What Are the Anniversary Colors by Year?

Let these traditional hues inspire your next anniversary gift.
Color wheel chart for anniversaries
Credit: Natalie Romine
christin perry the knot
by
Christin Perry
christin perry the knot
Christin Perry
E-Commerce Contributor
  • Christin specializes in writing gift guides and shoppable articles for The Knot.
  • Christin is a freelance writer, also covering lifestyle, health, and parenting.
  • She has written for such publications as The Bump, Parents, VeryWell, Parade and LittleThings.
Updated Jul 31, 2024

When it comes to choosing an anniversary gift for your partner, you can follow the traditional anniversary gifts by year, or the more modern version. But did you know that there are also anniversary flowers to consider and even anniversary colors by year? These are fun ways to add more options to your gift-giving possibilities.

In this article, we'll introduce you to the colors for anniversaries by year and discuss the symbolism behind these colors.

Anniversary Colors by Year Chart

Looking for an easy quick reference to all the anniversary colors? Check out this handy chart to find all the hues you need.

Color chart infographic
Design by: Natalie Romine

Anniversary Colors From Year 1–10

During the first ten years of marriage, each year is a huge milestone. Especially when you consider how much your life changes in the span of this first decade of marriage. You might have purchased your first home together and perhaps you even welcomed a child—or several.

Part of establishing a firm foundation for your marriage is celebrating each other—and your union—as much as possible. One way to do that is to purchase a meaningful anniversary gift: consider giving a gift that gives a nod to the anniversary colors by year. Below, you'll find the colors for the first ten years of marriage.

1st Anniversary Color: Gold or Yellow

These colors, but especially gold, will show up in later years, such as the 50th anniversary, known as the "golden anniversary." When used to honor the one-year wedding anniversary, though, these colors are synonymous with joy and optimism, along with hope for the future. Very apropos as you check the box on that all-important first year of marriage.

2nd Anniversary Color: Red or Linen White

The color red is always symbolic of love and passion. As the years pass, you'll find red to be the traditional wedding anniversary color for many milestones, such as 15, 40 and 80 years. Along with that, linen white is symbolic of purity and innocence; two ingredients that are necessary as couples begin to make each other the center of their lives. A stunning mixed bouquet of red and white roses would be a wonderful second anniversary gift for your loved one.

3rd Anniversary Color: White or Jade Green

Appropriately, many people associate jade green with well-being and longevity. As you hit the three-year mark in your marriage, you're starting to fall into a routine and understand how important longevity will be in your life together. Together with white, the traditional symbol of purity, these two third wedding anniversary colors are associated with the third anniversary.

4th Anniversary Color: Blue or Green

Some say the fourth year of marriage is one of the most difficult for new couples. Often, this is around the time you might welcome a child (or perhaps even a second child) and life starts to get busy and chaotic. So it makes sense that blue is one of the anniversary colors for the fourth anniversary. Symbolic of stability and security, blue brings hope during potentially rocky times. Similarly, the color green has some of the same energy as blue and is appropriately symbolic of growth as well.

5th Anniversary Color: Blue, Pink or Turquoise

These beautiful anniversary colors for the fifth year of marriage are reminiscent of a beach sunset. Together, they embody things like romance (pink), serenity (turquoise) and honesty, stability and creativity (blue).

6th Anniversary Color: Purple, Turquoise or White

Purple is a color often associated with luxury, like that luxurious comfortable feeling of intimacy you two share after six years together. Turquoise, a color that compliments purple very well, is symbolic of serenity and calm, while white represents purity and innocence.

7th Anniversary Color: Onyx, Yellow or Off White

The seventh anniversary is another year thought to be potentially fraught with difficulty thanks to the belief about the seven-year itch. This year, ward off negativity with yellow, the color of positivity, and combine that with the strength and protection offered by onyx. Together, these wedding anniversary colors for the seventh year include white as well.

8th Anniversary Color: Bronze

Like the strong material that's the traditional eighth anniversary wedding gift, bronze is also the anniversary color as your marriage takes its eighth spin around the sun. It's a symbol that represents your strengthening relationship.

