Eighth Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
The eighth wedding anniversary is known as the bronze anniversary in the United States. The tradition of assigning a material to every anniversary is believed to have originated in Medieval Germany where it spread to the United Kingdom and eventually to the United States. Traditional gift material is just a guideline for gifts, not a rule. Whether you give the traditional material of bronze, its alternate of pottery or linen or the eighth anniversary flower, the lily, the appropriate gift is the one you believe your spouse will cherish.
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Bronze
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The traditional material for the eighth wedding anniversary is bronze. Popular bronze gifts include statues, sculptures, cooking pots, drawer and door nobs, book ends, mirrors, picture frames and plaques. Bronze is not a common material used for jewelry, so if you intend to give jewelry, look for either bronze or copper jewelry or a stone in a similar color, such as yellow sapphire, tiger eye, amber or citrine.
Pottery
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Pottery is the alternate classic material for the eighth anniversary and is usually easier to find than bronze. Popular pottery gifts include antique vases, artisan or international vases or tiles, ceramic dishes, statues, mirrors and ceramic mosaics. For a more hands-on gift, a date at a pottery painting studio is unique and sentimental.
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Linen
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If bronze and pottery appear too old fashion, the modern eighth anniversary material is linen. Possible gift ideas made from linen include bed sheets, pillow cases, table clothes, napkins, place mats, decorative couch pillows, drapes and wall hangings. Clothing is also an acceptable linen gift.
Infinity Symbol
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As the number eight is representative of a vertical infinity symbol, incorporating the image into a gift is both commemorative of the year and romantic as it symbolizes an unbreakable bond. Jewelry is a common genre to find the infinity symbol in, especially in Celtic jewelry. Infinity symbol pendants can be given in a necklace, bracelet, earring or ring. Other infinity items include statues of a couple stretched in a figure eight, a framed infinity symbol surrounding a love poem, cufflinks and keepsake boxes or frames featuring the symbol.
Alternate Gifts
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There is no rule stating that all persons must follow the traditional assigned material formula for wedding anniversaries, if you want to give an alternate gift that has nothing to do with tradition, it is completely acceptable. A husband and wife know each other best, so give whatever it is that you believe will make your spouse the happy.
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References
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