Weddings of gold, crepe, sapphire or wool… Rediscover the names of the most important wedding anniversaries, their symbolism, as well as some gift ideas to give to your spouse.
How beautiful and important it is to celebrate a wedding anniversary! It allows spouses to reflect on their love and give thanks. To help spouses celebrate their commitment to each other over the years, here are listed below the most important wedding anniversary dates with their theme and symbolism. For each anniversary, gifts are also suggested based on the theme, as well as Catholic-inspired ideas that can highlight the religious aspect of the wedding.
FROM 1 TO 10 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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1 year of marriage – Cotton wedding
Both durable and fragile, the cotton flower symbolizes comfort and softness. Imbued with lightness, it is nevertheless solid and well attached to its branch, and it wonderfully reflects the relationship of the young couple after a year of marriage. For this first anniversary, you can offer a bouquet of flowers… cotton, but also pretty embroidered sheets or beautiful cozy cotton blankets which will wrap you in softness.
2 years of marriage – Leather wedding
Soft and resistant at the same time, the leather represents the couple well after two years of marriage, evoking the small adaptations to make to adjust to each other, but also the strength of the sacrament of marriage. For the occasion, you can offer a large Bible with a leather cover that you can read together every day to deepen your faith.
3 years of marriage – Wheaten wedding
Wheat is a soft wheat which represents fertility and life, because the grains which fall to the ground are the promise of many other ears. It therefore evokes the new births which will brighten up your marriage. On the transalpine side, in ancient Rome, wheat seeds were thrown at newlyweds to wish them a fruitful marriage. For your third birthday, you can take the time to make bread or a cake.
4 years of marriage – Wax wedding
The wax, made by worker bees, is both solid and malleable, like spouses after four years of marriage who continue to build their life and their future together. To celebrate, a simple and romantic candlelit dinner will be perfect and will delicately celebrate your wax wedding.
5 years of marriage – Wooden wedding
After five years of marriage, the couple is as strong as wood and rooted in the earth like a tree. For this occasion, you can think of a nice wooden gift, like an icon or a beautiful statue. If you are lucky enough to have a garden or a house in the countryside, you can choose a tree and plant it together. Over the years, watching him slowly grow will remind you of your growing love.
6 years of marriage – Cyprus wedding
Chypre, which takes its name from the island of Cyprus, is a perfume based on bergamot and sandalwood, two different scents that combine perfectly, like the two spouses who keep their own personality within marriage, while finding harmony between them. If you have the opportunity for the occasion, nothing could be more appropriate than organizing a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul, on the island of Cyprus!
7 years of marriage – Woolen wedding
Wool, from the fleece of animals, symbolizes warmth, softness, but also purity with its white color. To link your gift to this material, as tradition dictates, you can offer your partner a beautiful warm wool blanket in which you can spend many moments wrapped up next to each other.
8 years of marriage – Poppy wedding
This wild flower, from the poppy family, is characterized by its bright red color. It evokes delicacy and fragility and is a reminder for couples to take care of their love which may go through more fragile times. As the seeds of poppies are scattered by the wind and multiply quickly, the love of the newlyweds is bound to spread and bear fruit year after year.
9 years of marriage – Earthenware wedding
A ceramic originating from Faenza, Italy, earthenware is molded into the desired shape, fired, then glazed to achieve a beautiful shiny appearance. It recalls the couple who needs to be modeled and consolidated to become as beautiful as they are resistant. What gift to give for this wedding anniversary? Obviously, a magnificent earthenware religious object or a decorative object to beautify your home.
10 years of marriage – Tin wedding
Tin, a white and resistant metal, symbolizes the solidity of ten years of marriage. The couple overcame challenges, achieved many victories and made countless memories. To mark this date, give your spouse a piece of jewelry or a pewter object, such as a Eucharist custodian. You can also organize a solemn mass and renew your wedding vows, in the presence of your loved ones and friends.
FROM 11 TO 20 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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11 years of marriage – Coral wedding
Corals, marine animals of warm seas, live in groups and together form coral reefs. They symbolize the beauty, unity and harmony of a relationship. On this occasion, you can offer a coral-colored rosary: this Marian prayer will transform your marriage.
12 years of marriage – Silk wedding
Silk represents delicacy and elegance. For your 12th wedding anniversary, experience the soft feel of silk. Why not gift silk scarves, ties or bedding sets that are very comfortable and extremely soft?
13 years of marriage – Lily of the valley wedding
Lily of the valley, a white bell-shaped flower, symbolizes purity and the freshness of spring, but also the constant rebirth of love. Share a moment as a couple in the great outdoors, organize a picnic in a field or a walk in the forest. At the beginning of May, you can take advantage of a walk to bring home a few sprigs of lily of the valley.
