Anniversary Gifts

How to choose an Anniversary Gift for Her or for Him

How many times have you told your spouse that you love them? A hundred? A thousand? A million? Those three words mean more to most people than money. But how many times can you say it, before they start to become a habit, more than a sign of true affection?

For people in long-term relationships, it becomes less about saying it and more about showing our love for our partners, through gifts and romantic gestures. And there’s no better time to pull out all the stops, than when you’re planning to buy anniversary gifts.

Each anniversary has a different meaning, and many even have traditional anniversary gifts that are associated with the specific milestone year you’re celebrating.

Luckily, any anniversary is a perfect time to treat your loved one to a Forever Rose. They’re gorgeous, unique, and best of all, a joy to put on display in your home.

Your friends and family will be jealous when they see your spouse’s Forever Rose proudly mounted on your mantle or proudly standing as the centerpiece of your table.

Anniversary Gifts by Year - Themes & Colors

The Origin of Anniversary Years & Gifts

Marriage is perhaps a tradition as old and storied as humankind itself. From antiquity to the modern age humans have celebrated the binding of two individuals in matrimony. Even after the wedding day has come and passed, we still honor the commitment by celebrating anniversaries. 

The earliest practice of giving anniversary gifts can likely be traced back to the Medieval Period where husbands would present their wives with silver and gold wreaths on their 25th and 50th anniversary respectively. 

While it is not certain where the concept of anniversaries and anniversary gifts originated from, it’s safe to say that it’s an important and often needlessly stressful occasion! So, if you are struggling with what to get your spouse for your anniversary, just know that this has been a problem plaguing people for hundreds of years – you’re not alone! 

It is said that the earliest and closest concept of the anniversary gifts we give today likely appeared during the Victorian Times. Thankfully these gifts shifted from the less approachable gold and silver wreaths and to more ‘attainable’ items such as diamonds. In fact, the concept of the 60th anniversary is more or less thanks to Queen Victoria marking the 60th year of her reign with a ‘Diamond Jubilee.’ While you may view your spouse as a monarch, throwing a Diamond Jubilee is out of reach for most people, so thankfully as time passed gifts became more reasonable and affordable to those not born into royalty. 

We hope it is safe to assume that if you are reading this you are not a Medieval Noble or Queen Victoria. Author Emily Post must have also worked under this assumption when she drafted her book “Etiquette” published in 1922. Etiquette, much like this article, aimed to create an anniversary gift-giving guide of sorts. Post offered gifts and themes based on the first, fifth, and every repeating fifth year anniversary. However, it was not quite yet the exhaustive list we work with today.  But nonetheless a solid start. 

In 1937 the National Retail Jeweler Association filled the slots for years 2 through 15, while adding additional wedding gifts every five years after all the way to 75 years of marriage.  Although 1937 is much closer to the present day than Victorian England or Medieval Europe, there were still some antiquated gift ideas. For example, ivory, lace, and salt might not make the most endearing of gifts these days. Thankfully there are plenty of more appropriate (and modern) gifts along with themes to accompany them. 

Anniversary Themes, Colors, and Flowers by Year

Believe it or not each milestone anniversary year is accompanied with a gift theme, a color, and a gemstone! This might seem daunting at first, but The Forever Rose makes it quite simple to match the gemstone, color, and flowers all in one. More on this later…

What would an anniversary be without flowers? Flowers are by and large the most ubiquitous anniversary gift. They are simple yet elegant and can carry meaning all their own. We use flowers to celebrate weddings, love, to convey our sympathy, and much more. The colors and types of flowers also have symbolic meaning from the peace lily to the passionate red rose. We believe that the humble rose is an excellent choice for a universal symbol of love and makes for a perfect accompaniment to an anniversary gift. 

Each specified year also has an accompanying theme that can help make your gift buying process a little bit easier. If you’re a little bit stumped on where to start, feel free to let the traditional gifts below guide your thought process. Additionally, much like birthdays each specific year has a correlated gemstone type as well. By using the combo of flower/rose type, theme, and gemstone, crafting the perfect anniversary gift is a piece of cake

Milestone Anniversary Years

1st Anniversary – PAPER

The 1st anniversary gift may not be the most expensive year, but it certainly carries a lot of emotional importance.

It’s considered the ‘paper’ anniversary, though this can give you a lot of options in how you want to spoil your spouse. Maybe you want to give them a gift certificate for a day at the spa. Or perhaps, you can print a copy of some tickets you’ve purchased to take them to a concert they’d enjoy.

With the recent newfound importance of social distancing, these paper anniversary gifts may not be as appealing as they used to be.

However, you could get your spouse a Forever Rose in their favorite color, and plan a scavenger hunt around your house, giving clues about their gift. Then you can give them a copy of the tracking sheet, as their prize for solving your game. It will help build anticipation, while they wait for their wonderful, mysterious gift to arrive in the mail.

Cook them a special dinner, get out the candles and you can both bask in the stunning beauty of their new Forever Rose, from the comfort and safety of your own home.

And the best part is, this gift will last forever because it comes with our lifetime guarantee. This way, your thoughtful gift will still be around to enjoy when you’re celebrating your 50th anniversary.

5th Anniversary - WOOD

If you’re searching for 5th anniversary gifts, you’re going to want to think ‘wood’.

In Wales, elaborately carved wooden spoons are given as a gift on this anniversary. In fact, the term ‘spooning’ actually originates from this tradition.

But unless your partner is really interested in spoons, the full meaning of the gesture might be lost on them. Unless you’re going to crave something yourself, what other wood anniversary gifts could you choose?

Well, you know what else is made of wood? The stem of a rose.

But instead of giving them a rose that will wilt and rot in time, why not give them a rose that they can enjoy for years to come?

The only rose that can do that is the Forever Rose.

Our Enchanted Rose collection each comes mounted on a picturesque solid wooden base. This not only adds to the aesthetic of these breathtaking roses, but allows you to display it easily anywhere in your home.

10th Anniversary – TIN

For 10th anniversary gifts, following the same anniversary traditions means you should be looking to find your partner something involving ‘tin’.

Tin is not a terribly exciting metal. There aren’t a great deal of lavish, beautiful things made from tin.

But you can’t spell ‘platinum’ without ‘tin’.

Why not think outside the box and give your spouse something a little fancier than they’re expecting?

With Forever Rose, you can buy both platinum trimmed and platinum dipped roses, which are so gorgeous that they put other wedding anniversary gifts to shame.

25th Anniversary – SILVER

There are tons of different 25th anniversary gifts you could choose from, since Silver is commonly used in jewelry and decorative objects.

Yet, do you want to just get your spouse another ring or necklace? Something that will spend most of its time locked in a box on their dresser?

Instead of picking something expensive that won’t get as much use or appreciation, why not give your partner something you can both display and admire for years to come?

You can buy Forever Roses in both trimmed and dipped silver, making them one of the best silver anniversary gifts; particularly if you want something you can show off to your friends and family whenever they visit your home.

50th Anniversary – GOLD

Everyone loves gold anniversary gifts. Yet, like silver, it’s really easy to fall back on incredibly expensive jewelry, or other presents that seem great but quickly get locked away for safekeeping.

Give your partner a gift they’ll never want to put away, with an unbelievably beautiful gold dipped or gold trimmed rose.

These aren’t painted or done with fake gold, either. Every gold Forever Rose is done with real, 24-karat gold. How many other 50th anniversary gifts can say that, without costing a small fortune?

Whether you’re searching for anniversary gifts for him or anniversary gifts for her, if you want a gift that demonstrates your eternal love and lasts just as long, there’s only one choice – the Forever Rose.