Reaching 16 years of marriage is a huge milestone and no easy feat. It takes immense love, care, admiration, and let’s be honest patience to get so far.
As special as the moment is, some people might also find it quite daunting.
After 16 years of marriage, it can be hard to keep pulling off bigger, better, and more special anniversary gifts every year.
When you then take the different 16th wedding anniversary traditions into consideration, things only get harder.
Celebrating your 16th wedding anniversary is an opportunity to show your spouse how much you appreciate them and the time you’ve spent together.
Whether you choose a traditional gift or something more unique, the most important thing is to choose a gift that comes from the heart and shows your love and commitment to each other.
Your partner deserves the very best gifts and we’re here to help. If you’re looking for 16th wedding anniversary gift idea inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, we’ve listed the best gift ideas you can consider for your spouse.
We’ve got traditional gifts, modern gifts, and more unique gifts that your partner won’t expect. If you want to find the perfect gift, keep reading!
What Are The 16th Wedding Anniversary Gift Traditions?
Before we show you the best gift ideas for a 16th wedding anniversary, it’s important that you understand the key traditions behind the milestone.
Like most anniversaries, a 16th wedding anniversary has a variety of different traditions. These include a traditional gift theme, a modern gift theme, a gemstone, a flower, and a color.
Traditional Gift Theme – Wax
In terms of traditional gift themes, 16th wedding anniversaries have a theme of wax. Wax is actually one of the easiest themes to buy for because we can purchase a wide range of candle-related gifts. The reason wax is a traditional gift theme is that it represents how your lives have been molded together.
Wax can melt, bend, and change shape. It is flexible, just like you have had to be in your marriage to make it work for so long.
Modern Gift Theme – Silver Holloware
As far as modern gift themes are concerned, silver holloware is often linked to 16th wedding anniversaries.
This essentially refers to anything silver that isn’t flatware. This includes gifts such as bowls, home decor, and trays.
Other Gift Themes – Peridot, Statice, And Silver
The other gift themes aren’t as popular but you can still use them to your advantage to surprise your husband or wife.
The 16th wedding anniversary gemstone is peridot which symbolizes good fortune and health.
The flower is statice. This is a purple flower that symbolizes remembrance. Finally, the traditional color of a 16th wedding anniversary is silver.
The Best Gifts You Can Buy Your Partner For Your 16th Wedding Anniversary
Now you know more about the traditions of a 16th wedding anniversary, we can start looking at the best gifts you can buy for your spouse.
Over the years, you’ll have bought your husband or wife a wide range of gifts and taken them to all their favorite places.
The aim of our list is to help you buy something a bit more unique and special for your partner.
With that being said, the gifts on our list aren’t only designed to follow anniversary traditions, they are also designed to surprise your spouse.
Let’s get started, shall we?
1. 16th Wedding Anniversary Candle
We’ll kick start this list with a super simple gift idea. You can’t go wrong with a 16th wedding anniversary candle from Etsy. After all, the main theme of this anniversary is wax.
However, for your 16th anniversary, not just any candle will do. No, you need a special candle that’s thoughtful and special.
This Etsy candle is perfect. It smells great and comes with a frosted glass jar that’s personalized with your names and how long you’ve been together.
2. Anniversary Map Candle
If you like the idea of a personalized candle but want something a bit more unique and interesting, you could always buy your spouse a personalized map candle.
This type of candle still has your names and the date of your wedding on it, but they also come with a neat map too.
This map, shaped like a heart, shows the place where you got married. Alternatively, you can personalize the map to show where you first met.
3. Silver Shimmer Metallic Candles
You could even go with the traditional themes of wax and silver by purchasing your partner a collection of silver-colored candles.
Silver-colored candles not only keep with the key themes of a 16th wedding anniversary, but they also look pretty spectacular.
When lit, these candles have a stunning silver shimmer that your partner will love.
4. Candle-Making Kit
If you’re keen to find something you can do with your partner on your anniversary but you still want to stick to the traditional theme of wax, consider this candle-making kit.
Buying your husband or wife a candle-making kit is a solid idea if you want something fun, unique, relatable, and interesting to do together on your anniversary.
Candle-making kits come with absolutely everything you need to make your very own candles. They even come with special labels so you can remember the day.
5. Silver Wallet Insert Card
A great gift idea for men is a silver wallet insert card. Silver wallet insert cards are personalizable.
They fit in most wallets and have enough space for you to engrave a loving message for your husband.
