Reaching your 5th wedding anniversary is such an amazing achievement. That’s half a decade married to the love of your life, which is something that should definitely be celebrated. That means it’s the perfect opportunity to give your partner a gift that’s absolutely jam-packed with symbolism and meaning.
But what sort of gift should you give your partner to mark your 5th anniversary? Should it be something they’ve asked for and you know they’d love, something that fits close to their passions and interests, or something else? There are traditional and modern anniversary gifts that couples have been giving each other for more than 100 years – as well as a traditional gemstone and flower. That’s not to say that they’re rules you have to stick to, but they can elevate your gift-giving and give it the deep level of meaning that’s fitting for such a fabulous milestone.
In this guide, we’re going to offer you 50 ideas for a 5th wedding anniversary gift, to give you a great place to start in your hunt for the perfect pressie. Then you can take the plunge and pick something up that you know your partner will truly love.
For more information on the different traditions associated with anniversaries from 1 to 90 years, read our complete year-by-year wedding anniversary gift guide.
What are traditional and modern gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary?
Traditional 5th anniversary gifts are filled with symbolism, so you can give your partner something that has meaning and thoughtfulness. There are traditional and modern gifts, as well as a traditional flower and gemstone, giving you plenty of opportunities to do something a little bit different.
Traditional 5th anniversary gift – Wood
Of course, wood comes from trees, and trees are strong and durable. They can also grow to become exceptionally tall and withstand anything thanks to deep and unshaken roots. And even the tallest tree came from the tiniest of saplings. This is much like your marriage, which over the last five years has become strong enough to take on the world. Wood is also a versatile material and gifts come in various shapes and sizes, to suit loads of different budgets.
Modern 5th anniversary gift – Silverware
The modern 5th anniversary gift is silverware, which, if we’re being totally honest, isn’t actually very modern at all anymore. It represents wealth and glamour, which means it can be a fairly expensive gift option to choose. But it can also be luxurious and spectacular.
5th anniversary gemstone – Sapphire
Sapphire is the traditional 5th anniversary gemstone, a blindingly blue precious stone that symbolises wealth and royalty. And because it’s classed as a precious stone, it can be relatively pricey – but that also means it’s stunning when set in jewellery or accessories.
5th anniversary flower – Daisy
The traditional 5th anniversary flower is the humble daisy, one of the symbols of spring that represents purity and joy. It’s also the quintessential flower, with an open head with long and slender petals. Daisies are traditionally white, but also come in different colours such as yellow, purple and red.
How do you choose a gift for a 5th wedding anniversary?
If you’re not sure what kind of gift to give your partner to commemorate your 5th anniversary, but you know you’d like to give them something with important meaning, how do you narrow it down? Think about the following points before making your decision:
- Are you interested in following the traditional and modern rules? If so, think about what type of meaning you’d like your gift to convey. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to stick to these gifts if you don’t want to.
- What’s your budget? It’s possible to pick up a wooden anniversary gift for relatively cheap, but the same can’t be said about silverware, which is notoriously pricey. This could sway your decision.
- Are you interested in personalisation? Wooden gifts are great for offering personalised touches. You can get personalised silverware, but it’ll add to an already rather high cost.
- What would your partner like? Have they told you they’d like something in particular? If so, how does this align with the traditional and modern 5th anniversary gifts?
If a couple in your life is about to celebrate their 5th anniversary, you might be interested to know whether or not you can join in by giving them a wooden or silverware gift. Well, the good news is, you’re more than welcome to stick to the traditional or modern gift-giving rules, and it’s a great way to tell the couple that you’ve put extra thought into their surprise.
50 ideas for a 5th wedding anniversary gift
It might not be long until your 5th wedding anniversary, which can be a tricky one if you’re looking to celebrate it by giving your partner a traditional or modern gift. Silverware might be on the expensive side, but thankfully wood gives you loads of possibilities. So, below are 50 ideas to get you thinking creatively about what your partner might love.
10 traditional gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
The traditional 5th anniversary gift is wood, which at first you might assume is a rather dull gift to give someone you love. But, the expectation isn’t that you’ll give your partner a lump of 2 by 4 – it’s actually an incredibly versatile material that gives you practically endless options. So, here are 10 wood-themed anniversary gift ideas to give you a little inspiration.
1. A wooden photo frame
Many of us love to have photos of ourselves, loved ones and the things and places we’ve experienced either hung on the wall or displayed on a shelf. Since it’s been five years since the two of you tied the knot, you could frame your favourite wedding photo and give it to your partner in a wooden photo frame. A simple and classic gift that’s hard to get wrong.
