5 Wedding Anniversary Symbols and Gift Ideas to Go with It

What’s the fuss over wedding anniversaries?

The rose-colored glasses start to fade a few years into your married life. The cute quirks suddenly become painfully annoying habits. At times, you find yourself questioning if marriage to your other half was a wise choice.

Every wedding anniversary is an opportunity to relive your vows and renew your commitment to each other. Weddings are fun to plan, but if you can look forward to anniversaries with the same energy, that means your marriage is in a good place.

There’s no need to throw a lavish party for every anniversary. A simple but meaningful gift for your partner to show that he or she is special to you will do. You can reference with traditional anniversary symbols to take out the guesswork in buying gifts for your partner.

1^st Anniversary - Paper

Paper is the traditional symbol for first anniversaries. Although there’s no clear explanation behind the symbol’s meaning, it is commonly associated with strength. The first year is an adjustment period from single life to marriage, and getting past the first year together without wanting to strangle one other is already a massive milestone. Celebrate it!

Gift Ideas:

• Pull out your wedding guestbook to relieve the well-wishes from your wedding day.
• Is your partner’s favorite band in town? Buy him/her concert tickets.

Photo via Hum Ideas

• Arrange an anniversary getaway. On the day of your anniversary, give your partner an envelope containing the plane tickets, itinerary, hotel reservations, etc.

2^nd Anniversary - Cotton

Cotton is a pliable but strong material. As you enter your second year of marriage, you need to remind each other to remain strong and flexible in times of adversity. The best way to grow as a couple and keep your marriage intact is to embrace unforeseeable changes with open minds and hearts.

Gift Ideas:

• Fluffy bathrobes and slippers will make you look forward to date nights at home.
• Upgrade your partner's wardrobe by picking out a classic cotton shirt that is suitable for various occasions.
• Be crafty and put together a cotton bouquet for the lady love.

Photo via The Knot

3^rd Anniversary - Leather

By now, you and your partner may have fully adjusted to one another. Many couples at this stage in their marriage already have kids or have built their own home - and not just a physical home, but the routine of coming home to each other’s arms at the end of the day. Leather signifies the protection and security a strong, stable marriage provides.

Gift Ideas:

• Leather shoes, wallet, or bags are a no-brainer.
• Do you think your partner’s watch could use new straps? Or perhaps his or her phone needs a new casing? These are important things people tend forget to buy for themselves. Show them that you still notice the little things about them that they may not even notice themselves.

Photo via Luulla

• How about a leather love couch for the home?

4^th Anniversary - Fruits and Flowers

Fruits and flowers take center stage on the 4^th anniversary. At this stage in the marriage, every couple hopes for a blossoming or ripening in their union. It doesn’t have to be a child. It could be any milestone as a couple – a new house, a promotion for either partner (or both!), a discovery of a new hobby that both partners enjoy together, etc.

Gift Ideas:

• Make dinner from scratch with fresh produce!
• Remember those days when you were still wooing your wife with flowers? It doesn’t have to end with marriage! Surprise your wife with a bouquet of flowers like the one you first gave her.
• If you want to crack up your husband, give him a bouquet of BACON roses.

Photo via Jess Pryles

5^th anniversary - Wood

Wood is the strongest material among all the symbols mentioned here. If you’re still standing strong at five years, it means you’ve weathered a lot of trials. Naturally, hardships may have made you wish that you never spent your life together, but you chose to be bigger than your problems. The roots of your marriage are well-anchored to the ground.

Gift Ideas:

• Have your wedding photo printed on wood – it makes the photo look more timeless.
• If your spouse is a music lover, a bamboo speaker will be highly appreciated. It can also double as an eye-catching display piece at home.

Photo via Etsy

• Wooden accessories! Wooden earrings for her, and wooden cufflinks for him.

Wedding anniversaries need not be celebrated on a grand scale. It is simply a commemoration of the promises you made on your big day. Take each wedding anniversary as an opportunity to assure your spouse that there will be many more years to come.