Anniversary gift ideas by year: the traditional list, from paper to platinum (with a twist)

Somewhere around year three, every couple has the same conversation: “Leather? Who decided it was leather?” The traditional anniversary list is a lovely bit of nonsense, but it does the hardest part of present buying for you. It gives you a theme, and a theme is a starting point.

This guide goes year by year through the traditional UK list, with a gift for each that actually plays on the material (not just “a leather thing”), plus a twist: a small personalised game starring the two of you, which turns a nice present into the one they show everyone at work.

How the traditional anniversary list works (and why yours might differ)

Silver and golden anniversaries go back a long way. The full year-by-year list came much later and has been nudged about by etiquette books, jewellers and shops ever since, so lists vary a little:

• The 4th is linen on many lists, fruit and flowers on others.
• The 6th is iron or sugar. Sugar is the more fun one, frankly.
• The 7th is wool or copper.
• After the 15th the list jumps in fives: 20, 25, 30 and so on.

Treat the material as a prompt, not a rule. Play on it literally (a leather notebook), as a pun (a bronze medal for “still here”) or as a colour (ruby red, pearl white, ivory cream), then make it about the two of you.

Anniversary gifts by year: the full table

Year	Material	Gift idea	Game twist
1st	Paper	A hand-drawn map of your first date, framed	Print the game’s QR code on a paper love letter
2nd	Cotton	Pillowcases embroidered “mine” and “also mine”	QR code on a cotton gift tag tied to the pillow
3rd	Leather	Leather luggage tag stamped with where you met	Platformer where you are the end boss
4th	Linen (or fruit and flowers)	Linen picnic set, packed for your first-date spot	Story climber with four milestones, one per year
5th	Wood	A wooden box of five years of ticket stubs	Story climber, five milestones, slow dance ending
6th	Iron (or sugar)	Engraved cast-iron pan, or a jar of your shared sweets	QR code taped inside the sweet jar lid
7th	Wool (or copper)	A blanket in your wedding colours	Winter look, hot chocolate collectibles, “seven-year itch” quips
8th	Bronze	A bronze medal engraved “Still here”	Trophy ending
9th	Pottery	A pottery class for two	QR code painted on the bottom of a mug
10th	Tin	A biscuit tin time capsule	Flappy flyer with the win level set to 10
11th	Steel	Steel cufflinks or bangle engraved with a date	Arena battle against waves of wedding crashers
12th	Silk	Silk pillowcases and a lie-in	Story climber at the maximum 12 milestones
13th	Lace	Fancy trainers with custom laces	Endless runner, with you waiting at the finish
14th	Ivory (use alternatives)	Ivory-coloured cashmere, or piano lessons	Slow dance ending, with your song in the message
15th	Crystal	Engraved crystal glasses for a toast	Fireworks ending spelling out your message
20th	China	A teapot and cups for a proper tea for two	Story climber with 12 highlights from 20 years
25th	Silver	A silver locket or keyring with your wedding date	Flappy flyer, win level 25, family leaderboard
30th	Pearl	Pearl earrings or mother-of-pearl cufflinks	Summer look for a seaside memory
35th	Coral	Something coral-coloured (never real coral)	Group hug ending with the whole family
40th	Ruby	Ruby jewellery, or ruby port and chocolate	Valentines look with hearts and roses, win level 40
45th	Sapphire	A sapphire pendant or a blue-sky day trip	High five ending, because 45 years deserves one
50th	Gold	Gold jewellery or a framed golden wedding photo	Story climber, 12 milestones, kids and grandkids at the top
55th	Emerald	A trip to somewhere green and wet	St Patrick’s look with gold coins and clovers
60th	Diamond	A diamond, or a family portrait	Trophy ending, win level 60
65th	Blue sapphire	A blue sapphire, or a day out somewhere by the sea	Group hug ending, family plays on one leaderboard
70th	Platinum	Platinum, or a party with every generation	Dance party ending with the full cast

The early years: paper to wood (1st to 5th)

The early years are where the materials are cheap and the ideas can be daft, which is a gift in itself.

• 1st, paper. Draw (badly is fine) a map of your first date: where you met, where you ate, the bus stop where you said goodbye. Frame it. Then write a proper love letter and print the game’s QR code at the bottom, with “P.S. scan this” in your best handwriting.
• 2nd, cotton. Embroidered pillowcases, or a cotton tea towel printed with your house rules (“whoever cooks does not wash up”). Tie on a cotton gift tag with the QR code.
• 3rd, leather. A leather luggage tag stamped with the postcode of where you met. Pair it with a platformer where your partner stomps through the level and you’re the end boss, depending on how the year went.
• 4th, linen or fruit and flowers. A linen picnic set, packed for wherever you had your first date. Going the fruit and flowers route? A fruit tree outlasts roses.
• 5th, wood. A wooden box of five years of ticket stubs and wristbands. This is the year for the story climber: five milestones, one per year, each with a caption (“2022: assembled flat-pack wardrobe without breaking up”), you waiting at the top and a slow dance ending.

Pro tip: If you’re printing a QR code onto a letter, mug or tag, test-scan it with two different phones before you wrap it. A slightly blurry print can scan fine on yours and refuse on theirs.

Years 6 to 10: iron, wool, bronze, pottery and tin

By now you know each other’s habits, which means you can be more specific (and more cheeky).

