Wedding Anniversaries- Origins and Traditions

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
 ~Robert Heinlein (American science-fiction writer,1907-1988)
 
Present day wedding anniversary celebrations seem to have evolved into finding a reason to get a sitter and have a romantic dinner while someone else does the dishes!  But, have you ever wondered why certain gifts and flowers are attributed to milestone anniversaries? 

History of Wedding Anniversaries
An anniversary symbolizes the timelessness of love.  History reveals that the initial idea behind celebration of anniversaries was to de-stress and break the monotony of everyday life. Over time, the celebrations developed more into devoting a day to the rekindling that feeling of love and to celebrate the life you are building together.  The earliest known references are to the Silver (25th) and Gold (50th) anniversaries. These appear to originate in Middle Europe (Germanic Region) and involved the husband giving his wife a silver garland when they had been married for 25 years and a gold wreath or garland for their 50th year of marriage. 

By the mid-to-late 1930s, people began to celebrate 1st, 10th, 20th and 70th anniversary along with 25th and 50th. The gifts associated with each milestone anniversary years was decided by the society.  The logic behind the gifts was that stability should be rewarded.  Therefore, the longer the marriage, the greater the reward.  Hence, a traditional 75th wedding anniversary gift was diamonds.  When Queen Victoria (English Empire Monarch) celebrated her Diamond Jubilee on her 60th anniversary of accession to the throne in 1897, the traditional 60th anniversary became diamonds as well. source: ask.com

There is a modern list of traditional gifts each anniversary year. There is also a set list of traditional flowers by anniversary.  When you are planning your anniversary celebration this year, check out PurpleTrail’s anniversary celebration ideas and our simple dinner delights.