# Wedding anniversary list appeals to cheap bastards **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007 "2000-07-18T19:29:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/1 "2000-07-18T19:29:19Z")
You know who you are. Has anybody ever actually used this list as a guide? I’m pretty sure that most couples have exchanged something gold, possibly even diamond, within the first year or two. Yet the list says the diamond anniversary isn’t until the 50th! Clearly this list wasn’t made by jewelry merchants. ```auto 1st - Paper 13th - Lace 2nd - Cotton 14th - Ivory 3rd - Leather 15th - Crystal 4th - Linen 20th - China 5th - Wood 25th - Silver 6th - Iron 30th - Pearl 7th - Wool 35th - Coral 8th - Bronze 40th - Ruby 9th - Pottery 45th - Sapphire 10th - Tin 50th - Gold 11th - Steel 55th - Emerald 12th - Silk 60th - Diamond ``` So how about it ladies, how would you feel receiving a pair of mittens for your seventh wedding anniversary? How about an ash tray for your ninth? A box of paper clips for your 11th? I say we need an updated list for the 21st century (which, by the way, will be here in less than six months). To start things off, I think we need to move leather right up to the top of the list. Most couples probably have more use for it early in the relationship than later. The 2nd anniversary should be something sharp, and the third should be something combustible. The fourth can be diamonds, a suitable reward for any couple that makes it past the sharp & exploding anniversaries. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/2 "2000-07-18T19:42:09Z")
For my first aniversary I got a lot of paper . . . in the form of checks. (I love my in-laws.) But I agree-- the list is very outdated. I don’t think anyone pays much attention to it now. I’m just curious . . . there’s nothing for the 21-24th aniversaries. Are you supposed to give china four years in a row? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/3 "2000-07-18T19:49:35Z")
The price of the gift depends upon your creativity. Paper can be quite expensive when it’s in the form of an airline ticket, for example, and Cotton might be the name of the fluffy white puppy you give her on your second anniversary. Use that creativity, dude! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/4 "2000-07-18T20:31:20Z")
Lets think of some expensive items for this, this is what I came up with so far 1st - Paper Stocks 13th - Lace 2nd - Cotton 14th - Ivory piano 3rd - Leather couch 15th - Crystal 4th - Linen 20th - China 5th - Wood House 25th - Silver -almost anything 6th - Iron 30th - Pearl -jewerly 7th - Wool 35th - Coral - can you even get this stuff anymore 8th - Bronze statue 40th - Ruby -jewerly 9th - Pottery 45th - Sapphire - jewerly 10th - Tin 50th - Gold - almost anything 11th - Steel Car 55th - Emerald 12th - Silk 60th - Diamond ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/5 "2000-07-18T20:50:21Z")
My parents had a blast with our first anniversary gift (paper). They sent us a huge box filled with paper stuff- toilet paper, paper plates, towels, hats, doilies, etc. The kicker was that in each thing (or attached somehow) was a one dollar bill. After diligent (and fun) digging and searching, there was $100 total in the box- along with all the paper products we would need for at least three years… A time-consuming present to construct, perhaps, but one of the best ever to receive! However, this fun approach could become disasterous with some of the subsequent years’ choices. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/6 "2000-07-18T23:53:23Z")
I absolutely followed that list. Well, at least in year 3. Leather… ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/7 "2000-07-19T04:27:23Z")
Well, the modern Anniversary List I have is a bit better than the Traditional one that opus listed: ```auto 1st - clocks 13th - textiles, furs 2nd - china 14th - gold jewelry 3rd - crystal, glass 15th - watches 4th - appliances, fruit/flowers 20th - platinum 5th - silverware 25th - sterling silver 6th - wood 30th - diamond 7th - desk sets 35th - jade 8th - linens, lace 40th - ruby 9th - leather 45th - sapphire 10th - diamond 50th - gold 11th - fashion jewelry 55th - emerald 12th - pearl, colored gems 60th - gold ``` ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/8 "2000-07-19T13:56:46Z")
You don’t have to go the cheap route 1st - Paper Money, books 2nd - Cotton nice sheets 3rd - Leather bsdm outfits, nice leather jackets, or leather furniture. 4th - Linen Tablecloths, napkins and possible sheets. Ever price real linen? 5th - Wood A nice bedroom set. Other real wood furniture to replace that pressed wood from walmart you made do with the first year. 6th - Iron shackles 😉 7th - Wool Real wool blankets in some soft wool. 8th - Bronze Have a keepsake bronzed. 9th - Pottery New kitchen mixing bowls, canisters 10th - Tin A pierced tin pie safe. 11th - Steel an autobile, a new steel spring mattress and box springs set, king sized of course (we actually did this one) 12th - Silk silk sheets 13th - Lace bedroom attire, lace table cloths ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/9 "2000-07-19T15:01:21Z")
Early on my wife informed me that they were all gold and diamonds. In fact, she started surprising me a couple of months in advance. I’d come home and she’d say, “Look what you bought me, you sweet man!” All our friends think I am very generous and have great taste in jewelry. BTW, the year after my first was born and I tried, “What gift? You’re not MY mother.” I learned my lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/10 "2000-07-19T15:16:45Z")
Seeing as how my wife and I have only passed one anniversary, I don’t have a whole lot of history to work with, but I can try. I went with the idea of trying to stick to the traditional list (starting with paper). My plan is to have it relate both to the list and be meaningful to our/her life in some special way. So, in year one, I gave her a menu from Jerry’s Famous Deli in LA (along with a few other gifts to supplement that one.) The restaurant was the best memory from our honeymoon, it is a totally cool menu, she loved the thought I put into giving her something meaningful and different, and I got to regale her with my story of talking to the CEO of the company. All in all, a good start to the anniversary gifting. No pressure now. ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-anniversary-list-appeals-to-cheap-bastards/26007/11 "2000-07-19T18:30:03Z")
I like using the list as the limitations spur creativity. For our Cotton anniversary I dug through the OED and made several copies of the definition highlighting the ‘to cotton to’ section and included them in the cards I had stashed at the B&B. I tried to find a _Cotton Wood_ or Cotton anything named one, but all I could get was a B&B called the White Horse. I had a great cohort in the Bed and Breakfast owner who set up the B&B so that when we got there and she opened the door there was a trail of cotton balls that lead to our room and bed (with the cotton balls in the shape of a heart on the comforter). I had a bucket of champagne that had a thick layer of cotton balls on top of the ice by the bed as well. Who’s da man? BTW - I think I know what I’m gonna give her for the Wood anniversary… =)