A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date on which a wedding took place. Married persons may mark the anniversary date of their marriage in special ways. Other people might give the couple gifts appropriate for the year of their anniversary. These gifts are different in different countries. For example, in the United Kingdom the 7th wedding anniversary is called the Copper Anniversary and the 10th anniversary is called the Aluminium Anniversary. In the United States, these anniversaries are sometimes celebrated with gifts made of wool or tin, respectively. The 7th and 10th anniversaries are popularly celebrated in the U.K., along with the much later Silver (25th) and Golden (50th) anniversaries.

In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that. This is done by applying to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, or to the Governor-General's office in the other Commonwealth realms. In Canada, one can also receive a message from the Governor General for 50th and 55th anniversaries. The situation is similar in Australia, where one can receive a letter of congratulations from the Governor-General on the 50th and all subsequent wedding anniversaries; the Prime Minister, the federal Opposition leader, local members of parliament (both state and federal), and state Governors may also send salutations for the same anniversaries.

In the United States, one can receive a greeting from the President for any wedding anniversary on or after the 50th.

Roman Catholics may apply for a Papal blessing through their local diocese for wedding anniversaries of a special nature (25th, 50th, 60th, etc.).

Traditional and modern anniversary gifts

The following list of wedding anniversary gifts was compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library.

See also

• Hierarchy of precious substances