Wedding Anniversary Names and Meanings by Year
Wedding Anniversary Names and Meanings by Year
Anniversary list: 1st to 60th year
The wedding year counts as year zero, so the day one year after your wedding is your 1st anniversary: the paper anniversary. Usually there is a name for every year from the 1st to the 15th, and then for every fifth year. Names and materials vary from source to source, so the table lists the most common name first, with other names added after “*”.
| Year | Name | Meaning & origin |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | A year to draw your dreams and hopes together on a future that is still a blank page. |
| 2nd | Cotton *Also called straw |
A wish to live simply and sensibly, like plain cotton, without too much extravagance. |
| 3rd | Leather | May your relationship grow strong and supple, like leather. |
| 4th | Flowers and fruit *Also called books or flowers |
A time when your life together blossoms and bears fruit. |
| 5th | Wood | A year when the two of you put down firm roots and become one, like a single tree. |
| 6th | Iron | May you be joined by a bond as strong as iron. |
| 7th | Copper | A time when family and home life settle, and you build something of value, like copper. |
| 8th | Rubber (a Japanese name) *Also called bronze |
A wish for a relationship with the give and flexibility of rubber. |
| 9th | Pottery | Gratitude for a relationship you have cared for without a crack, the way you handle fine pottery. |
| 10th | Tin *Also called aluminum |
Celebrating ten years of a relationship as beautiful and flexible as tin. |
| 11th | Steel | A wish for a bond as strong and firmly joined as steel. |
| 12th | Silk *Also called linen |
A relationship as fine and caring as silk. |
| 13th | Lace | May your love keep growing, delicate stitch by stitch, like lace being made. |
| 14th | Ivory | A relationship that, like ivory, grows richer with the years. |
| 15th | Crystal | Trust as clear and unclouded as crystal. |
| 20th | China | Like fine china that gains value over time, your bond has grown deeper. |
| 25th | Silver | A major milestone in married life, with the deep, mellow beauty of antique silver. |
| 30th | Pearl | A wish for abundance and good health, like a pearl that forms over many years. |
| 35th | Coral *Also called jade |
Celebrating a love you have nurtured, like coral that grows little by little over many years. |
| 40th | Ruby | For a couple joined by passion and deep trust, like the deep red of a ruby. |
| 45th | Sapphire | Celebrating a faithful, unshakable bond, like a sapphire. |
| 50th | Gold | Half a century walked side by side: an anniversary that shines like gold. |
| 55th | Emerald | Celebrating a calm, abundant life, like the deep green of an emerald. |
| 60th | Diamond | A grand anniversary celebrating long life and a flourishing family. |
*Some sources name anniversaries beyond the 60th as well, such as platinum for the 70th.
Choosing art inspired by the anniversary name
Taking a cue from the anniversary's name or meaning gives your choice of art a special anniversary touch. Try a painting whose title or motifs echo the name, or one with the color of the anniversary gemstone, such as ruby red.
Art for the 1st (paper) anniversary
The paper anniversary is the year you begin drawing your future together, like a fresh sheet of white paper with nothing written on it yet. A painting about new beginnings, or one that seems to watch over the days ahead, makes a fitting choice for your first anniversary.
Tree of Happiness
For your very first year. A painting with words that seem to watch over your everyday life together: “Small fruits are happiness. Big fruits are happiness, too.”
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A Bouquet of Happiness — Rainbow
A tree blooming with colorful flowers, like a big bouquet. With the words “May your happiness be always blooming,” it cheers on the future you'll create together.
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A Hint of New Beginnings
A painting of spring arriving in a Scandinavian seaside town. The words in the painting, “Better days are coming…,” are just right for your first year together.
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Art for the 4th (flowers and fruit) anniversary
The flowers and fruit anniversary marks a time when your life together blossoms and bears fruit. Vibrant paintings of flowers and fruit echo the meaning of the celebration.