2. Personalised wooden coasters
We all need coasters, and they’re perfect for injecting a bit of you and the things you love into your home. Wood coasters are a great gift that you can make even better with a custom personalisation. The Wood Look lets you give your partner a pair of wooden coasters carved with a special message.
3. A personalised wooden desktop calendar
Calendars are already popular accessories to have on your desk, and are particularly useful if your partner has a habit of asking what day it is or what you have coming up that weekend. A personalised wooden desktop photo calendar can help alleviate any date-related questions they might have, with the added bonus of being highly customisable.
4. Wooden cufflinks
You might not think that wood would be a good material to use in accessories, so you might be surprised to learn that wooden cufflinks are fabulous! They’re unique, stylish and an on-theme 5th anniversary gift that your other half totally won’t expect.
5. A wood-burned photo
We’ve already included a wooden photo frame on this list, but what if the wood was the photo? You can now burn highly-detailed photographs onto a piece of wood, which looks great displayed in your home. Just upload your photo and let the experts on Etsy do the rest. And don’t worry if there’s anything in the background, they’ll take care of all of that for you.
6. A wooden bracelet
First we included wooden cufflinks and now we’re including a wooden bracelet! The walnut and grey of a wooden bracelet is like no other jewellery your partner has and can be worn with loads of different outfits and suits various styles. We bet they’ll never see a gift like this coming!
7. Wooden garden bench
If you have a back garden with enough room to spare, a wooden garden bench can provide you with somewhere to sit and relax and enjoy the summer sun (when we have those rare moments of summer in the UK at least). They can be pricey, but a high-quality bench will last years and whenever there’s a nice day you and your partner can sit outside with an ice-cold drink and think back to your 5th anniversary.
8. Plant a tree in your partner’s name
It’s important that we help support our woodland here in the UK, so it would be totally on-theme to dedicate the planting of a tree to the love of your life. You can do this on the National Trust website, so you know your gift will support a great cause. And you’ll be sent a certificate you can print off so you have something to give your partner on the big day.
9. A personalised pizza board
We’re willing to put money on the fact that your partner loves pizza… most people do, after all! A quirky, fun but also practical gift would be a personalised wooden pizza board, so every time you sit down to enjoy a pizza you can have a lovely reminder of your 5th anniversary.
10. A custom wooden sign for your home
Your partner might have a gaming room they like to retreat to, or perhaps a crafting room, a gym, or a shed they can’t seem to keep out of. If this sounds like your other half, a personalised oak house sign can tell everyone exactly whose space it is. Or, you could simply hang it up next to your front door to display your house name or number.
10 modern gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
The modern anniversary gift for celebrating five years is silverware. Although it doesn’t feel particularly modern by 21st-century standards, it does still make for an extravagant and thoughtful – if a tad expensive – gift to give your partner for your 5th anniversary. Technically, silverware could include any old set of knives and forks, but when the anniversary gift rules were written it meant the more expensive stuff.
Below, we’ve given you 10 ideas that fit the theme, but with some 21st-century additions for those who might not want to rely on expensive cutlery or gravy boats.
1. A personalised silver spoon
If you’re keen to give your partner some silverware but don’t want to spend hundreds, a personalised silver spoon is a fantastic way to do it. That way you can give something meaningful to your partner but not have to break the bank – or feel guilty about using them or getting them dirty!
2. A silver hipflask
A hipflask is a really extravagant gift to have, especially one made from silver. They can also be personalised to make it extra special. Personalised Hip Flasks offer a rather pricey sterling silver option, or Engravers Guild has a pewter variation which also comes in a wooden case, ticking off both boxes!
3. Silver cufflinks
If your other half is partial to wearing a suit, then a pair of silver cufflinks is a gift that allows them to take you with them wherever they go. They’re also fairly reasonable in price, at least as far as silver gifts go, and offer the option to include an engraved personalisation.
4. A silver guitar pick
The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments in the UK, so for anyone who has a partner who plays, you’ll know just how much they love playing a tune. They might also be forever losing their picks – so, to celebrate your anniversary, give them a pick they’ll never want to lose in the form of a sterling silver skull guitar pick.
5. Silver photo frame
We’ve already included a wooden photo frame in this list, so it seems only right to include a silver photo frame as well. Wood might not fit your taste or home decor, and a silver frame helps any photo stand out.
6. An engraved silver-plated pen
Many of us use pens throughout the day for work, doodling, journaling and more. If this includes your other half, then a silver-plated pen would make for the perfect gift to mark your 5th anniversary. It can also be engraved if you want to turn an ordinary silver pen (if there is such a thing) into an extraordinary silver pen.
