Wedding anniversary names by year: what each one means

Paper for the first year, silver for the 25th, gold for the 50th. Almost everyone knows a few of the traditional wedding anniversary names, but few people know where the full list comes from or that it changes depending on who you ask. The idea behind it is simple: the materials go from fragile to lasting, the way a marriage is supposed to. Here is the list year by year, where the American, British and Spanish-language traditions part ways, and ideas for the milestones that matter most.

Where the tradition comes from

The custom started in German-speaking countries, where a wife who reached 25 years of marriage was given a silver wreath or crown, and at 50, a gold one. That is where “silver wedding” and “golden wedding” come from. Sources disagree on how old it is: the Spanish Wikipedia places it in the Middle Ages, while the English Wikipedia documents it from the 1500s.

The long list is much newer. In the English-speaking world, gifts for the first, fifth and tenth years (paper, wood and tin) were being suggested by the 19th century, and in the 20th century American jewelers pushed for a material for nearly every year, as a Time article on the history of anniversary gifts explains. So treat the list as inspiration, not as a rulebook.

Traditional anniversary names by year

The US column follows the traditional list compiled by the Chicago Public Library; the UK column follows Pears Cyclopaedia, as cited by Wikipedia. The last column shows what Spanish-speaking couples, including those in Peru, call each year (bodas de…, literally “weddings of…”).

Year	United States	United Kingdom	Spanish-language lists
1	Paper	Cotton or paper	Papel (paper)
2	Cotton	Paper or cotton	Algodón (cotton)
3	Leather	Leather	Cuero (leather)
4	Linen or silk	Linen, silk	Lino (linen)
5	Wood	Wood	Madera (wood)
6	Iron	Sugar	Hierro (iron)
7	Wool or copper	Wool	Lana (wool)
8	Bronze	Bronze, salt	Bronce (bronze)
9	Pottery or china	Copper	Arcilla (clay)
10	Tin or aluminum	Tin	Aluminio or estaño (aluminum or tin)
11	Steel	Not listed	Acero (steel)
12	Silk	Silk and fine linen	Seda (silk)
13	Lace	Not listed	Encaje (lace)
14	Ivory	Not listed	Marfil (ivory)
15	Crystal	Crystal	Cristal (crystal)
20	China	China	Porcelana (porcelain)
25	Silver	Silver	Plata (silver)
30	Pearl	Pearl	Perla (pearl)
35	Coral or jade	Coral	Coral
40	Ruby	Ruby	Rubí (ruby)
45	Sapphire	Sapphire	Zafiro (sapphire)
50	Gold	Gold	Oro (gold)
55	Emerald	Emerald	Esmeralda (emerald)
60	Diamond	Diamond	Diamante (diamond)
65	Not listed	Blue sapphire	Platino (platinum)
70	Not listed	Platinum	Titanio (titanium)
75	Diamonds or gold	Diamond, gold	Brillantes (brilliant-cut diamonds)

What each material stands for

These readings are tradition, not doctrine, but they explain the order:

• Paper (1): a blank page; the story is just starting.
• Cotton and leather (2–3): comfort, then something tough enough to handle wear.
• Wood (5): roots. A home and a shared life are taking shape.
• Iron and tin (6, 10): the first metals, strong but in need of care.
• Crystal and china (15, 20): fine things that last when they are looked after.
• Silver and gold (25, 50): the big milestones, and the oldest names on the list.
• Diamond (60): the hardest natural material, and the hardest to break.

Where the lists disagree

There is no official list, and the differences are bigger than most gift guides admit:

• Years 1 and 2. In the British tradition, paper and cotton can swap places.
• Year 6. Iron in the US and in Spanish, sugar in the UK.
• Year 9. Pottery in the US, copper in the UK, clay or ceramic in Spanish.
• Platinum. 70 years in the UK, 65 in Spanish-language lists. The Spanish lists put titanium at 70.
• Year 75. Diamonds or gold in English; brillantes (brilliant-cut diamonds) in Spanish.
• The in-between years. Spanish-language lists name every year up to 50, with materials like ivy (16), water (23), jet (27), amber (28) and mother-of-pearl (46), and even they don’t agree: the 10th is aluminum on Wikipedia and Bodas.net but tin in Anatole’s guide.
• The “modern” US list. The same Chicago Public Library page has a second list that changes almost everything: clocks for the first year, diamonds for the 10th, platinum for the 20th.

