Most of us would agree that whilst weddings are incredibly special times in our lives, wedding anniversaries can be almost as special. Anniversaries give us the chance to reflect on our marriages and remind us of that beautiful and special day when we were married.
Of course though, the milestones of wedding anniversaries like ten years, twenty five years and fifty years are quite obvious in terms of purchasing gifts, 36th wedding anniversaries are a little more tricky – what exactly should you be buying?
Well, while there is no traditional gift, the more modern idea is to purchase bone china – but there’s a lot more to know than just this.
Whether you opt for a traditional or modern gift, the most important thing to remember is the thought and effort that you put into it, as it is a celebration of your love and commitment to each other.
So, if you’re stuck for ideas, you can read our comprehensive guide below for many more ideas and information.
36th Wedding Anniversary Gift
As we mentioned, there is no traditional wedding anniversary gift for a 36th year of marriage. However, modern times have changed and nowadays it’s usually expected for a couple to receive bone china.
For those of you who are not aware, bone china is a type of crockery that is made of extremely high quality ceramic and bone ash. The symbolism of this gift is meant to be surrounding resilience and strength in your relationship.
Of course, on top of this – bone china is high quality, which is another part of the symbolism. It’s an allegory of how well your relationship with your partner is going and how strong it continues to be.
On top of all this, due to how high quality this gift is, it’s a very good gift to give to a couple anyway, regardless of any symbolism.
The gemstone for this milestone is cameo and a tea rose flower, so if you’re looking for the absolute perfect gift – consider looking for bone china with these on them. Don’t worry about a specific color though, this milestone does not have any specific color.
Do I Have To Buy Bone China?
No, of course not. When all is said and done, the gift you buy for a wedding anniversary is down to you and it’s more about the thought rather than the product. In fact, some of our choices below have nothing to do with bone china.
However, if you are looking to be more in line with what is technically expected of you, then yes – bone china would be the gift to choose.
Let’s now dive into our list and see some great ideas!
Wedding Anniversary Gifts For Him
We’ll start by looking at the wedding anniversary gifts you could buy for the husband.
1. Personalized Canvas Print
When it comes to making a gift special, nothing is better than having something designed that is personalized to you. From this, perhaps there is no superior idea than a personalized canvas print.
This particular one has a beautiful image of the beach, with golden sands and clear, blue waters, with the sun beaming above it. On the sand, you can see the couples’ names written.
It’s by far one of the most gorgeous gifts that any man will love to hang on his wall, maybe in the office or in the bedroom.
Pros
- Personalized
- Beautiful design
- High quality
Cons
- Not your typical “masculine” gift
2. Engraved Anniversary Watch
Now here is a gift that no man would ever decline. This beautifully crafted pocket watch has an excellent color, it’s a great size and has a lovely pun engraved on the front saying the partner will love them until the “end of time”.
On top of this, you can personalize the watch and have the man’s name engraved in the watch! It’s difficult to find gifts any better than this which are both high quality and personalized – not to mention the fact that you can carry it with you every single day.
Pros
- Personalized
- High quality
- Mobile
Cons
- Requires upkeep to ensure it works all the time
3. Whiskey Gift Set
If you’re looking for an anniversary gift that is perfect for your husband, then sometimes a bottle of whiskey is all you need – but how can you make that even better? Simple – make it into a gift set!
This very high quality gift set includes a fantastic bottle of whiskey with an engraved message on the front directly for your hubby, and it also includes two whiskey glasses. All of these are extremely high quality glass and even if you don’t drink, you can admire it.
Pros
- Extremely high quality
- Excellent design
- Gift pack
Cons
- Not ideal for someone who does not like whiskey
4. Bone China Tea Set
If you are looking for an ideal 36th wedding anniversary gift for him, then you should definitely consider this bone china tea set. It’s very well designed and has excellent quality – but of course, like any bone china, you need to be delicate with it.
It is not designed in a way that might be off putting for a particularly masculine person, but it remains traditional to its roots through design. Indeed, this is a great gift to have with a classic idea for the 36th wedding anniversary!
Pros
- The right gift for a 36th anniversary
- High quality
- Not designed with too many flowers
Cons
- Extremely delicate
5. Anniversary Organizer
This is the type of gift that any man will adore. It is the perfect middle ground between traditional and modern, with a gorgeous wooden design – but built with modern technology and needs in mind.
The husband can place his phone, wallet, keys, glasses, coins, headphones, watch and anything else he has in the right place, organized beautifully and tidily. This certainly is one of the greatest gifts that any man will love to have!