Flowers and Fruit — Hanami
Its theme, “hanami,” is written in Japanese with the characters for “flower” and “fruit,” just like the name of this anniversary. Flowers and fruit glow golden, perfect for a time when your life together blossoms and bears fruit.
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A Mimosa Bouquet Heralding Spring
A bouquet of yellow mimosa, blooming as if lighting little lamps. It brightens the year your life together comes into bloom.
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On the Spring Breeze
A gentle, cheerful painting of pastel sweet peas in full bloom. It comes with a poem about carrying “all the joys up to this day” toward a new future.
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Art for the 5th (wood) anniversary
The wood anniversary is the year the two of you put down firm roots and become one, like a single tree. A painting of a tall, grown tree reflects your first five years and the path ahead.
Tree of Smiles — Sunflowers
A great “tree of smiles” blooming with big sunflowers. With the words “Your smile makes everyone happy,” it's for a couple putting down roots like a single tree.
See the artworkTree of Happiness
For the year you put down roots together like a single tree. A painting of a leafy green tree with the words “Slowly, day by day, growing strong.”
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Ever-Blooming Days
A big tree with colorful flowers spilling from its thick trunk. Its poem, “our world gently goes on, ever on,” echoes a couple putting down roots and walking on together.
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Art for the 10th, 20th and 25th milestones
The 10th (tin), 20th (china) and 25th (silver) anniversaries are major milestones. Popular choices are paintings with words of thanks, or paintings that call to mind the years you've shared.
A Bouquet of Returning Happiness
A painting of a bouquet of softly colored flowers. True to its title, it brings together the years you've shared and the happiness still to come.
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Shine Tree
A painting of a couple holding hands under a big tree. Its poem, “Thank you for all that has been, and thank you for all that's to come,” matches the thanks you want to share at a milestone.
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bloom
Gentle light pours down from the sky onto a field of red and pink flowers. Its poem about “flowers of gratitude, flowers of blessing” matches the thanks you want to share at a milestone.
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Art for the 40th (ruby) anniversary
The ruby anniversary celebrates a couple joined by passion and trust, like the deep red of a ruby. Paintings in shades of red and pink add a festive touch to the day.
Tree of Life
A tree covered in red and pink flowers. With its themes of life and gratitude, it makes a heartfelt gift for a couple who have supported each other for many years.
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Canon of Happiness
A lively painting of red and pink flowers bursting into bloom. It brightens the everyday life of a couple who have shared many years.
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Clouds at Play — Looking Up at the Sky (red Mt. Fuji)
Red Mt. Fuji, painted in bold red, is considered lucky in Japan. Its deep, ruby-like red adds a striking touch to a special anniversary.
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Art for the 50th (golden) anniversary
The golden anniversary marks half a century walked side by side, a day that shines like gold. Paintings in golden yellows express congratulations and thanks for the many years.
Everyday Miracles — Yellow
A painting in golden yellow for an anniversary that shines like gold. Its poem, which calls ordinary, unchanging days a miracle, echoes thanks for half a century together.
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Toward the Sun — Sunflowers
A field of sunflowers blooming toward the sun. Its poem, “toward now, toward the future, with all their strength,” brightens the road ahead for a couple who have walked together for half a century.
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Kibou — Hope (canola field)
A field of canola blossoms glowing bright yellow as far as the eye can see. Its poem, “today, too, the sky keeps on shining,” carries a wish for the days ahead.
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For a 25th (silver) or 50th (golden) anniversary, adding the couple's names and anniversary date inside the artwork makes a much-loved keepsake of that special year.
Tips for choosing a wedding anniversary gift
- Taking a cue from that year's name or meaning gives your gift a true anniversary feel. It doesn't have to be made of the material itself; a title that echoes the name, or the color of the gemstone, is plenty.
- For your parents' silver or golden anniversary, gifts the two of them can enjoy together, or that become part of the family's memories, are especially appreciated.
- A gift with names or the anniversary date becomes a lasting keepsake of that particular year.