7. Antique silverware
We couldn’t create this list without at least mentioning antique silverware. By today’s standards, silverware is quite old fashioned, not to mention expensive. If you’d love to give your partner some real authentic silverware used by past generations, take a trip to your local antique shop and browse what they have in stock. If you see something you think your partner will really love make sure you snap it up quickly before someone else does.
8. A silver bowl
For something stylishly silver, which can also be put to good use (if you dare) as a serving bowl or fruit bowl, a silver and glass bowl is more traditional silverware but with a more contemporary feel.
9. A silver bookmark
If your partner loves getting lost in a good book, no doubt one of their pet hates is losing their page. Turn their frustrations into a great on-theme 5th anniversary gift with a silver Victorian hand bookmark. For what it is it’s fairly pricey, but your partner’s sure to get a lot of use out of such a meaningful gift.
10. Silver teaspoons
One of the most quintessential silverware gifts you can give is, of course, a silver teaspoon. So if your partner loves the finer things in life, they’ll love a traditional set of teaspoons in a fitted case. They might not want to use them because of how special they are, but they’ll always them as a wonderful keepsakes.
5 affordable gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
Silverware can be an expensive anniversary gift, and maybe you’re not sure if your partner would love something made of wood – but you still want to give them an on-theme gift to mark five years together. Well, if you’ve got a small budget, you can still give them something filled with meaning. Here are five affordable gifts you can consider giving your other half to celebrate five years.
1. A pair of wood earrings
If you have a partner who loves dangly earrings, then they’ll definitely love these very affordable and very on-theme wood earrings. There are plenty of choices available so you can choose an eye-catching pair of earrings to suit your partner’s taste.
2. Interlocking wooden hearts
For an affordable token 5th anniversary gift that ticks many boxes, interlocking wooden hearts come with a lot of thoughtfulness and meaning behind them. Of course they’re wood, which represents the strength of your relationship, the hearts represent love, and the fact that they’re interlocking represents just how connected you are. Such a lovely sentiment on your big day.
3. A personalised wooden key keychain
A small but thoughtful gift that your partner can always keep with them is a personalised wooden key keychain. It’s neat and high-quality and can include a custom message of your choosing.
4. A wooden clock
For something stylish and practical, as well as totally on-brand with the traditional theme, a wooden clock with its simplistic design will look great hung in any room. That way, your partner will be reminded of your 5th anniversary whenever they check the time.
5. A wooden necklace
Another brilliant piece of wooden jewellery – which also just so happens to be affordable – is a wooden necklace. If your partner likes to wear jewellery and accessories that are big and bold, then they just might well love something colourful and unique. Avalaya has a big selection of wooden necklaces, so check them out and see if there’s something your other half might love.
5 DIY gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
If you’re keen to make your own DIY anniversary gift to give to your partner to mark five years, there are plenty of options for you as wood is obviously a great material to use for making things. Silverware, on the other hand, perhaps not! If you’re a keen woodworker, you’re probably not struggling for a few ideas, but there are still DIY gifts you can do even with little experience. Here are five to get you started.
1. A whittled wooden ornament
With a chunk of wood and a few basic tools, you can whittle the most beautiful and special ornament with little or no prior experience. You could whittle a duck or a bridge or even you and your partner hand in hand – the options are limitless. You can pick up a beginner’s carving tool kit relatively cheaply, and there are how to start whittling video tutorials available to give you a few ideas.
2. Wooden bunting
Wood makes for a brilliant and durable way to make your very own bunting that you can hang inside or out. And if you make it yourself, there are loads of fun and unique ways you can personalise it to include little touches about your relationship. Check out YouTube for tutorials on how to make personalised wooden bunting.
3. Wooden recipe book stand
If your partner fancies themself as a bit of a whizz in the kitchen, they might have a collection of cookbooks they take inspiration from. Help them keep their recipes to hand and everything neat and tidy with a DIY wooden recipe book stand.
4. Wood coasters
We’ve already included wooden coasters in this list, but DIY wood coasters have a real rustic feel to them which means they don’t lose that fresh-from-nature look. They require a few woodworking tools, so if you have access to some you’re in a great position to give your partner something truly on-theme and full of charm. Check out this DIY wood coaster tutorial on YouTube for easy-to-follow steps.