14 years of marriage – Wedding of lead
Both malleable and solid, lead recalls the story of a couple who must know how to transform themselves over the years in order to strengthen themselves. To celebrate your 14th wedding anniversary, you can host a dinner and reminisce together about how your relationship has evolved over the years.
15 years of marriage – Crystal wedding
Celebrate your crystal wedding anniversary by attending a spiritual retreat as a couple: this will allow you to have a clearer vision of your love, the aspects to work on and those for which to give thanks. Why not treat yourself to a pendant or a small crystal statue?
16 years of marriage – Sapphire wedding
The sapphire represents divine wisdom, but with its magnificent blue color, it also recalls the Virgin Mary . You could treat yourself to a piece of jewelry or a religious object of this color, and find time together to pray to the Virgin Mary with a beautiful song, or by reading the Word of God, which is the source of true wisdom.
17 years of marriage – Rose wedding
The rose symbolizes beauty and love, but for Christians, it can also recall the Mother of God, sometimes called the “Mystical Rose”. Why not buy some beautiful roses to decorate the prayer corner of your home? To celebrate your rosy wedding anniversary, you can also say a rosary together and entrust your relationship to the Virgin Mary.
18 years of marriage – Turquoise wedding
Turquoise, or Turkish stone, symbolizes lasting beauty. For this anniversary, you can find a pretty miraculous turquoise blue medal, or organize a pilgrimage to Turkey in the footsteps of Saint Paul of Tarsus for the more adventurous.
19 years of marriage – Cretonne wedding
A very strong cotton canvas, cretonne evokes the solidity of a relationship woven over the years. A Christian couple is strong when it is built on Christ. For the occasion you can plan an hour of worship and thank the Lord for the strength of your relationship and for all the beautiful years you have spent together.
20 years of marriage – Porcelain wedding
Porcelain, a ceramic renowned for its solidity, evokes the resistance of a couple after twenty years of marriage. This is an important stage: the children are starting to leave the family nest and you will have to find a new balance for your relationship, but it will also be a great opportunity to find new projects to carry out together. Consider celebrating these first two decades of your marriage with a solemn mass and the renewal of your promises.
FROM 21 TO 30 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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21 years of marriage – Opal wedding
Opal is a precious stone with multiple colors and iridescent reflections that can represent radiant love. There are many Christian opal jewelry items available as gifts for your spouse, but you can also plan a romantic evening under the stars, which will remind you of the brilliance of your love in the eyes of God.
22 years of marriage – Bronze wedding
Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, is a robust material, symbolizing the perfect alliance and solidity between spouses. Think about the strength of your unity and give your spouse a cross or a bronze statue representing a saint or an archangel.
23 years of marriage – Beryl wedding
A precious stone, beryl symbolizes clarity and commitment. What new commitment could renew your marriage? Attend a weekend retreat to invite God’s bright light into your relationship, and ask Him to spiritually enrich your marriage.
24 years of marriage – Satin wedding
Satin symbolizes softness and elegance. For your 24th wedding anniversary, you can organize a romantic dinner, remembering that your mission on earth is to make the person you love happy. You could give a dress, a tie or beautiful satin pajamas.
25 years of marriage – Silver wedding anniversary
On the occasion of your silver wedding anniversary, ask to celebrate a mass and be able to renew your wedding vows. If you also want to give your husband or wife a special gift, consider a bracelet or watch.
26 years of marriage – Jade wedding
Jade, a magnificent fine green stone, symbolizes hope: a virtue that every Christian couple is called to practice, while waiting to see God. Remember that in a marriage, spouses must always help each other to draw near to the Lord and one day go to Heaven. You can read a book together on Christian hope, such as Pope Francis’ catecheses on hope, or Benedict XVI ‘s Spe Salvi .
27 years of marriage – Mahogany wedding
Brown or reddish wood, mahogany represents the increasingly strong solidity of your relationship. This strength is the result of your mutual efforts and the grace of the Lord. Remember that you are “co-workers with God” and “the house that God builds” ( 1Co 3:9 ): what you have built together, it is with and for the Lord that you have done it. Why not do a craft activity together, like making a mahogany dish, or a mahogany icon stand?
28 years of marriage – Nickel wedding
“The challenge for Christian spouses is to be together and to know how to love each other forever,” Pope Francis recalled during an audience. For your golden wedding anniversary, you can give thanks for the durability of your relationship. May songs of praise invade your home!
29 years of marriage – Velvet wedding
Velvet, a rare and elegant fabric, symbolizes softness and comfort. For your 29thwedding anniversary, why not treat yourself to a red velvet prie-dieu? It will encourage you to pray more and always look to the Lord together.
