Wedding Week III: Ten Years Of Gifts
Sherry and I aren’t usually sticklers for the traditional anniversary gift calendar. For example, the second anniversary is supposed to be cotton and we went in on an organic mattress together (I guess the sheets were cotton?). Nevertheless, we thought it’d be fun to look at the first decade of traditional wedding anniversary gifts (according to the all-knowing Wikipedia) and pick out his and hers items, all while keeping things in the realm of home decor, design, and entertaining (sorry ladies, there’s no jewelry in this list). So if you’ve got an anniversary coming up, perhaps this might spark an idea or two. Here’s what we dug up:
Paper is a great warm-up gift because it’s so flexible even in the home category (books, wrapping paper, art, photography, and even office supplies). For us fellas, I think it’s a great excuse to snag some vintage art, like this one of the Grand Prix de Monaco (just search “vintage” on AllPosters.com for tons more). For the wife, you could try some pretty stationery like this set from Pink Loves Brown, which comes in a paper suitcase!
Cotton is a good starter theme too, because you can get away with just about anything fabric, like bedding or pillows. This ampersand pillow is a nice subtle nod to marriage for the lady of the house (even if it is technically made of burlap) and a cotton hammock for the man of the house could be a big hit – especially if it’s wide enough for the both of ya.
Leather is where it starts to get a bit tricky. It’s a natural fit for a manly gift like leather-bound books, a stately leather frame or a grand faux leather ottoman (which has storage beneath it and flip-over-able tray tops). But leather can still be feminine and fun, especially if you snag it in a playful color like this bright leather catch-all tray (found on Amazon) that would work as a jewelry drop spot in a bedroom or a paperclip holder in a home office (bonus: it also snaps flat into a pouch for storing change or jewelry on the go).
Linen and Silk have the opposite problem in my opinion. While there are plenty of great options for your bride (from sheets and window sheers to these linen-shaded lamps from Pottery Barn), you might have to think outside of the silk-boxer box for your guy. How about fueling his DIY spirit and love of t-shirts with a silk screen printing starter kit like this one (or just send him this video from Make Magazine and Etsy so he can figure out what supplies he needs).
Wood brings us back to one of the easier materials to draw inspiration from (maybe they figure since you made it half of a decade you deserve a little reward). Go for a wood-hungry tool for your guy, like this manly miter saw (which also might just be the perfect gift for the wife if you’re lucky enough to have a handy one). But don’t fret if tools aren’t her style- a beautiful piece of wood furniture could do it for the ladies, but why not mix it up with this elegant wooden bird mobile to add whimsy and charm to any room. Better yet, buy your husband a jigsaw and have him make you a mobile in return!
Iron begins what we’ve dubbed “The Metal Years,” so prepare to load up on heavy, shiny gifts. If your guy is a golfer, than this one is pretty obvious (get him a nice 9-iron). But if, like me, you prefer your courses on the dinner table – gift him some long-lasting cast iron cookware and maybe even a man-safe cookbook to go with it (I’ve been loving Jamie’s Food Revolution lately, I’m actually cooking my way through it from front to back). Or, if you prefer to be lighter on the cooking, get this cast iron fire pit for your lady so you can roasting some delectable marshmallows together.
Copper brings us to a bit of an outdoor theme. For the men, why not illuminate his grill zone for some summer evening cookouts with these copper tiki torches (which also chase off those pesky mosquitoes). For the ladies, a simple copper wire basket for carrying around gardening tools like a trowel and gloves can be paired with a charming copper rain chain for a nice little exterior-related gift.
Bronze is another great metal for the home, because oil-rubbed bronze is such a popular finish on a range of items these days. So you might find yourself gifting things like an over-sized bronze pocket watch for your husband’s home office or picking up these rustic bronze-capped glass sconces for your wife’s dream porch makeover.
China briefly interrupts “The Metal Years” (don’t worry, it’s back for the big 1-0). And of course it’s an excuse to stock up on more of the beautiful china you may have received nearly a decade ago at your wedding. Ladies might actually yearn for a newer look, so the option to update their collection with something sleek and simple (like these from Z Gallerie) is also a pretty possibility. And because guys like me often care a bit less about elegant gold rimmed dishes, a quirky collection of chinese takeout inspired dishware (from here and here, including fool-proof chopsticks from CB2) along with some delicious takeout would make for a memorable anniversary meal right at home.
Aluminum rounds out the first decade of wedding anniversaries (but doesn’t end the metal theme – the 11th year is steel). Thankfully there’s lots of fun stuff to be found in this material, from modern spinning barstools for the mister to charming linked vases for the missus.
So there you have it. A decade of wifey & hubby gifts from Etsy vendors to big box stores in a wide range of prices (from three dollars to three hundred). We’d love to hear if you guys tend to follow this traditional anniversary gift schedule or if you prefer to just do your own thing. And either way, have you given or received anything especially surprising, clever, or just plain romantic that might inspire the rest of us? Share and share alike.
