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<b>WEDDING ANNIVERSARY </b>

A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place.

<b>Official recognition </b>

In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding
anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that. This is done by applying to Buckingham Palace in the
United Kingdom, or to the Governor-General's office in the other Commonwealth realms.

In Canada, one can also receive a message from the Governor General for the 50th anniversary, and every 5th
anniversary after that.

The situation is similar in Australia, where one can receive a letter of congratulations from the
Governor-General on the 50th and all subsequent wedding anniversaries; the Prime Minister, the federal Opposition
leader, local members of parliament (both state and federal), and state Governors may also send salutations for
the same anniversaries.

In the United States, one can receive a greeting from the President for any wedding anniversary on or after the
50th.

Roman Catholics may apply for a Papal blessing through their local diocese for wedding anniversaries of a
special nature (25th, 50th, 60th, etc.).

<b>Celebration and gifts </b>

The names of some anniversaries provide guidance for appropriate or traditional gifts for the spouses to give
each other; if there is a party these can be brought by the guests or influence the theme or decoration. These gifts
vary in different countries, but some years have well-established connections now common to most nations: 5th
Wooden, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 30th Pearl, 40th Ruby, 50th Golden, 60th Diamond.
The tradition may have originated in medieval Germany where, if a married couple lived to celebrate the twenty

fifth anniversary of their wedding, the wife was presented by her friends and neighbours with a silver wreath,
partly to congratulate them for the good fortune that had prolonged the lives of the couple for so many years and
partly in recognition of the fact they must have enjoyed a fairly harmonious relationship. On celebration of the
fiftieth the wife received a wreath of gold. These anniversaries were known as the silver wedding-day and the
golden wedding-day. Over time the number of symbols expanded and the German tradition came to assign gifts
that had direct connections with each stage of married life. The symbols have changed over time, for example in
the United Kingdom diamond was a well known symbol for the 75th anniversary, but this changed to the now
more common 60th anniversary after Queen Victoria's 60 years on the throne was widely marked as her
'Diamond Jubilee'.

<b>Traditional and modern anniversary gifts </b>

Lists of wedding anniversary gifts vary by country. The traditional and modern U.S. versions were compiled by
librarians at the Chicago Public Library.

<b>Year Traditional (U.S.) Traditional (U.K.) </b> <b>Modern (U.S.) </b>

1st Paper Paper Clocks

2nd Cotton Cotton China

3rd Leather Leather Crystal, Glass

4th Linen, Silk Fruit and Flower Appliances (electrical)

5th Wood Wooden Silverware

6th Iron Sugar Wood objects

7th Wool, Copper Woollen Desk sets/Pen & Pencil sets

8th Bronze Salt, Pottery Linens, Lace

9th Pottery, China Copper Leather goods

10th Tin, Aluminum Tin, coal Diamond jewelry

11th Steel Scent Fashion jewelry, accessories

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13th Lace Barometer Textiles, Furs

14th Ivory Clock Gold jewelry

15th Crystal Crystal Watches

16th Tourmaline Holloware Silver Holloware

17th Furniture Furniture Furniture

18th Turquoise Coloured Gems Porcelain

19th Aquamarine Furniture Bronze

20th China China Platinum

21st Brass, Nickel

22nd Copper

23rd Silver plate

24th Opal Musical Instruments

25th Silver Silver Silver

30th Pearl Pearl Diamond

35th Coral, Jade Coral Jade

40th Ruby Ruby Ruby

45th Sapphire Sapphire Sapphire

50th Gold Gold Gold

55th Emerald Emerald Emerald

60th Diamond (Yellow) Diamond Diamond

65th Blue Sapphire Star Sapphire (Gray)

70th Platinum[13][14][15]

75th Diamond, Gold Diamond Diamond, Gold

80th Oak Oak[16][17]

90th Granite Granite[18][19]

<b>Flower gifts </b>

<b>Year </b> <b>Flower </b>

1st Carnation

2nd Lily of the valley

3rd Sunflower

4th Hydrangea

5th Daisy

6th Calla

7th Freesia

8th Lilac

9th Bird of paradise

10th Daffodil

11th Tulip

12th Peony

13th Chrysanthemum

14th Dahlia

15th Rose

20th Aster

25th Iris

28th Orchid

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40th Gladiolus

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