30 years of marriage – Pearl wedding
30 years of marriage: proof of longevity for your couple! As the pearl in the oyster shell takes time to form after a long process of crystallization, the couple was also formed by showing constancy and patience, and by knowing how to protect themselves from the outside world when it was necessary. necessary. For the occasion, you can organize a walk by the sea or offer your partner a pretty pearl rosary.
FROM 31 TO 40 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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31 years of marriage – Basane wedding
Basane, tanned sheepskin, symbolizes flexibility and reminds us that each spouse must compromise and adjust to harmonize with the other. To celebrate your wedding anniversary, you can organize a beautiful dinner and thank your husband for the difficult compromises or renunciations he has had to make for your relationship over the past three decades.
32 years of marriage – Copper wedding anniversary
Revisit the symbolism of copper which represents strength. Remember that your strength is rooted in faith. Take the time for a retreat to recharge your batteries and find the strength of the Holy Spirit who makes all things new. Ask him for the grace of charity, without which, as St Paul reminds us, “I am but a sounding brass” ( 1 Cor 13:1 ). It can also be an opportunity to go and listen to a concert, with a brass orchestra or a brass band!
33 years of marriage – Porphyry wedding
Porphyry, an igneous rock, evokes the power of a couple. For Christians, this strength lies in the sacrament of marriage. Why not organize a time of prayer to remember all the times God has acted powerfully in your life as a couple?
34 years of marriage – Amber wedding
Amber, fossilized tree resin, recalls both the passage of time and the timeless beauty of a couple. Take advantage of your amber wedding, to give thanks for all the positive aspects of your relationship and for your marriage which, as Pope Francis says, is the greatest of friendships. You can also burn amber incense sticks in your prayer corner.
35 years of marriage – Ruby wedding
Ruby, a red precious stone, symbolizes brilliance. After 35 years of marriage, all your children have probably left the family nest. It is important to find new joint projects to always remain united and to continue to lean firmly on God so that your couple shines. To celebrate this birthday while staying on theme, you can open a good bottle of red wine or treat yourself to a piece of jewelry with a ruby.
36 years of marriage – Muslin wedding
A soft and light cotton fabric, muslin evokes the finesse of a couple who has endured over time. All that matters in a relationship is the quality of the love experienced and given, because as Saint John of the Cross says : “At the evening of this life, we will be judged on love”. This could be an opportunity to make a souvenir photo album of your 36 years of life together.
37 years of marriage – Paper wedding
Celebrate your paper wedding by giving your spouse a letter where you have written what he or she represents to you. You can also write him a poem or formulate a beautiful prayer to God for the rest of your life.
38 years of marriage – Mercury Wedding
Mercury, a liquid metal, evokes fluidity and adaptability. Like him, the couple has also been able to adapt to many situations, such as the departure of children or retirement. Experience this new stage as a privileged time to seek holiness. As St. Philip Neri said : “To desire to be holy is to desire to love and honor God above all else.” Take some time together to decide on the future directions of your life as young retirees, with the aim of always doing the will of God.
39 years of marriage – Crepe wedding
The crepe, a light and supple fabric, recalls the flexibility of the couple who must adapt to the unexpected events of life. To celebrate your pancake wedding, pray with your husband or wife to ask the Holy Spirit for greater docility. It could also be the time to share a pancake meal!
40 years of marriage – Emerald wedding
As with all changes of decades, celebrate your emerald wedding anniversary with a solemn mass and the renewal of your marriage promises. You can treat yourself to emerald green gifts or plan a romantic trip to the Emerald Isle in the footsteps of many Irish Christians.
FROM 41 TO 50 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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41 years of marriage – Iron Wedding
Like iron, an emblem of strength and resilience, the couple’s love has endured throughout all these decades. Your strength lies in your love, and as Saint Charles de Foucauld said : “The more we love God, the more we love men” and therefore the more you love God and put him in first place, the more you will love your spouse. You can offer a magnificent cross for the occasion.
42 years of marriage – Mother-of-pearl wedding
Mother-of-pearl is produced by molluscs and covers the interior part of their shell. White with iridescent reflections, it can represent both the purity and the radiant love of a couple. For your mother-of-pearl wedding, nothing could be more appropriate than offering pretty mother-of-pearl pendants or religious objects.
43 years of marriage – Flannel wedding
Flannel, a fabric originating from Wales, was first used to create the famous kilts. It symbolizes softness and warmth. For your flannel wedding, why not consider a visit to Wales to discover its Christian history and its great patron saint, Saint David who lived in the 6th century?
44 years of marriage – Topaz wedding
Topaz, a precious stone, symbolizes resistance and longevity. Any couple can survive thanks to love, but also thanks to gratitude and mutual forgiveness. Take advantage of this opportunity to say “thank you” to your spouse, but also “forgive” and “I love you”, as Pope Francis encouraged from the start of his pontificate.
