyst | Amethyst beads | |
| 18th | Garnet | Garnets; vacations in Prague – home of these stones | |
| 19th | Aquamarine | Bath accessories, trip to the seaside | |
| 20th | China | Aster (day lily) | China figures to start the collection |
| 21st | Brass, nickel | Some trifles of brass or copper to remember (office table with funny inscription) | |
| 15th | Copper | Some trifles of brass or copper to remember (office table with funny inscription) | |
| 23rd | Silver plate | Silver plate | |
| 25th | Silver | Iris | Silver jewelry, frame, candlestick, silver wreath for a wife |
| 30th | Pearl | Lily (sweet pea) | Pearl beads, bracelet or other. Trip to the sea, diving trainings |
| 35th | Coral | Red coral, weekend at the sea, cruise | |
| 40th | Ruby | Gladiolus (nasturtiums) | Ruby wine, ruby rose, ruby jewelry |
| 45th | Sapphire | Blue, yellow, red, pink sapphires; beautiful bouquet | |
| 50th | Gold | Yellow roses and violets | Golden wreath for a wife, like in medieval Germany – to symbolize gratitude and harmony; golden rings with engravings |
| 55th | Emerald | Trip to an Ireland, or “emerald” ocean | |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond jewelry | |
| 70th | Platinum | Platinum eternity rings | |
| 75th | Diamond | Declaration of eternal love | |
Traditionally, decade is a sufficient time for living together, so that the couple can celebrate their first victory over time. So, it is not necessary to present your beloved with the set of tin ware – any precious stones will be appropriate and better. Twelfth and a half anniversary is especially honored in the Kingdom of Denmark, as far as it is the half of the twenty fifth anniversary. So, relatives and friends prepare the arch of spruce, but it is only half ready – it will be ended on the day of the silver anniversary. Decorated with lights and flowers, this half-arch is hanged over your door. Fifteenth and twentieth anniversaries are essential to celebrate them with friends and relatives. The seventy fifth anniversary is again the second diamond anniversary – maybe because the diamond is the strongest of all stones, just like your love and devotion.
It seems striking, but there is 100-anniversary: recently it was suggested by the couple Agayevy from Azerbaijan – long-livers Niftulla (126 years old) and his wife Balabeim (116 years old) have lived together for one hundred years. However, there is no official title for such anniversary. Maybe, because of its exclusive rareness.