Your husband can then keep the wallet insert card in their wallet with a nice message from you wherever they go.
6. Silver Stainless Steel Tankard
Another fantastic gift idea for the man in your life is a silver tankard. Admittedly, this is a better idea for those of you that have a husband that likes to drink beer.
Aside from looking pretty cool and following the silver theme, a silver tankard also has some great properties, the main one being that it keeps your husband’s drink cooler for longer.
The silver tankards on Etsy can be personalized for your anniversary.
7. Peridot Bracelet
A more unique gift idea for a 16th wedding anniversary is a peridot bracelet.
A suitable gift for men and women, a peridot bracelet follows tradition but still offers the element of surprise.
Buying the 16th-anniversary gemstone for your partner shows them how much you thought about their gift.
There might even be a chance they’ve never heard about the tradition, making your gift even more thoughtful.
The bracelet we’ve linked is one of our favorites.
8. Silver Peridot Necklace
You could follow two more unique wedding anniversary traditions and buy your spouse a necklace that is made from silver and peridot.
Perfect for the women in your life, silver and peridot necklaces come in a wide range of shapes and sizes.
They look absolutely stunning and are certain to leave your partner in awe. The silver color of the chain and the green color of the gemstone complement each other beautifully.
9. Destination Candle
If there’s a special place where you and your partner share memories, you might be tempted to buy this next gift idea for your husband or wife. This next idea is a destination candle.
Destination candles are location-specific candles that are designed to smell like a certain place.
Buying one of these candles for your partner gives you both the chance to reminisce about your memories through divine fragrances.
Some of the locations you can pick include London, Dubai, Sydney, and Hawaii.
10. Flannel-Lined Waxed Jacket
Traditional 16th wedding anniversary gifts aren’t just limited to candles and jewelry.
If your husband isn’t someone that would appreciate a candle, you could go for a wax jacket instead.
This flannel-lined waxed trucker jacket from Huckberry will quickly become your partner’s favorite jacket.
Thanks to its versatility and timeless style, your husband can wear the jacket anywhere.
11. Waxed Canvas Briefcase
Another great option for your husband and one that still follows the wax tradition but doesn’t come in the form of a candle is this waxed canvas briefcase from Mountain Warehouse.
This is a solid choice if your husband works in an office.
It’s stylish, durable, high-quality, and comfortable to carry. It is also versatile, going with any outfit your husband decides to wear.
This briefcase is available in a wide range of colors and styles.
12. Heart-Shaped Silver Bowl
As far as hollow silverware is concerned, a heart-shaped silver bowl is tough to beat. It’s a simple gift idea that’s in keeping with the 16th wedding anniversary traditions.
Of course, the fact it’s shaped like a heart makes it a good anniversary gift too.
Personally, we see this heart-shaped bowl as the star of the show in the center of your table.
It will be a nice reminder of your 16th anniversary and a lovely topic of conversation in the years that follow.
13. Stainless Steel Knives
Next, we have a fabulous 16th wedding anniversary gift idea for anyone that has a spouse that loves to cook.
If your partner spends lots of time in the kitchen prepping delicious meals, you should treat them to a brand-new knife set.
Buying a stainless steel knife set is a good choice. Stainless steel is strong, durable, high-quality, and quite frankly delightful.
It is also silver in color, making it nice and easy for you to stick with the silver theme.
14. Stainless Steel Olive Oil Dispenser
Sticking with the stainless steel theme and cooking, another great kitchen gift idea is a stainless steel olive oil dispenser.
This is a unique gift that’s silver in color and perfect for anyone that loves kitchen utensils.
If we’re being honest, we don’t see this as a main gift, but it’s definitely a gift your partner will enjoy opening alongside their other presents.
15. Lip Balm Set
One gift idea most people don’t typically consider is a lip balm set. Lip balm sets fall perfectly into the wax theme, making them perfect for a 16th wedding anniversary.
Burt’s Bees lip balm is probably your best choice. Burt’s Bees produces natural lip balms that have been ethically sourced from beeswax.
They look great, smell awesome, and feel wonderfully smooth on the lips.
This is a simple gift that your partner will appreciate.
16. Visit A Wax Museum
If you and your spouse prefer to buy each other experiences as opposed to gifts, you’ll want to find an entertaining experience that still manages to stick to the traditions of a 16th wedding anniversary.
When it comes to wax, there’s no better place to visit than Madame Tussauds.
Found in several locations across the country, this museum contains a huge collection of lifelike wax sculptures, all of which depict some of the world’s most famous people.
