Anniversary Gift Ideas

Anniversary gift ideas: what to buy for each year

Anniversary gifts come with a traditional list attached — paper, cotton, silver, ruby, gold — and it's genuinely useful as a prompt, as long as you treat it as a theme rather than a rule.

Below is what each of the main years traditionally calls for, followed by gifts that work whichever year you're on, and the price ranges people actually spend.

Whatever you pick, the card is doing half the work. Ours are designed in house and post with the gift in one parcel.

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Candles, coasters and prints for the couple, made in the UK and posted with the anniversary card.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters £4.50 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

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The traditional list, year by year

  • 1st: paper — a print, a framed photo, tickets to something. Shop this card
  • 5th: wood — a wooden keepsake or a framed print. Shop this card
  • 10th: tin or aluminium — practical, and easier than it sounds. Shop this card
  • 25th: silver — the year most people mark properly with a party. Shop this card
  • 40th: ruby — anything red does the job with good humour. Shop this card
  • 50th: gold — a keepsake print or something for the wall. Shop this card

Gifts that work for any year

  • A candle for the house they've built together. Shop this card
  • Coasters, because they'll be used every single evening. Shop this card
  • A print for the hallway with the date on it. Shop this card
  • Something for the two of them rather than one of them. Shop this card
  • A card each — two cards is a small, cheap, disproportionately nice gesture. Shop this card
  • A night out booked and paid for, with the card as the announcement. Shop this card

By who you're buying for

  • Your own anniversary: one shared thing for the house. Shop this card
  • Parents: a keepsake print with the year on it. Shop this card
  • Grandparents: something framed, and something written by hand. Shop this card
  • Friends: a candle and a rude card, in that order of importance. Shop this card
  • A first anniversary: paper, and the photo from the wedding. Shop this card
  • A milestone year: mark it with the party, not just the present. Shop this card

What to spend, honestly

  • Close friend or sibling: £15–£30 is the range most people land in. Shop this card
  • Colleague or acquaintance: £5–£10, and a card matters more than the gift. Shop this card
  • Partner or parent milestone: £30–£60, usually one good thing rather than three small ones. Shop this card
  • Group gift: £5–£10 a head buys something far better than five separate presents. Shop this card
  • Children's party gift: £5–£15 is the UK norm, and nobody minds the lower end. Shop this card
  • When in doubt, spend less on the object and more on the message inside the card. Shop this card

Hand-poured candles

Soy candles made in the UK — the gift that gets used rather than shelved.

65th Cake & Candles Birthday Card For Wife 65th Cake & Candles Birthday Card For Wife £3.87

Coasters and desk pieces

Small, funny and permanent: the things that stay out on show.

Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters £4.50 An A4 Certificate of Bravery with a lion's mane illustration and blank spaces for name, deed, date, and signature. A4 Certificate Of Bravery £3.00 Square drinks coaster with the humorous text Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That, ideal gift for office colleagues. Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That Funny Drinks Coaster £3.75 Pack of 6 Fun Cartoon Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Fun Cartoon Drinks Coasters £4.50 Pack of 6 Fun Geometric Pattern Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Fun Geometric Pattern Drinks Coasters £4.50 Harry Potter Wax Seal Drinks Coaster in Maroon & Gold Harry Potter Wax Seal Drinks Coaster in Maroon & Gold £5.99 Pack of 4 Powerpuff Girls Drinks Coasters Pack of 4 Powerpuff Girls Drinks Coasters £6.00 A4 novelty certificate gift for Father's Day reading World's Best Dad with gold border and seal detail. World's Best Dad A4 Certificate (Father's Day Gift) £9.99 Best Mummy in the World Drinks Coaster Best Mummy in the World Drinks Coaster £3.99 World’s Best Dad Wooden Coaster World’s Best Dad Wooden Coaster £4.00 Pack of 6 Small Cartoon Dog Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Small Cartoon Dog Drinks Coasters £4.50 Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Sun & Mood Astrology Coasters Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Sun & Mood Astrology Coasters £4.50

Prints for the wall

Framed-ready prints for kitchens, hallways and home offices.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 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 Colourful typography poster featuring the text You're Gonna Hear Me Roar from Katy Perry's song, unframed music print. You're Gonna Hear Me Roar Poster (Music Lyric Print) £8.00 Graphic music lyric print featuring a giant open mouth and lyrics from Lola Young's song Messy. Cause I'm Too Messy And Then I'm Too Fucking Clean (Music Lyric Prints) £8.00 Taylor Swift Who's Afraid of Little Old Me lyric print featuring minimalist black typography on a white background. Whose Afraid Of Little Old Me By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 "Let It Be" Beatles lyric print featuring a guitar illustration and song lyrics, displayed as unframed wall art. "Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Guitar) £8.00 Humorous wall art print featuring four lined-up pints of Guinness stout and the text 'line. them. up.' with a white border. Line Them up Guinness Print (A4 & A3) £8.00

Cards to send with it

Add the card and the whole present arrives in one UK parcel.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 The Peach Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card The Peach Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card £3.87 "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card £3.87 The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card £3.87

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What are the traditional anniversary gifts by year?

Paper for the first, cotton for the second, wood for the fifth, tin for the tenth, silver for the twenty-fifth, ruby for the fortieth and gold for the fiftieth. Treat them as a theme for the gift rather than a rule you have to follow.

What do you buy for a 25th wedding anniversary?

Silver is traditional, but most people mark a 25th with an occasion rather than an object — a meal, a party, or a keepsake print with the date on it that goes on the wall afterwards.

How much should an anniversary gift cost?

£20–£50 for your own anniversary, £15–£30 for parents or friends. Milestone years — 25th, 40th, 50th — tend to be marked with a party or a meal rather than a bigger present.

Do you sell anniversary gifts and cards together?

Yes. Candles, coasters and prints post with the anniversary card in one UK parcel.