5. Wooden trinket box
Your partner might have a collection of jewellery and accessories but maybe struggles with somewhere to keep them – you might have even given them many yourself. A DIY wooden trinket box is a super thoughtful and caring gift that’s also incredibly useful. Watch this DIY wooden trinket box tutorial video on YouTube for information on how to make your own.
5 experience or activity gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
Your anniversary is the perfect opportunity for you and your partner to head off somewhere and experience something fun and unique. But surely you can’t tie something like that into your 5th anniversary? Actually, you might be surprised! Here are five suggestions for wood- and silver-themed experiences.
1. A trip to a cabin in the woods
What could be more on theme for a 5th anniversary experience than staying in a wooden cabin somewhere deep in the woods? That’s so much wood! Your 5th anniversary is the perfect excuse for a woodland getaway so you and your partner can spend some quality, uninterrupted time together. Check out the likes of Forest Holidays and Airbnb for a wide variety of different options.
2. Take part in community tree planting
You could use your 5th anniversary as a way for you and your partner to give a little something back. Community tree planting is a huge nationwide movement that aims to plant millions of trees and increase the size of our woodland areas. Search online to find your nearest community tree-planting event.
3. A fancy afternoon tea
Afternoon tea is seen as a real treat. It’s offered in tea rooms, hotels, attractions, country houses, restaurants… and many are luxurious and extravagant, with some still using posh silverware! Virgin Experience Days have loads of different afternoon tea-related options.
4. A silverware factory tour
By today’s standards, silverware might be seen as a little old fashioned, despite the fact that it’s actually the modern gift for celebrating five years of marriage. But, there are still some producers that manufacture beautiful silverware. Newbridge Silverware is one of those companies, and they just so happen to also offer factory tours just outside of Dublin!
5. Visit a manor or country house
For a taste of how the other half used to live (when they ate from the most expensive silverware as if it were from IKEA), you could visit a castle, abbey or stately home. Many attractions like these offer visitors the opportunity to stroll through the grounds and through the property to check out the extravagance. Some even offer guided tours too. One option is Highclere Castle, which you might recognise as THE Downton Abbey!
10 5th anniversary gifts that contain sapphire
The 5th anniversary gemstone is the incredible precious stone, sapphire. Sapphire is an absolutely wonderful stone that offers intoxicating sparkle and works just as well whether set in jewellery made from gold, silver, platinum or anything else your partner might love. This includes all different kinds of jewellery, so no matter what your partner enjoys wearing, you’re bound to find something just right. Here are 10 ideas you might think about that look fabulous with sapphire.
- A necklace
- A bracelet
- Earrings
- Cufflinks
- A ring
- A broach
- A locket
- An anklet
- A nose stud
- Belly button ring
There’s unlikely to be a jeweller out there, including high-street brands and independent retailers, that doesn’t have a huge selection of sapphire jewellery for you to browse. We also work closely with a range of wedding jewellers that offer incredible sapphire jewellery.
5 floral-inspired gifts for a 5th wedding anniversary
Flowers are always a wonderful gift to receive, but on your 5th anniversary, you could give your partner a floral gift with extra special meaning. Daisies are the traditional flower for five years of marriage, and one of the most recognisable flowers there are, which makes them a perfect addition to a bouquet or as inspiration for other gifts. Here are five gift ideas for the daisy-lover in your life.
1. A daisy bouquet
Of course, we couldn’t start this list without including a daisy bouquet. Daisies are small and delicate and come in lots of different colours, which makes them great when included in a floral arrangement or a dedicated daisy bouquet.
2. A Swarovski crystal daisy
Swarovski is one of the most well-known makers of glass and fine crystal, so you know their products are big on quality. That’s why a Swarovski crystal daisy just might be the perfect gift for your partner. And despite it being such a fantastically luxurious gift from a big-name brand, it’s not quite as expensive as you might think.
3. A daisy serving platter
Biscuits, vol-au-vents, cakes, sandwiches… just a few of the many uses for a daisy serving platter. It’s big, it’s bold and it’s instantly recognisable, and it’s something you can break out whenever you have guests over.
4. A sterling silver daisy pendant
It’s silver, it’s a daisy and it’s a double-hitting 5th anniversary gift that has twice as much symbolic meaning. A sterling silver daisy pendant is every bit as eye-catching as it is subtle. It’s not cheap but it is beautiful, and is likely to be something that your partner holds on to for many, many years.
5. A daisy chain ring
Another gift that includes both daisies and silver, a sterling silver daisy chain ring is actually relatively affordable and includes two links to traditional 5th anniversary gifts. It’s also a subtle nod to your anniversary that your partner can wear and pair with a wide range of styles and outfits.
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