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Anniversaries Made Easy

Don't know what to give for an anniversary gift? Just follow the numbers

My first anniversary is coming up. Like, soon! I tend to like a little (read: a lot) of direction when it comes to gift giving, but I’m also a bit traditionalist –in a nontraditional sense, if that makes sense.

A while back a came across this dish towel (no, that’s not the present!) from Anthropologie, the company behind the new BHLDN brand of wedding gowns and accessories, that listed all the big wedding anniversary gifts. I thought it’d be fun to try to stick to those themes over the years. Some are easy. (Leather: Heels! Wool: Cashmere fill-in-the-blank!) Others, not so much. (Iron: Skillet?).

Till then, I’m going put pen to paper (Anniversary No. 1) and maybe try to craft an old-fashioned love letter. After all, that’s more romantic than a $100 bill.

Here’s a full list of the all the big anniversary gifts:

First: Paper

Second: Cotton

Third: Leather

Fourth: Linen

Fifth: Wood

Sixth: Iron

Seventh: Wool

Eighth: Bronze

Ninth: Pottery

Tenth: Tin

Eleventh: Steel

Twelfth: Silk

Thirteenth: Lace

Fourteenth: Ivory

Fifteenth: Crystal

Twentieth: China

Twenty-fifth: Silver

Thirtieth: Pearls

Thirty-fifth: Jade

Fortieth: Rubies

Forty-fifth: Sapphires

Fiftieth: Gold

Fifty-fifth: Emeralds

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