Look up any year's gift theme, or enter a wedding date to plan the next milestone
| Year | Traditional | Modern | Gemstone / Metal | Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks | Gold (metal) | Carnation |
| 2nd | Cotton | China | Garnet | Cosmos |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal or glass | Pearl | Sunflower |
| 4th | Fruit or flowers | Appliances | Blue topaz | Geranium |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware | Sapphire | Daisy |
| 6th | Candy or iron | Wood objects | Amethyst | Calla lily |
| 7th | Wool or copper | Desk sets | Onyx | Freesia |
| 8th | Pottery or bronze | Linen or lace | Tourmaline | Clematis |
| 9th | Willow or pottery | Leather goods | Lapis lazuli | Poppy |
| 10th | Tin or aluminum | Diamond jewelry | Diamond | Daffodil |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewelry | Turquoise | Morning glory |
| 12th | Silk or linen | Pearls | Jade | Peony |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles or faux furs | Citrine | Chrysanthemum |
| 14th | Ivory (elephant-themed today) | Gold jewelry | Opal | Dahlia |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches | Ruby | Rose |
| 16th | Wax | Silver holloware | Peridot | Statice |
| 17th | Furniture | Furniture | Carnelian | Red carnation |
| 18th | Porcelain | Porcelain | Cat's eye | — |
| 19th | Bronze | Bronze | Aquamarine | Bronze chrysanthemum |
| 20th | China | Platinum | Emerald | Aster |
| Year | Name | Traditional | Modern | Gemstone / Metal | Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | Silver | Sterling silver | Sterling silver | Silver (metal) | Iris |
| 30th | Pearl | Pearl | Diamond | Pearl | Lily |
| 35th | Coral / Jade | Coral | Jade | Emerald | Coral rose |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby | Gladioli |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire | Blue iris |
| 50th | Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold (metal) | Yellow rose & violet |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald | Emerald | Alexandrite | Green calla lily |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond | Orchid |
Year-specific gift guides: 1st (paper) · 5th (wood) · 25th (silver) · 50th (gold)
Themes exist for every year, not just the big ones. These follow Hallmark's published list, which assigns a single theme to the years between milestones.
| Year | Theme | Year | Theme | Year | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | Fire | 36th | Antiques | 51st | Photos or cameras |
| 22nd | Water | 37th | Books | 52nd | Bath or spa |
| 23rd | Air | 38th | Luck | 53rd | Plastic |
| 24th | Stone | 39th | Laughter | 54th | Glass |
| 26th | Art | 41st | Office or desk decor | 56th | Day |
| 27th | Music | 42nd | Clocks or watches | 57th | Night |
| 28th | Linens | 43rd | Entertainment | 58th | Faith and hope |
| 29th | Tools | 44th | Electronics | 59th | Charity |
| 31st | Travel | 46th | Games | 60th+ | Start the list again |
| 32nd | Bronze | 47th | Garden or plants | ||
| 33rd | Iron | 48th | Home improvement | ||
| 34th | Food | 49th | Copper |
Sources: traditional/modern themes, gemstones, and flowers follow the lists published by Hallmark and The Knot; the gemstone column follows the jewelry-industry anniversary gem list, and a few years (1st, 25th, 50th) are assigned a metal instead of a stone. Retail lists disagree on small details, so treat the columns as the mainstream consensus rather than gospel.
Two ways to use it. Enter an anniversary year and you get that year's traditional and modern gift, gemstone or metal, and flower. Or enter a wedding date and the planner works out which anniversary is coming next, how many days away it is, and when the next big milestone (a 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, or 60th) lands.
Themed anniversary gifts trace back to Victorian customs, and the traditional list was standardized in the early 1900s: the materials get more durable (and more precious) as the years stack up, from fragile paper at one year to diamond at sixty. The modern list appeared later to update materials that had gone out of style, like ivory at 14 or tin at 10. Hallmark's version now assigns a theme to all 60 years, including playful ones such as fire (21st), music (27th), and laughter (39th).
Shopping for someone else's anniversary? The year is what matters, not your own dates, so use the year field and read the themes straight off the cards. Planning your own? Enter your wedding date once and you'll see the next anniversary, the days until it, and the next milestone year worth circling, whether that's the crystal 15th or the gold 50th.
A couple married on June 18, 2016. As of late August 2026, they've passed their 10th anniversary (June 18, 2026, tin or aluminum traditional, diamond jewelry modern). Their 11th is June 18, 2027, 293 days out, a steel year. The next true milestone is the 15th, crystal, on June 18, 2031, about 1,754 days away. If they were buying for each other this year, the date mode says: steel traditional gift (a good knife set or a steel watch band), fashion jewelry modern, turquoise gemstone.
Traditional themes run paper (1st), cotton (2nd), leather (3rd), fruit or flowers (4th), wood (5th), candy or iron (6th), wool or copper (7th), pottery or bronze (8th), willow or pottery (9th), tin or aluminum (10th), then steel, silk or linen, lace, ivory, crystal, wax, furniture, porcelain, and bronze through year 20 (china). Milestones after that: silver at 25, pearl at 30, coral at 35, ruby at 40, sapphire at 45, gold at 50, emerald at 55, and diamond at 60.
The modern list swaps the old materials for updated ones: clocks for the 1st, china for the 2nd, crystal or glass for the 3rd, appliances for the 4th, silverware for the 5th, diamond jewelry for the 10th, watches for the 15th, platinum for the 20th, sterling silver at 25, diamond at 30, jade at 35, ruby at 40, sapphire at 45, gold at 50, emerald at 55, and diamond again at 60.
The first anniversary and every fifth year (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th) are milestones; after 30 it shifts to every tenth year (40th, 50th, 60th). The big three are silver (25th), gold (50th), and diamond (60th).
Silver, on both the traditional and modern lists, which is why it's called the silver anniversary. The associated flower is the iris, and silver is the year's metal and color too. Sterling silver jewelry, picture frames, or tableware are the classic picks.
Gold, on both lists, the golden anniversary. The year is also tied to yellow roses and violets. Gold jewelry, gold-dipped roses, and gold-accent keepsakes are the go-to gifts.
The traditional list grew out of Victorian-era gift customs and was standardized in the early 20th century. A modern list emerged in the 1920s-1950s, partly credited to librarians and retail associations, updating materials that had become impractical, like ivory at 14 or tin at 10. Neither list is official; pick whichever theme suits the couple.