This includes former presidents, sports stars, actors, and Marvel characters.
17. Candle-Making Class
Another fun experience you could buy for your husband or wife is a candle-making class.
This is another unique way to stick to the theme of your anniversary without buying candles.
This experience gives you and your partner the chance to make your own candles from scratch.
You’ll learn everything you need to know to make your own candles before being given the chance to do so.
You’ll make memories, have a laugh, and come away with something memorable you made together.
18. Customized Candle Set
If this wedding anniversary is easy for you because your partner loves candles, make sure the candles you choose are up to standard.
Luckily for you, this isn’t hard as Etsy offers a wide range of high-quality customized candles.
On Etsy, you can choose a set of candles before then customizing them with your name, wedding date, location, and so on.
19. Wine-Scented Candles
A more unique type of candle you can buy for your husband or wife is a wine-scented candle. Wine-scented candles smell gorgeous.
They also give you the chance to show your partner how well you know them.
You can pick out your spouse’s favorite wine to surprise them with on your anniversary.
You can then sit down at night, light the candle, and surprise them with a bottle of their favorite wine too.
20. Silver Necklace
If your partner loves their jewelry, you could treat them to a silver chain necklace for your wedding anniversary.
Silver is a beautiful metal that looks amazing when made into a necklace.
It is also extremely durable and high-quality. The great thing about this gift is that it suits both men and women as necklaces come in a range of different styles.
Alternative 16th Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
You don’t always have to worry about sticking to traditions.
There’s nothing stopping you from deviating away from traditions and buying something different for your spouse for your anniversary.
To help you find the best alternative 16th wedding anniversary gift, we’ve listed some of the best ideas below.
The following gifts are some of the best gifts you can buy alongside a traditional gift.
21. Where It All Began Map
One of the best alternative wedding anniversary gifts you can buy is a Where It All Began map. These maps are unique, thoughtful, and unforgettable.
They come in the shape of a heart and display a unique map that shows the location you and your partner met, hence the name Where It All Began.
These maps can be framed and hung on the wall in your home, taking pride of place and reminding you both of where you started.
22. First Dance Vinyl Song Lyric Print
Another brilliant alternative anniversary gift idea is a first dance vinyl song lyric print. This idea is a framed poster that looks like a vinyl record.
However, upon closer inspection, your partner will realize that the vinyl record is actually the lyrics to your first dance song.
Displayed in the center of the record are your names and the date you got married.
This is another very thoughtful gift.
23. Luxury Chocolate Gift Box
You can’t go wrong with a luxury box of chocolates. Let’s face it, most of us adore chocolate but we very rarely buy a truly luxurious box as they can be quite expensive.
However, your 16th wedding anniversary is the perfect time to spoil your partner.
Godiva produces some of the most amazing and tasty chocolate truffle gift boxes there are, so why don’t you buy one for your partner? We’re sure you’ll be able to steal one or two of them anyway.
24. Cotton Bathrobe
If you have a wife that loves to soak in the bath, you could buy her a new cotton bathrobe. In all honesty, this is another option you can’t really go wrong with.
The right cotton bathrobe will make your partner feel cozy, comfortable, and relaxed.
This soft cotton kimono bathrobe from Heartnice is a great option. It looks amazing, feels super comfortable, and doesn’t cost a fortune. What’s not to like?
You can also buy a bathrobe for your husband if he likes his baths. The male bathrobes available on Amazon are a solid choice.
25. Plush Blanket
The final alternative gift idea and the final 16th anniversary gift idea we have for you sticks to the theme of comfort.
A luxury plush blanket is a comfy gift you can buy your husband or wife for your anniversary.
You can both snuggle up in the blanket for a romantic movie evening or keep the blanket on your bed. Some companies will even allow you to personalize the blanket with a special date.
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Final Thoughts
That concludes our guide looking at 16th wedding anniversary gift ideas. As you can see from our list, there are plenty of great gifts you can buy for your partner.
Whether you’re looking for something traditional, something unique, something that follows more modern traditions, or an alternative gift that your spouse will love, we’ve looked at something that suits your needs.
The gifts on our list cover the themes of wax, silver, hollow silverware, peridot, and alternative gift ideas.
Whilst it may seem a challenge to find the best gifts for your husband or wife after 16 years, things get a lot easier when you learn more about what’s on offer.
Now you know what’s out there, you can start narrowing down the options until you’ve found the perfect gifts.
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
