• 65 gift ideas

What Should I Get My Parents for Their Anniversary

A restored wedding photo, dinner with every child there, or the traditional gift of their year: one idea a press.

What Should I Get My Parents for Their Anniversary

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  1. Their wedding photo, restored and reframedA photo shop can mend scratches and fading from a scan; keep the old print safe.

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All 65 gift ideas

For any year 28

  • A call with their best man and maid of honor Find the numbers, set the time, and leave the room when it starts.
  • A day out they keep putting off The garden, the gallery, the boat trip: book it, drive them, and pay for lunch.
  • A drive to the place where they married Take a photo on the same steps and set it beside the first one.
  • A family portrait with everyone in it Children, partners and grandchildren in one frame; order a print for each household.
  • A family tree that starts with the two of them Their names at the trunk, a branch for every child and grandchild.
  • A garden bench for two Put a small plate on the back with their names and the wedding date.
  • A new photo in the old wedding pose Same pose, same sides; frame it beside the first one.
  • A recording of them telling how they met Set a phone on the table, ask the question and let them interrupt each other.
  • A slideshow for the dinner, set to their first dance Scan the old prints, put them in order and stop before anyone gets restless.
  • A surprise party with the old wedding guests Start the guest list from the wedding album and ask their closest friend to help.
  • A table booked where they held the wedding meal If the place has closed, book the nearest thing to it and tell them why.
  • A toast from each child, written out for them to keep Keep each one short; hand over the pages afterwards.
  • A trip back to where they honeymooned Split the fares and the hotel between you and hand over the tickets at dinner.
  • A vow renewal arranged by the children Ask them first: some couples love the idea and some would rather have dinner.
  • A weekend of their house and garden jobs, done by you Ask for the list a week ahead; they spend the weekend out.
  • Dinner sent to their door, if you live far away Order from a restaurant near them and call while they eat.
  • Flowers copied from the wedding bouquet Show a florist the wedding photo and ask for the same flowers for a vase.
  • The front page from their wedding date A library's newspaper archive may hold that day; print the page and frame it.
  • Letters from the guests of their wedding Write to the people in the wedding album and ask each for one page.
  • New plates to replace the ones chipped since the wedding Count what is left of the old set and match the pattern, or begin a fresh one.
  • One meal with every child at the table Pick the date first and the restaurant second; getting everyone there is the gift.
  • One photo from every year of the marriage, in order Ask relatives for the missing years; leave gaps for them to fill.
  • Their wedding cake, baked again in a small size Ask what flavor it was; a baker can copy the look from a photo.
  • Their wedding film moved from tape to a file A transfer shop copies old tape or film; watch it with them that evening.
  • Their wedding menu, cooked again at home Ask what was served, or ask a guest who was there, and cook it course by course.
  • Their wedding photo, restored and reframed A photo shop can mend scratches and fading from a scan; keep the old print safe.
  • Their wedding song, played live at dinner Ask a friend who plays, or a grandchild who is learning, to practice the one song.
  • The wedding album, repaired by a bookbinder A split spine and loose pages can be mended without touching the photos.

25th, the silver anniversary 8

  • 25th: a silver dinner at home Grey cloth, candles, the good cutlery polished, and the children serving.
  • 25th: a silver frame for their wedding photo Silver is the traditional gift of the 25th year.
  • 25th: a silver serving spoon with both dates The wedding date on one side of the handle, this year's on the other.
  • 25th: invitations printed in silver for a party Send them to the guests of the wedding, a quarter of a century on.
  • 25th: irises, the flower listed for the 25th Lists of anniversary flowers give the iris for the 25th year.
  • 25th: one small silver thing each A chain for one, a keyring or a tie clip for the other.
  • 25th: twenty-five memories, one to a card Collect them from the whole family and tie the cards with silver ribbon.
  • 25th: twenty-five prints in a row, one from each year Hang them along a hallway in order, from the wedding to this year.

40th, the ruby anniversary 9

  • 40th: a bowl or vase in ruby-red glass Deep red glass gives the color without the price of the stone.
  • 40th: a cake of red fruit Cherries, raspberries or redcurrants, whichever the shops have that week.
  • 40th: a dinner with a red table Red cloth, red candles, red flowers, and every child at it.
  • 40th: a red album of the forty years A few pages for each decade, with room at the back for the next.
  • 40th: a red rose bush for the garden Ruby is the traditional gift of the 40th; a rose bush gives the red.
  • 40th: a ruby pendant or tie pin from all of you A real stone costs more than one child should carry; share it.
  • 40th: forty reasons, written by the whole family Grandchildren too; read a few aloud and give them the rest in a red box.
  • 40th: forty songs, one from each year One song from every year since the wedding, in order, for the dinner.
  • 40th: gladioli, the flower listed for the 40th Lists of anniversary flowers give the gladiolus for the 40th year.