What nearly every list shares are the big ones: paper, wood, crystal, china, silver, pearl, ruby, gold and diamond.

Ideas for the milestone anniversaries

1st: paper

• A handwritten letter, sealed until your next anniversary.
• A printed photo book of your first year.
• Concert, theater or game tickets.
• A framed map of the place you met.

5th: wood

• Plant a tree together.
• A wooden keepsake box with notes from each year.
• The piece of furniture you keep putting off.

10th to 20th: tin, crystal and china

A decade calls for a break from routine: a weekend away, or a dinner with the people who stood with you at the wedding. Engraved glasses for the 15th and a good set of dishes for the 20th are classics.

25th: silver

Often the first anniversary with a real party. Consider renewing your wedding vows with your kids as witnesses, a piece of silver jewelry engraved with the date, or the trip you postponed while the kids were small.

50th: gold

Usually planned by the children and grandchildren. A family lunch, a video with messages from relatives who can’t travel, and a photo from each decade work well. If several siblings are sharing the work, the step-by-step for planning a surprise anniversary party for your parents starts with collecting the photos and messages, which is what takes longest. Catholic couples can request a papal blessing on parchment for a wedding anniversary through the Office of Papal Charities; a May 2025 guide from ACI Prensa says requests are only accepted through its official website, elemosineria.va, and international shipping takes about a month.

How to celebrate a wedding anniversary

• Just the two of you. Recreate your first date, go back to the restaurant where you got engaged, or take a weekend trip.
• With family. A home-cooked lunch with the dishes from your wedding menu, or a church service followed by a get-together.
• With a party. For the 25th or 50th, with a proper invitation, toasts and maybe your first dance, again: several Peruvian wedding traditions come back unchanged at an anniversary.
• With a group gift. If your kids, siblings or friends want to give you something big, pooling contributions in one place beats everyone buying something separately.

For a party, cover the basics: date and venue, guest list, an invitation sent early enough for people to plan, and someone in charge of the toast.

Questions about the names and the dates

Which date do you count from, the civil wedding or the church?

Whichever one you consider yours. In Peru, and anywhere the civil ceremony and the religious one fall on different days — sometimes different years — there’s no rule to settle it: some couples count from the civil wedding because it’s the one on the paperwork, others from the party because that’s the day they remember. What matters is that you both count from the same one, and that it’s the date on the invitation.

Do these names work for a couple who never married?

The names come from wedding anniversaries, but nothing stops you using them counting from whatever date the couple treats as their beginning: the day they met, the day they moved in together, the engagement. What’s being celebrated is the years, not the paperwork. If you’re inviting people, put on the invitation what you’re counting from, so nobody has to do the math.

What if the anniversary falls on a weekday?

Split it in two. Mark the actual day with something small and private — dinner at home, breakfast, a call if you’re apart — and move the gathering with other people to the nearest weekend. If you send an invitation, make the celebration date the prominent one and put the real date on its own line (“celebrating 25 years, reached on Tuesday”), so nobody shows up on the wrong day.

Do you have to give a gift every year?

No, and agreeing on it avoids the year when one of you arrives with something and the other doesn’t. Some couples exchange gifts only at the milestones and go out for dinner the rest of the time; others always swap the object for a plan. If you want to follow the list of materials, treat it as a prompt for the idea rather than an obligation to buy that material. The one thing that never misses is booking the day.

How parati helps with your anniversary

With parati, your invitation and your gift registry share one link:

• Guests RSVP and give from their phones without creating an account, paying by card or Yape.
• Gifts in parts. An expensive gift, like a few hotel nights on your trip, can be split so several guests share it.
• El Sueño. One big gift, such as the silver anniversary trip or the golden anniversary party, with a goal and a minimum contribution you set.
• You know who to thank. You see who confirmed and what each guest gave.

Start from the anniversaries page. And if asking for contributions feels awkward, read our guide on how to ask for money as a gift.