The 25th anniversary gift is silver, on the traditional list, the modern list and British lists alike. The silver wedding anniversary is one of the two oldest named anniversaries, together with the golden one at fifty years, and the whole custom of matching gifts to years grew out of this pair. A quarter of a century is usually marked with family and friends as well as between spouses.
What is the 25th anniversary gift?
| List | 25th anniversary gift |
|---|---|
| Traditional (US) | Silver |
| Modern (US) | Silver |
| British | Silver |
There is nothing to reconcile this year. Pick a year in the tool to see the neighboring anniversaries and ideas at three price levels.
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Where does the silver wedding anniversary come from?
From Germany. According to TIME, the solid evidence begins in the 18th century, when friends there might give a wife a silver wreath to mark twenty-five years of marriage, the silberne Hochzeit, and a gold one at fifty. Older origins in ancient Rome or the Middle Ages are often claimed, but the magazine found actual instances hard to come by.
The idea was unfamiliar in Britain as late as 1811, when a London magazine supposed its readers would hardly comprehend what a silver wedding was. Reports from Germany kept coming through the century. An account of 1843 describes a husband giving his wife a silver crown, and the composer Richard Wagner wrote that friends gave his wife Minna a silver-spangled wreath for their twenty-fifth anniversary in 1861.
By 1895 the custom was settled enough for Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable to define the silver wedding as "the twenty-fifth anniversary, when, in Germany, the woman has a silver wreath presented her."
Emily Post, writing in Etiquette in 1922, noted that "in Germany a silver wedding is a very important event and a great celebration is made of it." She joked about the paper, wooden and tin anniversaries, but not about this one: "Silver is always serious."
How is a 25th anniversary celebrated?
Post's advice still describes the usual pattern. The party "may be one of two alone or it may be a dance. Most often it is a dinner." She thought it poor form in America to invite anyone beyond family and close friends, because guests were expected to bring presents.
Her sample invitation is a useful model for anyone planning a party. The year of the wedding and the present year, for example "1898-1922" in her book, are printed across the top, above the couple's names and the words "Twenty-fifth Anniversary of their marriage."
If you would rather guests did not bring gifts, say so on the invitation. That settles the problem Post was worried about.
Silver gift ideas by budget
Prices vary too much to list, so these are grouped by level. Sterling silver is an alloy that is 92.5 percent silver and is usually stamped "925"; silver plate is a thin layer of silver over another metal and costs much less.
Budget-friendly
- A silver-plated frame with a photo from the wedding day.
- A silver charm, a bookmark or a key ring engraved with both dates.
- A silver-colored ornament for the tree, dated with the year.
- A handwritten list of twenty-five memories, one for each year, tied with silver ribbon.
Mid-range
- Sterling silver jewelry: a chain, a bangle, a pair of earrings or cufflinks.
- An engraved silver tray, bowl or pair of candlesticks.
- A silver pen, a letter opener or a pocket knife.
- A photo book covering twenty-five years, with pictures collected from relatives.
Splurge
- A set of silver flatware or a tea service.
- A piece by a silversmith, made to order and hallmarked with the year.
- A party, a second honeymoon or a vow renewal.
- A watch or ring in silver or another white metal, engraved inside.
Ideas for her, for him and for the two of you
- For her: a silver locket with a photo from the wedding inside, a cuff engraved on the inner face, a silver hand mirror, or a ring in the anniversary's white metal to wear with her wedding band.
- For him: silver cufflinks made from coins dated the year you married, an engraved money clip or hip flask, a silver-cased pen, or a watch with a message on the back.
- For the two of you: a pair of silver goblets for the toast, new rings, a return to the place you honeymooned, or a dinner for everyone who was at the wedding.
From children, family and friends: the frame with "then and now" photographs is the classic. A group gift, such as a contribution to the couple's trip or a restored and reprinted wedding album, often suits better than many small silver objects.
If silver is not their thing
- Another white metal. The Gemological Institute of America keeps to the silver jubilee theme for this year and suggests silver or another white metal, with mother-of-pearl as a gem option.
- Silver as a color. Gray silk, a silver-leafed frame, a silver birch for the garden.
- An experience. Twenty-five years is worth a celebration more than an object.
The list is a custom, and at this anniversary a well-loved one. How closely to follow it is up to you.
What to write in a silver anniversary card
Three short examples to adapt:
- "Twenty-five years, and you still outshine the silver. Happy anniversary."
- "A quarter of a century with you has been the best part of my life."
- "To Mom and Dad: thank you for twenty-five years of showing us what love looks like."
Before this came china at twenty years; next is the pearl anniversary at thirty, and the other half of the original pair is the golden anniversary at fifty. The whole chart is in gifts for every anniversary year.