• 6th, iron or sugar. An engraved cast-iron pan (“Made with love and too much butter”). Or a big jar of the sweets you always share on long drives, with the QR code taped inside the lid.
• 7th, wool or copper. A wool blanket in your wedding colours. For the twist, pick the winter look (icicles and snowmen to dodge, hot chocolate to collect) and rewrite one quip to tease about the seven-year itch.
• 8th, bronze. A bronze medal engraved “Still here: 8 years”. A joke and a compliment at once, which is the sweet spot. Match it with the trophy ending.
• 9th, pottery. A pottery class for two, for making something lopsided together. Or paint a mug with a ceramic pen and put the QR code on the bottom, so they find it after their first cup of tea.
• 10th, tin. A biscuit tin time capsule: a letter each, a photo, predictions for the next ten years. Make a flappy flyer with the win level set to 10. After the win it keeps going in endless mode, so you can fight over the leaderboard until the 11th.

The teens: steel to crystal (11th to 15th)

The teens are the quiet years for anniversaries. Nobody throws a party for the 13th, which is exactly why a thoughtful gift lands so well.

• 11th, steel. Engraved steel cufflinks or a bangle. Then let them “fight for the marriage” in an arena battle with the wedding look, where the waves of enemies are wedding crashers. Feels about right.
• 12th, silk. Silk pillowcases plus a promised lie-in. The story climber maxes out at 12 milestones, so this is the last year you can do one per year.
• 13th, lace. Go for a pun: fancy trainers with custom laces and a note saying you’d still chase them anywhere. Then prove it the other way round with an endless runner, where they run the distance to reach whoever is waiting at the finish, and that’s you.
• 14th, ivory. Don’t buy real ivory: dealing in it is banned in the UK with only very narrow exceptions. Use the colour (ivory cashmere, cream bed linen) or the piano keys: a beginner’s lesson for two, with your song in the slow dance ending message.
• 15th, crystal. Engraved crystal glasses and something to christen them. Use the fireworks ending, where the sky spells out your message.

The big ones: 20th, 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th

After the 15th the list jumps in fives, and each step feels like an event.

20th: china

A china teapot, two cups and a proper afternoon tea at home. Twenty years won’t fit into 12 milestones, so pick highlights: the wedding, the first home, each child, the holiday where everything went wrong.

25th: silver

The first one people throw a party for. A silver locket or photo frame engraved with the date is classic. For the twist, set a flappy flyer’s win level to 25 and send it to the guests a week before. By the party, somebody’s uncle has taken the leaderboard far too seriously.

30th to 35th: pearl and coral

Pearl earrings or mother-of-pearl cufflinks for the 30th. For coral, stick to the colour: real coral is best left in the sea.

40th: ruby

Ruby jewellery is lovely, but ruby port and a box of chocolates is lovely too. Use the valentines look (hearts and roses to collect, broken hearts and misfiring cupids to dodge) with the win level set to 40.

50th: gold

The big one. Gold jewellery, or a framed wedding photo next to one from today. The story climber was built for this: 12 milestones from the wedding day to the latest grandchild, with the whole family waiting at the top.

60th and beyond: diamond, blue sapphire, platinum

At 60, 65 and 70 years, the best present is everyone in one room. In the UK you can apply for a congratulations card from the King for some milestone anniversaries; the Royal Household website explains how. Add a game with a trophy or group hug ending, and let every generation play on one leaderboard.

When the kids organise it: parents’ and grandparents’ anniversaries

A big anniversary for parents or grandparents is usually planned by the children, in a group chat with too many voice notes. A game suits that chat because everyone can contribute.

1. Collect the milestones. Ask each sibling for two or three moments with a year and a short caption, then pick the best 12 at most.
2. Get a clear photo, and a yes. Everyone in the photo has to agree to being turned into a cartoon character, so ask. You can keep the occasion a surprise, but not the cartoon.
3. Keep it in family mode. It’s the default and it’s clean, which matters when the grandchildren are playing.
4. Let the grandkids play as Grandad. Players pick who to play on the character select screen.
5. Share it properly. Print the QR code inside the card, or open the link on a laptop at the party for a big reveal. Our guide to sharing your game has more ideas.

There are ready-made set-ups for an anniversary game for grandparents, for mum and for dad.

Pro tip: Send the link to the grandchildren a week early and tell them there’s a prize for the top score on the anniversary day. Grandparents love watching a leaderboard war they’re the stars of.

Non-gift anniversary ideas

Some of the best anniversaries don’t involve a present at all.

• Recreate the first date. Same place, same order, same awkward chat (optional).
• Cook the wedding menu. Even if it was a buffet of sausage rolls.
• Write the annual report. A one-page review of the year: highlights, lowlights, “areas for improvement” (the thermostat).
• Go back. A weekend where you honeymooned, or where you met, whether that’s the Lake District or a car park behind a club.
• A letter a year. Write one each anniversary and keep them in the same box. By the 25th you’ve got something priceless.
• If you’re apart, our long-distance relationship gift ideas cover anniversaries across time zones.

Building the anniversary game in an evening

1. Pick a style and a look. The story climber with the wedding look is the natural choice; flappy flyer is better for a laugh.
2. Choose the ending. Slow dance for soppy, proposal ring to hint at a vow renewal, fireworks for a big message. If you’re both adults you can switch on cheeky mode; read cheeky mode vs family mode first.
3. Play it free with demo characters and rewrite the pre-written lines into your own in-jokes.
4. Turn you both into characters from one photo. The original is deleted once the cartoons are made.
5. Name it and share it. You can still edit it after sharing, and the link stays the same.

The ready-made set-ups for a wife or husband make a quick start.

Pick the material, then make it about you

The paper, the wood and the gold matter much less than the detail that shows you were paying attention: the bus stop, the song, the row about the thermostat. Use the material to get started, add one in-joke, and if you want a present they’ll still be playing next week, put the two of you in a game. For more ideas, see personalised gifts for someone who has everything or, if the date has crept up on you, last-minute digital gifts.