Just like each wedding anniversary by year ties to a traditional gift, there are flowers linked to the celebration too. Take a look at the anniversary flowers by year so you can incorporate them when the time comes!
1st Anniversary: Carnation
Carnations are the traditional flower used to celebrate a couple’s first wedding anniversary, the paper anniversary. These flowers have long associations with young, passionate love. No other anniversary flower quite captures the passion, sweetness and optimism of love like the carnation does.
2nd Anniversary: Cosmos
Beautiful cosmos flowers are symbolic of the transformation from simplistic love to a more complex version, which is what most couples experience by their second year of marriage. This flower is unique and intense and symbolises a powerful love.
3rd Anniversary: Sunflower
The sunflower represents the third wedding anniversary as it is strong, colourful and passionate. Many people believe that the strong stalk of the sunflower is symbolic of the strong foundation upon which a marriage is built, while the radiant yellow petals represent the love that has shone through the relationship over the past three years.
4th Anniversary: Geranium
After four years, a married couple has found comfortable habits with each other, which is why the familiar geranium is the flower for the fourth wedding anniversary. This blossom is symbolic of the comfort and beauty that we all find in things that are recognisable.
5th Anniversary: Daisy
The daisy represents the fifth wedding anniversary because of its symbolic structure. Each of the flower’s petals radiates outwards. This represents all of the wonderful ways in which a couple will still grow, while the strong centre symbolises the intense bond that a married couple shares.
6th Anniversary: Calla Lily
The calla lily is a very elegant and sophisticated flower. This long, slender blossom symbolises all of the unique and wonderful ways that each partner has grown over the course of six years of marriage.
7th Anniversary: Freesia
The freesia has an exotic appearance, with beautiful staggered flower buds stepping their way up the stem. This flower’s fragrance is a perennial favourite and it serves as a key ingredient in several different soaps and lotions. The freesia represents just how much couples appreciate and love the unique characteristics their partners have. It’s ideal for celebrating the 7th wedding anniversary, and if fresh flowers are not an option, a freesia scent is a great alternative.
8th Anniversary: Clematis
Clematis flowers represent intelligence and intellectual ability. This sweet little blossom is a wonderful choice for eighth wedding anniversaries as it expresses the ways a couple has grown wiser together.
9th Anniversary: Poppy
The colourful poppy is the perfect 9th wedding anniversary flower, and it’s one of August’s birth flowers too. The flower has become a symbol of imagination and oblivion, which is reflective of the sense of peace and contentment that couples reach after nine years of marriage.
10th Anniversary: Daffodil
A single daffodil is beautiful just as is, but when you bunch several daffodils together in a bouquet, it can look extraordinary! This is why the flower is the traditional gift for tenth wedding anniversaries. One year of marriage is great but once you reach ten years, you will have created many wonderful memories together!
11th Anniversary: Morning Glory
Morning glories are lovely little flowers to grow that make any environment feel a lot more cheerful and comfortable. The flower is symbolic of love and affection, making it the obvious bloom to celebrate 11th wedding anniversaries with.
12th Anniversary: Peony
The intricate petals of a peony represent the 12 year wedding anniversary. After 12 years of marriage, a couple has a great understanding and sense of appreciation for the finer things in life – and the peony happens to be one of them.
13th Anniversary: Chrysanthemum
In many cultures around the world, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of royalty. These spectacular flowers with their dense layers hold deep and brilliant colours and bring good luck to all who have them, making them the ideal flower for 13th wedding anniversaries. Who says 13 is unlucky?
14th Anniversary: Dahlia
The dahlia makes a beautiful statement that will thrill your significant other, which is why it’s chosen as the flower to represent 14th wedding anniversaries. These blooms are often two-toned, making them entirely unique and unlike any other – much like each and every marriage.
15th Anniversary: Rose
Roses have long been synonymous with a sense of passion and romance. After 15 years of marriage, couples know each other extremely well, which is what keeps their passion and romance alive. The sensual and romantic opulence of the rose is the perfect flower for 15th wedding anniversaries.
20th Anniversary: Aster
The word “aster” derives from the ancient Greek word for star. The aster flower is ideal for 20th wedding anniversaries as it believes that it highlights all the bright spots, or stars, along a couple’s journey through marriage.
25th Anniversary: Iris
The iris has long been a flower associated with royalty. By presenting your spouse with these flowers as your silver wedding anniversary gift, you’re letting them know that after a quarter century of marriage, you still think of them as royalty.
30th Anniversary: Lily
Lilies are extremely popular flowers. They’re well-loved for the beautiful different shades that the flower comes in, their varied meanings, and the assortment of shapes and colours. In essence, the lily is full of surprises. The lily makes a bold statement for 30th wedding anniversaries as it symbolises that there’s still a sense of passion and adventure between the happy couple.
40th Anniversary: Gladioli
The gladiolus is a special flower as it’s luminous and can brighten up any room with its charm and beauty. This is why it makes for the quintessential bloom for your 40th ruby anniversary: by this stage, the marriage is filled with its own unique grace and charms.
50th Anniversary: Yellow Roses & Violets
The golden wedding anniversary is the only one with two anniversary flowers by year – and rightly so as it’s a huge milestone. These flowers work very well together – yellow and purple are complementary colours, after all. This combination marks 50th anniversaries because by this stage, married couples have been together long enough to complement each other perfectly!
