Anniversary Gift Guide

You are no doubt aware of the traditional materials list that good etiquette dictates that we use as a guide when selecting a gift to celebrate a specific anniversary. However because it can be quite challenging to convert these materials into an acceptable gift idea there is now also a modern list which is becoming more and more popular. Some of the items on the traditional list have existed for hundreds of years, for instance, in medieval Germany garlands made from precious metals were given as gifts for the 25th (silver) and 50th (gold) years of marriage. The traditional list as we know it today did not actually exist until 1937, when the "American National Retail Jeweler Association" published it, and associated a different material for each Anniversary from the 1st to the 15th year and then every five years after that up to the 60th Anniversary.

The modern materials list feature contemporary, easier to use alternatives that the traditional list. Although there is no clear beginning to the modern list, like the original, each year’s gift is more precious than the last. Whilst retaining the spirit of the traditional list, it does lose some of the sense of etiquette in the original, with the modern list being more extravagant (expensive) than the original.

Did You Know?

• The Guinness Book of World Records lists a Taiwanese couple who celebrated their 86th wedding anniversary in 2003 as being the longest married couple.
• The average age of an engaged woman in the UK is 29 years old, with the average age of marriage now 31 years old
• The tradition of giving engagement rings began in 1477 when Maximilian (later to become the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I) gave Mary of Burgundy a diamond ring as an engagement present.
• On average, couples get engaged two years, 11 months and eight days into their relationship.
• At a Hindu wedding, the bride's hands are painted with henna with a design which often includes the initials of her betrothed. The couple then search for the initials on their wedding night. This game is played to make the bride and groom more relaxed and at ease with each other.
• It is said that the average person falls in love 7 times before they get married!
• The notion of marriage as sacrament can be traced to St Paul, who, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, compared the relationship of a husband and wife to that of Christ and his church
• The word “bride” comes from the old English word, meaning “cook”
• The tradition of throwing rice at a newly married couple was a wish for a “full pantry”
• Ancient Romans baked cakes of wheat or barley and would break it over the bride’s head as a symbol of fertility
• The Mohegan Sun Casino created the world’s largest wedding cake in 2004, measuring 17 feet high and weighing 15,032 pounds. It was made from 10,000 pounds of cake batter and 4,810 pounds of icing, and could feed 59,000 people!