How much to give for a Anniversary
By relationship
Milestone anniversary (25th, 50th) of parents or grandparents
$50-200, or contributing toward a shared family celebration/tripMajor milestone anniversaries often see adult children pooling money together for one larger, meaningful gift or event rather than each giving separately.
Close friend's milestone anniversary
$50-100A meaningful, personalized gift tied to the couple's specific interests is common at this tier, alongside or instead of cash.
Standard (non-milestone) anniversary of a friend or coworker
Not typically gifted at all, or a card onlyNon-milestone anniversaries (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) are generally a private celebration between the couple themselves — gifts from friends or extended circles aren't customary for these smaller years.
A 10th or 20th anniversary — the 'in-between' milestones
$30-75, or a smaller gesture than a true silver/golden yearThe 10th (tin/aluminum) and 20th (china) years sit in an awkward middle ground: significant enough that close friends and family often do mark them, but rarely with the scale reserved for a 25th or 50th.
Custom, not obligation
Anniversary gift-giving from people outside the couple itself is genuinely optional and mostly reserved for milestone years (25th silver, 50th golden, and similarly significant markers) — for a couple's own private anniversary each year, the tradition of gift-giving is between the two partners, not an expectation from friends or family. Even within milestone years, the obligation is soft compared to occasions like weddings: no etiquette authority treats a missed 25th-anniversary gift the way it would treat skipping a close friend's wedding gift entirely. What matters more is acknowledgment — a card, a call, or attending a celebration if one is held — with the monetary gift itself treated as an optional layer on top of that acknowledgment rather than the core expectation.
Cultural variation
The traditional and modern anniversary gift-by-year lists (paper for 1st, wood for 5th, silver for 25th, gold for 50th) originated in Western European tradition and remain widely referenced in the US and UK, though many couples today treat them as a loose, playful theme rather than a strict rule. Some cultures place much greater social weight on specific milestone anniversaries (particularly 25th and 50th) as genuine community celebration occasions warranting real gift-giving from the wider family and friend circle. In parts of Latin America and Southern Europe, a couple's golden anniversary is sometimes marked with a religious renewal-of-vows ceremony attended by the extended community, which shifts gift-giving closer to a wedding-scale event than the quieter, family-only golden anniversary dinners more typical in the US. Diamond (60th) anniversaries, while rare, carry outsized cultural weight almost everywhere they're reached, given how few couples get there.
If you can't afford the customary range
For milestone anniversaries specifically, a heartfelt card or a small gesture tied to the couple's history together (a photo, a handwritten letter recalling a shared memory) is a genuinely meaningful and accepted alternative to a larger monetary gift — the sentiment matters considerably more here than the dollar amount for most couples celebrating a long marriage. Organizing a small gathering of the people who matter most to the couple, even without an expensive individual gift attached, is often remembered far longer than whatever specific item was given.
Related occasions
Frequently asked questions
Is a gift expected for every year of a couple's anniversary, or just milestone years?
Just milestone years (typically 25th, 50th, and sometimes 10th) genuinely warrant a gift from friends and extended family — smaller, standard anniversary years are a private matter between the couple, not an occasion outsiders are expected to gift for.
What's a good gift amount for my own parents' 50th wedding anniversary?
This varies widely by family finances and relationship, but pooling with siblings toward one larger meaningful gift or celebration (a trip, a special dinner, a professionally framed photo collection) is a very common approach for a golden anniversary specifically, often valued more than a smaller individual gift.
Should I follow the traditional material list (paper, wood, silver, gold) literally?
It's optional and increasingly treated as a loose creative theme rather than a strict rule — many couples and gift-givers today use it more as inspiration (a beautifully bound book for a 'paper' first anniversary) than as a literal requirement.
Is it appropriate for adult children to give their own parents a gift on a non-milestone anniversary?
It's not expected, but it's a warm, low-pressure gesture if you're inclined to — since the custom is genuinely built around milestone years, a small card or gesture on an 'off' year reads as extra thoughtfulness rather than an obligation being fulfilled.
Do coworkers ever mark a colleague's wedding anniversary?
Rarely, and only informally — anniversaries are one of the few occasions on this site where a workplace pooled gift isn't customary at all, since a colleague's marriage anniversary is understood as a private matter well outside typical office gift-giving norms.
Sources: The Emily Post Institute anniversary gift-giving guidance (checked 2026-06-18).