9th Anniversary Color: Terracotta

Shopping will be simple for those celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary, as the traditional color this year is terracotta: a deep, earthy orange color like its clay namesake. This color is symbolic of a bond that's built from a solid foundation.

10th Anniversary Color: Silver or Blue

By the time you've reached the end of your first decade of marriage, you've really got something to celebrate. And the color silver totally makes sense as the anniversary color by year for the big 1-0, representing strength and endurance. Another color option for the 10th anniversary? Blue, which pops up in many anniversary years as a symbol of stability and security.

Milestone Anniversary Colors by Year

Once you've completed that first decade of marriage, the milestone anniversaries become a bit more spread out. What are the anniversary colors for these big occasions? Let's find out below!

15th Anniversary Color: Ruby Red

Red is one of the wedding anniversary colors that pops up again and again through the years, and there's a good reason for that: red is the color of love and passion. If you two have managed to keep the passion burning after 15 years of marriage, give each other something red this year to congratulate one another.

20th Anniversary Color: Emerald Green

The 50th anniversary is technically the "emerald anniversary," but when it comes to anniversary colors by year, emerald green is also the color for the 20th anniversary. Two decades of marriage is no small feat and the color represents that: emerald green is symbolic of growth and renewal.

25th Anniversary Color: Silver

By your 25th year of marriage, you're officially halfway to your anniversary of 50 years. So it's fitting that the anniversary color for 25 years is silver, as it's often referred to as the silver anniversary. It's the best color to commemorate this quarter-century of life you've now spent side by side.

30th Anniversary Color: Green

Three decades of marriage doesn't happen without meaningful growth between you and your partner. That's why the 30th anniversary color is green.

35th Anniversary Color: Coral

When it comes to anniversary colors by year, the 35th anniversary offers a new color: coral. This flirty hue represents vitality and passion, breathing life into your marriage and ensuring things don't get stale in your day-to-day routine.

40th Anniversary Color: Ruby Red

As you round out four decades together, you're inching ever closer to that all-important half-century mark. For now though, the wedding anniversary color is red again, to inject a dose of passion into your long-lasting union.

45th Anniversary Color: Blue or Red Sapphire

The 45th anniversary color is blue or red sapphire, though the blue sapphire is much more commonly used to symbolize 45 years. Whether you choose a sapphire as a 45th wedding anniversary gift, or simply something blue, this color that's symbolic of stability and security is a perfect metaphor for marriage.

50th Anniversary Color: Gold

Your 50th wedding anniversary is a remarkable milestone that deserves to be celebrated. It's widely considered your "golden anniversary," so appropriately, gold is the wedding anniversary color for this super special year.

55th Anniversary Color: Emerald Green

Just like the 20th anniversary, the 55th wedding anniversary color is emerald green, which symbolizes growth and renewal. It's no surprise, since both the traditional and modern 55th anniversary gift is emeralds. After being married this long, we're guessing you both understand the importance of personal growth, as well as continuing to grow together as a couple.

60th Anniversary Color: Diamond White

If you've made it to your 60th anniversary, you deserve diamonds! Both the traditional and modern 60th wedding anniversary gifts are diamonds, and even the anniversary color for this milestone is diamond white, a symbol of your undying love for one another.

65th Anniversary Color: Sky Blue

Since the 65th anniversary gift is blue sapphires, it makes sense that the anniversary color for this year is blue. It's also appropriate that blue symbolizes stability and security, which you've both enjoyed in your long-lasting marriage.

70th Anniversary Color: Platinum

Few couples make it to their 70th anniversary and beyond, but if you do, the anniversary color associated with this important marriage milestone is platinum. Of course, platinum is one of the strongest metals you can find, and that's symbolic of the incredibly strong bond the two of you share after being married this long.

75th Anniversary Color: Diamond White

Like the 60th anniversary, the anniversary color for the 75th anniversary is also diamond white. Like the sparkling stones, this color represents purity, strength and undying love.

80th Anniversary Color: Ruby Red

You've doubled the number of years you've been married since the 40th anniversary, where ruby red was also the anniversary color. What better way to mark a lifetime of unity with your spouse than with a color that represents love and passion?

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