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loved this post!
Thanks for the post – I’ll certainly be bookmarking it and tucking it away for next May! On our first anniversary, my husband completely surprised me by making a scrapbook of all our years leading up to our marriage. I was blown away by all the time he spent putting it together and the detail and thought he put into it. And it cost him practically nothing! For him, I had a ketubah made (which is traditionally a Jewish prenuptial agreement with rights and agreements, but its become modernized and more of a beautiful part of the wedding ceremony). Even though we’re not Jewish, I loved the sentiment of the “contract” that reaffirmed our vows and devotion – it was a perfect commemoration of our anniversary and its a great piece of art. In any event, thanks again for the creative ideas for gifts!
Flickr wouldn’t let me sign in, but I wanted to know where you got the bag Burger is in the ikea photo on your Clara flickr account. It is too cute and I’m looking for something similar for my dog!
Hey Leslie,
We got the bag online a few years ago and can’t remember quite where we snagged it. Here’s the manufacturer’s page, though I’m pretty sure we were able to get it cheaper than the price listed there. Hope that helps!
http://www.kwigy-bo.com/store/item/KB-LB006/london___white_brown
-John
this post is so cute! great ideas – i love it!
Love the post! My Husband and I are coming up on our first anniversary in September and I’m a bit stumped as to what to get for him.
One thing we have decided is that we will alternate planning the anniversary so we don’t end up with competing plans with each of us trying to surprise the other. So he does odd years, and I do evens. The flip to that is on years where he plans the anniversary, I plan valentine’s.
After reading this post I did find http://www.findgift.com/Anniversary-Table/, a site that compares traditional and modern anniversary gifts, and its a nice alternative if you are stumped trying to stick within the traditional framework.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!
My husband and I share this day with you (as do many 7/7/07′ers!).
I decided at our first anniversary that it would be sweet to stick to the guidelines, with a bit of a modern twist.
For our first anniversary (paper) he got a HUGE book about Grilling (his very favorite past time) inscribed with a sweet note…
For the second (cotton) it was a gorgeous new shirt from Thomas Pink (he wouldn’t DREAM of spending the money on himself).
For the third (leather) and by far my favorite simply because of the meaning as it relates to marriage…Leather is durable, warm, strong, flexible, and resiliant…all qualities that must be in a marriage….Anyway, my husband has been playing baseball since he was knee high to a grasshopper, and continues now to coach at my old high school…he has been using the same glove for the last eleven years…so I had a baseball glove custom made for him. They will cut the leather specific for his glove and so forth. I am PSYCHED about this gift!!!!
Anyway, I hope this is a great one for you guys as well!
All the best,
Johnna
Thanks for including my paper suitcase set, and happy anniversary to the two of you!
Thanks for always making lovely things, Nicole!
I loved this post! I told my husband that the fifth anniversary was diamonds and he believed me! HA HA! Too bad somebody corrected him or I actually might have gotten something!
xoxo
Lila Ferraro
Let me start with the nonpaper gift…traditionally you would save and freeze the top tier to your wedding cake and eat it on your 1st anniv. However we both were a little put off by the notion of year old cake…whether properly preserved or not. So I went to the bakery we used and had a replica top tier made and we enjoyed a nice fresh cake instead! Now for the traditional paper gifts I had a photographer take photos of the place where my husband proposed to me (a very scenic place) and had the prints framed. My husband finally had the film in the disposable cameras developed (we had these cameras on the tables at our reception for the guests to use) and gifted them to me in a nice album.
My husband and I just celebrated our first year anniversary and were so eager to stick with the traditional gifts but with a modern approach. Without the other knowing, and having two completely different ways of reasoning we both bought each other the same gift: An iPad. We both figured it was a modern version of paper and would be very useful.
Haha- hilarious!
xo,
s
LOVE this! We do this every year!
Our 1st year we were just starting out and we went in together and got eachother concert tickets (to see The Wreckers)
Our 2nd: I got him a hammock! (great minds think alike!) and he painted me a picture of our bird on canvas.
Our third: I made him a leather holder for his leather tools. He made me something out of leather, which apparently wasn’t that memorable ’cause I cannot remember what it was.
Our fourth: we had a 6 week old. He bought me a corset (which I was flattered by, I mean 6 weeks post-partum, that’s flattering :D) I cannot remember what I got him… oops
Our fifth: we skipped gifts this year. and we missed exchanging so much we vowed never to skip again.
Our sixth: He bought me two vintage irons on ebay and then handpainted a watercolor picture on each one. A picture of the Loreley rock in Germany for our daughter Lorelei and a picture of a willow tree for our newborn Daphne Willow.
:)
It’s so fun to have and use these traditions.
Oh… and for our 6th I bought him a new wedding band with wood and metal as a way to touch upon our 5th and 6th anni’s at once. It is made from titanium with koa wood from Hawaii and crushed minerals. It is lovely!