45 years of marriage – Silver-gilt wedding
A precious alloy of gold and silver, vermeil represents the harmony of a couple who have lived together for 45 years. For the occasion, you can offer a religious silver-gilt medal or organize a pilgrimage to a sanctuary in France that you have never visited.
46 years of marriage – Lavender wedding
For your 46th wedding anniversary, you can go on a retreat to an abbey in Provence, lost in the middle of lavender fields. This will be an opportunity to immerse oneself in the silence of contemplative life and to find new marital life.
47 years of marriage – Cashmere wedding
Both soft and warm, cashmere evokes the comfort and softness of a couple. For this milestone anniversary, plan a special dinner and treat your spouse to a beautiful cashmere sweater or scarf.
48 years of marriage – Amethyst wedding
Amethyst is a precious stone. Its purple color is one of the liturgical colors used by Christians: it represents the expectation of the encounter with Christ and is used during Advent and Lent. To remind you of this expectation, you can say a novena to the Virgin Mary during the 9 days preceding your wedding anniversary.
49 years of marriage – Cedar wedding
The cedar represents longevity, but also evokes a wonderful country: Lebanon, which is mentioned often in the Old Testament. If you have the opportunity for your cedar wedding, you could visit some Christian places in Lebanon, such as the monastery of Saint-Maron where the tomb of Saint Charbel , a 19th century Lebanese hermit monk and miracle worker, is located. intercession of whom countless miracles are attributed.
FROM 50 TO 100 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
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50 years of marriage – Golden wedding anniversary
10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years and now 50 years of living together! Resistant like gold, your love has survived all kinds of trials. You have taken care of your relationship for half a century and in this honor, you can organize a big ceremony, surrounded by your loved ones, to give thanks to God for your spouse and your entire family!
55 years of marriage – Orchid wedding
Orchids symbolize beauty and longevity. To celebrate your 55 years of married life, you can decorate your prayer corner with beautiful and colorful orchids and give thanks together for the beauty and longevity of your marriage.
60 years of marriage – Diamond wedding anniversary
The diamond evokes the purity and eternal love of the couple. Mark this anniversary by treating yourself to gifts that reflect the bright light of divine love, such as beautiful tealight holders or stained glass windows for your prayer corner. Have a mass celebrated for this occasion by inviting your whole family. It will be an important testimony for them of tenderness, love and constancy.
65 years of marriage – Rosewood wedding
Known for its beauty, rosewood is a particularly resistant precious wood. It evokes the durability of a couple who have matured and strengthened over the years. On this important date, thank the Lord for all the graces you have received during your life, and for your love which is so rare and precious!
70 years of marriage – Platinum wedding anniversary
Platinum symbolizes the resistance of a couple in the face of life’s multiple trials. Every Christian couple must remember that this strength is given by the Lord through the sacraments. These platinum weddings are a great opportunity for your couple to ask for the sacrament of the sick together, so that the Lord may accompany you in your old age. For this anniversary, you’re the one on the decks! Find music that you waltzed to at your wedding or danced for the first time together, and both of you do a few dance steps to it like in the early days.
75 years of marriage – Alabaster wedding
Alabaster, a white natural material used in sculpture, symbolizes purity. For your 75th wedding anniversary, you can treat yourself to works of religious art, such as pretty alabaster statues, representing the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ or the Holy Family.
80 years of marriage – Oak wedding
The oak, a large forest tree, evokes longevity and the lasting strength of your love. For the occasion, you can invite a priest to celebrate mass at your home in a small group and give thanks to God for all these years spent together.
85 years of marriage – Morganite wedding
Morganite, a fine stone of pale pink or orange color, symbolizes peace and serenity: qualities more than necessary for the stability of a couple. To give thanks for these 85 years of life together, you can pray a rosary in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, who is queen of peace.
90 years of marriage – Granite wedding
Two spouses celebrating 90 years of marriage can only marvel at this gift given to them, a source of inspiration for all those around them. Like granite which is a very resistant material, this couple demonstrated solidity during their marriage, with the support of the Lord. To celebrate the granite wedding anniversary, you can take a time of worship together, and thank God for the solid foundations of your relationship.
95 years of marriage – Adonsonia wedding
The adonsonia, commonly called baobab, is a particularly large and resistant tropical tree. Its symbolism evokes resilience, wisdom and tradition. For your Adonsonia wedding, you can get together with your children and grandchildren to share anecdotes from your life as a couple, your memories and your experiences which will edify your family and represent a magnificent testimony for everyone.
100 years of marriage – Water wedding
Water symbolizes purity and represents fluidity. Just as water knows how to constantly adapt to its environment, the couple has also been able to adapt to the countless trials of life. For such an occasion, plan a large ceremony and a solemn mass, surrounded by your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This will be an opportunity for you and your family to give thanks for your life and your unity!
