Wedding Anniversaries: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th

Made it to your 16th wedding anniversary? Well done! You're a good deed in a naughty world. Sad to say, there are no official symbols for this one, but modern thinking suggests a gift of silver is acceptable, even better if accompanied by the appropriate gemstone - peridot or aquamarine.

The 17th wedding anniversary has an eminently practical theme associated with it - furniture. No jewels, no flowers, just furniture!  Now's the time to dash out and buy each other that orange velvet sofa...

Also prosaic, the 18th wedding anniversary isn't overly celebrated. It has a theme of porcelain, but no glittery gems or fragrant flowers. Bit of an in-betweenie, this one! And the 19th wedding anniversary suggests a bronze theme for gifts, but there are a couple of sparklers connected to it - topaz and aquamarine - so there's room for some celebratory bling!

But the 20th wedding anniversary is one of those significant milestones that mark a happy marriage - or at least an enduring one! The traditional gift is china, as in tableware and crockery, and the flower traditionally presented is the lily. The precious emerald is the gemstone linked to 20 successful years of marriage.

So good luck if you are well on the way to these milestones. But if you're still in the heady throes of an early romance and engagement, why not click here to see our range of wedding accessories, shoes and bridesmaids dresses so you can set foot on the path to these wedding anniversaries in style.

For more useful tips and ideas, click to read all our wedding information