Pros
- Awesome male gift
- Traditional meets modern
- Top quality
Cons
- Not your typical anniversary gift in terms of theme
Wedding Anniversary Gifts For Her
Now it’s time for us to take a look at wedding anniversary gifts that the wife will absolutely love!
1. Forever Necklace
Now, here’s a gift that everybody’s wife will definitely love, regardless of what wedding anniversary it is that you are celebrating! It has a gorgeous design with a stylish finish, something that will go perfectly with your beautiful wife.
The design is actually the most amazing part of it, with the infinity symbol in the center and a love heart on the outside. Give this to your wife for your anniversary and watch her smile beam through the roof!
Pros
- High quality
- Perfect gift for your wife
- Beautifully crafted
Cons
- There are more budget friendly options on the market
2. Anniversary Photo Holder And Figurines
This particular gift is one of the most unique due to its design and what comes included with it. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, with a fantastically crafted wooden hanger that allows you to put all of your wedding and anniversary photos onto.
Not only this, you have some pristine glass figurines to sit underneath this gift, allowing you to admire both your own design and the surrounding areas. Any wife will be proud to use this and set up their own art.
Pros
- Personalizable
- Customizable
- A gift forever
Cons
- Can be fragile, so you need to be careful with it
3. Engraved, Light-Up Crystal Rose
It’s going to be difficult to find a gift that looks so good in your home, and your wife is going to fall in love with this crystal structure while she lights up the room. Both with her smile and this amazing gift.
The crafted glass is exquisite and the light-up feature makes it so much better. It’s customizable and it allows your wife to make her own choices for where in the house it will go and how it will be used.
Pros
- Exquisite design
- Glorious light-up system
- Customizable
Cons
- Requires some upkeep
4. Couple Hand Casting Kit
If your wife is someone who loves arts and crafts, and indeed loves to have individualized and personalized gifts – then this is certainly the choice for you. This intelligent gift allows married couples to craft their own hand casts to create their own miniature statue.
This is something that will last a lifetime and due to its personalized nature, you will continue to look at this with pride, care and love. There’s very few gifts like this, so it’s something that your wife will not expect!
Pros
- Individualized
- Unique
- Hand crafted
Cons
- Not good for someone who dislikes arts and crafts
5. Bone China Teacup And Spoon
Finally, if you are looking to get more of a traditional gift, then this is a superb bone china teacup set that you could choose. Not only is the cup itself aesthetically pleasing to your eye, but it also comes equipped with an area for your spoon.
The spoon itself is also made of bone china, and this is indeed something that not only says “happy anniversary”, but also says that you’ve thought carefully about this gift.
Once again though, with any bone china – you must be careful when you’ve purchased it and when you’ve got it home, as this type of crockery is extremely delicate and at times, brittle.
Pros
- More traditional than other gifts
- Extremely high quality
- Pleasing to look at
Cons
- Not as individualized as other gifts
What Makes An Ideal Gift?
The thing with buying wedding anniversary gifts is that people will always worry and question what is the best gift to buy or what makes a gift ideal. The fact of the matter is and something that we covered earlier, there’s no real “ideal” gift.
It’s more about the sentiment and the fact that you’ve considered what to buy carefully. Having said this though, as we can see from some of our choices above – there are many options which are personalizable or customizable.
This allows your partner to make the gift into their own, and when a gift is something that continues to give – like a watch or anniversary photo hanger – then there are few gifts that can hold up in the same light.
Does The Price Make A Difference?
Not really. Price or cost of a present is not a measurement of how much you love or care for someone. However, what you must consider is that generally speaking, cheaper gifts tend to have a lower quality.
As a result of this, lower quality gifts can break easily – which can seriously hurt you when it was something given as an anniversary gift.
So, while you should not worry that you’re spending too much or too little on a specific gift idea, you should also try to remember the quality of the gift. At the same time, you don’t want to buy something that looks extremely tacky!
Will Bone China Last?
If it’s looked after, bone China will last a long time – but you need to remember that it can easily break due to what it is made of. Consider putting the bone china into a cabinet to protect it for as long as possible, and maybe even eventually pass it down!
Final Thoughts
Whilst bone china is usually a 36th anniversary gift, any of the ideas we have provided would be massively appreciated and definitely accepted from both him and her!
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Serena & Dominic are a married couple and parents to 3 wonderful children. They plan weddings, run multiple small businesses, and curate wedding events.
By giving you everything you need to make your dream wedding attainable, you can eliminate stress, get the ‘wedding glow,’ and focus on spending this rocking day with the person you adore. Discover their podcast for more information