Wedding Anniversary Years: What Year Is Which Anniversary

Find your year. Traditional UK symbol, the modern equivalent, and the flower and gemstone for each anniversary.

Year Traditional Modern Flower Gemstone
1st Paper Clocks Carnation Gold jewellery
2nd Cotton China Lily of the valley Garnet
3rd Leather Crystal or glass Sunflower Pearl
4th Fruit and flowers or linen Appliances Hydrangea Blue topaz
5th Wood Silverware Daisy Sapphire
6th Sugar or iron Wood Calla lily Amethyst
7th Wool or copper Desk sets Freesia Onyx
8th Bronze or pottery Linen and lace Lilac Tourmaline
9th Pottery or willow Leather Bird of paradise Lapis lazuli
10th Tin or aluminium Diamond jewellery Daffodil Diamond
11th Steel Fashion jewellery Tulip Turquoise
12th Silk or linen Pearls Peony Jade
13th Lace Textiles and furs Chrysanthemum Citrine
14th Ivory (now usually agate) Gold jewellery Orchid Opal
15th Crystal Watches Rose Ruby
20th China Platinum Aster Emerald
25th Silver Silver Iris Silver jubilee
30th Pearl Diamond Lily Pearl
35th Coral Jade Coral vine Emerald
40th Ruby Ruby Gladiolus Ruby
45th Sapphire Sapphire Blue iris Sapphire
50th Gold Gold Yellow rose Gold
55th Emerald Emerald Green orchid Emerald
60th Diamond Diamond White rose Diamond
65th Blue sapphire Blue sapphire Blue hydrangea Sapphire
70th Platinum Platinum White lily Platinum

The table above is the whole answer: find the year, read across. Traditional symbol first, then the modern equivalent, then the flower and gemstone for that year.

The traditional UK list is the older one and the one most people mean. The modern list was drawn up much later and is more commercial - it's there if the traditional symbol gives you nothing to work with.

The famous ones, if you only need those: paper at one, wood at five, tin at ten, crystal at fifteen, china at twenty, silver at twenty-five, pearl at thirty, ruby at forty, gold at fifty, diamond at sixty.

Anniversary cards, printed in the UK

Write the year inside. Blank anniversary cards, drawn and printed by us in the UK, posted first class.

I Still Fancy You Peach Emoji Anniversary Card I Still Fancy You Peach Emoji Anniversary Card £3.87 There's Someone For All Of Us (Funny Wedding Card) There's Someone For All Of Us (Funny Wedding Card) £3.87 I Still Fancy You Eggplant Emoji Anniversary Card I Still Fancy You Eggplant Emoji Anniversary Card £3.87 365 Days Still Not Bored Anniversary Card 365 Days Still Not Bored Anniversary Card £3.87 Personalised Polaroid-style wedding card featuring an illustrated wedding cake and the text Just Married with custom names. Just Married Cake Polaroid Wedding Day Card (Personalised Names) £3.87 Personalised Wedding Card Featuring Pigeons Personalised Wedding Card Featuring Pigeons £3.87

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The milestone years

  • 1st - Paper
  • 5th - Wood
  • 10th - Tin or aluminium
  • 15th - Crystal
  • 20th - China
  • 25th - Silver
  • 30th - Pearl
  • 40th - Ruby
  • 50th - Gold
  • 60th - Diamond
  • 70th - Platinum

The early years in order

  • 1st - Paper
  • 2nd - Cotton
  • 3rd - Leather
  • 4th - Fruit and flowers, or linen
  • 5th - Wood
  • 6th - Sugar or iron
  • 7th - Wool or copper
  • 8th - Bronze or pottery
  • 9th - Pottery or willow
  • 10th - Tin or aluminium

How to use the symbol

  • Take it literally - paper means a print, a letter or tickets.
  • Or take it sideways - tin can mean a tin of the thing they like.
  • Use the flower if the symbol is unhelpful; every year has one.
  • Ignore both if the gift you've thought of is better. Nobody is marking this.
  • Write the year in the card either way - it's the bit that dates it properly.

Common questions about the years

  • Only rounds of five are listed after fifteen on most UK lists.
  • Traditional and modern agree from twenty-five onwards, mostly.
  • The 14th is traditionally ivory, now usually given as agate for obvious reasons.
  • A 60th, 65th, 70th and every year after can get a card from the King, requested through gov.uk.

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Prints for the wall

A5, A4 and A3 art prints, drawn in house and printed in the UK. They post flat and frame easily.

All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) £8.00 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print £6.00 Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard £3.00 Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard £3.00

How to write it so it lands

  • Find your year in the table, then read across.
  • The flower is a useful fallback when the symbol gives you nothing.
  • Write the number of years inside the card.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What is the 20th wedding anniversary?

China is the traditional UK symbol for twenty years; the modern list says platinum. The flower is the aster and the gemstone is emerald.

What anniversary is 30 years?

Thirty years is the pearl anniversary on the traditional list, with diamond on the modern one. The flower is the lily.

Which years have anniversary symbols?

Every year from one to fifteen has its own symbol, then the list moves in fives - twenty, twenty-five, thirty and so on up to seventy.

What's the difference between traditional and modern anniversary gifts?

The traditional list is older and uses materials like paper, cotton and tin. The modern list was written much later and suggests things like clocks, appliances and jewellery. Use whichever gives you the better idea.

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