So what is the 20th Wedding Anniversary gift?
Traditional the 20th Wedding Anniversary gift is China and this is true for all countries who support the idea of a wedding anniversary symbolic gift, however there is a modern symbol which has replaced China and this is Platinum.
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Each year a couple is married is another year of commitment and love shared with one another. Each wedding anniversary is denoted by a symbol that represents it which leads to people buying or making gifts related to that symbol and the 20th Wedding Anniversary is no different.
China dishware is considered to be fragile but just like a marriage, if it is cared for then it stands the test of time and becomes more valued. Twenty years of marriage is like China. Each year is another year together building that strong bond and is worth celebrating, it has been cared for, stood the test of time and became ore valuable.
There is also a traditional flower associated with the 20th Wedding Anniversary and this is the Aster flower.
Emerald green and white are the traditional 20th Wedding Anniversary colors.
Let’s map these out as bullet points for clarity:
- China is the traditional 20th Wedding Anniversary gift
- The modern equivalent is Platinum
- The traditional flower for the 20th Wedding Anniversary is the Aster
- The traditional colors associated with this event are emerald green and white
People often get confused as to what gift should be bought for the 20th anniversary and set out to buy something made of China or Platinum. But this isn’t necessary the case, you don’t need to – it’s symbolic. Here’s some ideas you can dive into:
20th Wedding Anniversary Gifts For Her
The first thing to clear up is that you don’t actually have to buy anything made out of China or Platinum, these are simply traditional presents – Platinum is the modern gift, the modern versions were compiled by Chicago Public Library but many people still prefer the traditional symbol (as do we) purely because of the way it represents the marriage is romantic.
With this in mind trying to decide which presents to buy for the love of your life wife can be quite simple.
Rather than buy her China, you can choose to create a gift or offer her a gift that has some association with China or Platinum for example:
- Take her to China! If you have the budget then this would be a great gift
- Be romantic and compile a collection of well wishes from family and friends, you could present it wrapped in a Platinum ribbon or wrapping paper
- Buy her some Platinum jewelery
- Make her something using your own craft skills that denotes the traditional symbols
- Although these are the traditional symbols and associations there really is no reason that you have to stick to them, buy a personalised gift instead
- Go for a Chinese meal
- Present her with a gift and hide it within a Chinese takeaway box, give her a fantastic surprise
- Tattoo yourself with something that celebrates the occasion as a symbol of your love for her
- Buy her some flowers, the Aster is the traditional flower for the 20th wedding anniversary
20th Wedding Anniversary Gifts For Husband
Similar to buying a gift for her you have the choice of sticking to a tradition or using the modern symbol. Either way you don’t have to buy something which is China or Platinum it could just be something that has a relation to one of these. But again this is just a tradition there is no reason why you can’t just put some time and effort into a gift that shows you really care. Put some time and effort into whatever you give him as he will likely appreciate this more than a throwaway present.
- Tattoo yourself with something that celebrates the occasion as a symbol of your love for him
- Take him away on a trip that he has really wanted to do, surprise him – even better!
- A Personalised gift presented in Platinum wrapping paper
- Record him a video message each year of your wedding that he can keep, 20th anniversary can be no exception
China Wedding Anniversary Gifts for Friends Or Parents
Buying a gift for someone else’s 20th Wedding Anniversary is an opportunity to show them how much you care. Put some time into a thoughtful gift which shows that you appreciate them. You could throw a party and ask everyone to leave a personal message for the couple and present them this on the day. You could also collate pictures from throughout their marriage in a frame, if you also include the personal message either on video, audio recording or written on paper this really will go some way to show that you’ve put though, time and effort into something that hopefully they will cherish.
There are so many internet websites that give you ideas about what you can buy and some of these really are great, they are full of personalised carvings, cufflinks and other things like personalised wine bottles etc.
Eleanor and I had a chat recently about all of the cool things that could be given as a gift that hardly cost anything but would mean a huge deal.
We thought the idea of planting a tree together would be pretty symbolic. It’s probably the perfect gift for a 1st wedding anniversary but at the time of writing we haven’t got around to writing that particular guide just yet but no doubt we’ll put it in. But to plant one for your 20th is just as good, you’ve got a lot of years left in you yet! Just think if you get to your 50th, 60th or even 70th and beyond that tree (or bush) will still be there, pending any weather destroying the thing, then it’s a really romantic and symbolic gesture. Perhaps because of the association with China for the 20th Wedding Annversary you could choose a traditionally Chinese tree – maybe a Bodhi tree or a Bonsai that you could maintain together.
Traditional Vs Modern 20th Wedding Anniversary Gifts
Personaly we think that the modern symbolism is not as romantic as the traditional stuff. It was introduced in the 1930’s for commercial reasons and as you would expect buying a modern symbolic gift tends to be more expensive than something related to the traditional approach. Platinum – if you have the money to do so then buying something made of Platinum is a great idea – I (Graham) like the idea of a Platinum disc like an award but it can be made out to the couple. As a musician this would be a great present for me to receive.
So really it comes down to your imagination and how much you want to show you care. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it doesn’t have to be thoughtful either to be honest but if you do spend time thinking to yourself what would this couple / husand / wife really appreciate and know that I’m thinking of them at this time and wish them all the best – what would that be? You actually might have no idea, perhaps you’ve already checked out all of the 20th Wedding Anniversary gifts from a Google search etc and decided that non are suitable – plenty are – but it’s your prerogative.
These are just our opinions. We’ve stuck to the facts and tried not to guess at anything here, we don’t want to give out false information. At the end of the day a wedding anniversary whether it is your own or somebody you know it should be a time to celebrate, even if that celebration is a celebration of time spent together and an acknowledgement of this. We wish you all the best in deciding what to do next and leave us a comment below to let us know what you chose to do – it would be great to find out what everyone does to celebrate things!
Also check out our posts What is the 10th Wedding Annversary Gift? and What is the 30th Wedding Anniversary Gift?