50th, the golden anniversary 8

  • 50th: a cake iced in gold Copy the shape of their wedding cake if you can find a photo of it.
  • 50th: a film of the fifty years Old photos, home movies and phone clips, with their own voices over it.
  • 50th: a gold-edged frame with then and now Gold is the traditional gift of the 50th, the golden wedding anniversary.
  • 50th: a golden wedding party The whole family in one room; book the hall before you tell anyone.
  • 50th: a trip with children and grandchildren One house big enough for everyone, for a long weekend.
  • 50th: fifty messages from fifty people Family, neighbors, old colleagues: one line each, bound in a gold cover.
  • 50th: their wedding rings cleaned and polished Ask to borrow them for a morning and take them to a jeweler.
  • 50th: yellow roses with violets Lists of anniversary flowers give this pair for the 50th year.

Another milestone year 12

  • 5th: a wooden bowl or frame Wood is the traditional gift of the 5th year.
  • 10th: a tin of cookies you baked Tin is the traditional gift of the 10th; the tin stays when the cookies are gone.
  • 15th: a pair of crystal glasses Crystal is the traditional gift of the 15th year.
  • 20th: a china teapot and two cups China is the traditional gift of the 20th; one fine piece is enough.
  • 30th: a frame inlaid with mother-of-pearl Pearl is the traditional gift of the 30th; an inlaid frame nods to it.
  • 30th: lilies, the flower listed for the 30th Lists of anniversary flowers give the lily for the 30th year.
  • 30th: pearl earrings or a string of pearls from all of you Share the cost between the children and hand it over at dinner.
  • 35th: a throw or cushions in coral Coral is the traditional gift of the 35th; give the color and leave the reef alone.
  • 45th: a sapphire-blue vase of blue flowers Sapphire is the traditional gift of the 45th; deep blue glass carries it.
  • 55th: an emerald-green plant for their room Emerald is the traditional gift of the 55th; a leafy plant gives the green.
  • 60th: a card from the King, applied for by you For citizens of the King's realms; apply to Buckingham Palace or a Governor-General.
  • 60th: a diamond anniversary lunch Diamond is the traditional gift of the 60th; the family at one table is yours to give.

How it works

The best answer to what should I get my parents for their anniversary comes from their own wedding: the photo restored, the menu cooked again, the guests gathered. Milestone years have a traditional gift, and those are here too.

Read the full guide

Find their year

Some years have a traditional gift. The list has rows for the 25th, 40th and 50th and for other milestones from the 5th to the 60th, each a way for a child to give the material without spending like a jeweler.

From a child, time beats things

Parents married for decades rarely need another object. What they cannot arrange for themselves is the family in one room, their wedding film on a screen that still plays it, or letters from the people who were there. Share the cost with your brothers and sisters.

  • Ask their closest friend what the two of them still say about the wedding day; that detail is your gift.
  • Tell your brothers and sisters the plan early, so two of you do not restore the same photo.

Questions and answers

What is the traditional gift for each anniversary year?

On the traditional US list: wood for the 5th, tin for the 10th, crystal for the 15th, china for the 20th, silver for the 25th, pearl for the 30th, ruby for the 40th, gold for the 50th and diamond for the 60th.

What should I get my parents for their 25th anniversary?

Silver is the tradition: a silver frame for their wedding photo, a silver serving spoon with both dates, or twenty-five memories from the family, one to a card. Irises are the flower listed for the year.

What should I get my parents for their 50th anniversary?

Gold is the tradition, and the golden wedding is the one to gather everyone for: a party, a trip with children and grandchildren, fifty messages from fifty people. The flowers listed are yellow roses with violets.

What can I make my parents for their anniversary?

Their wedding menu cooked again at home, one photo from every year of the marriage in order, a recording of them telling how they met, or a family tree that starts with the two of them.

What do you get parents who have everything for their anniversary?

Something from the wedding itself, made new: the photo restored and reframed, the album repaired by a bookbinder, the wedding film moved from tape to a file, or flowers copied from the bouquet.

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