If you are approaching your 15th wedding anniversary- congratulations! You have made it almost twice as long as the average marriage. This is definitely an occasion to celebrate, but many spouses feel pressure to make this the perfect anniversary. You have been married to the love of your life for almost two decades, so a simple gift will not do.
What should you buy or do for your spouse on your 15th wedding anniversary? From themes to gift ideas,vacation plans to activities you can do with your spouse, friends and family, there are hundreds of ideas to help you celebrate this anniversary and make it truly amazing.
If you are looking for ideas to make this anniversary special, you are in the right place. We have listed out everything you need to know to make your 15th wedding anniversary one to remember!
15th Wedding Anniversary Meaning
The 15th wedding anniversary is a significant milestone for married couples that is signified with crystal as the traditional gift. This anniversary represents the clear bond that a couple has, the strength of their marriage, and the sparkling love between them.
For the modern gift, people give a watch to represent the amount of time that has passed and a look to the future. The gift of glass is also appropriate, because it represent a time when the couple should be financially stable enough to spend money on their dreams and toast one another with champagne (representing that sparkling love) in a glass.
15th Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
There are many gift ideas available for the 15th wedding anniversary, if you are still at a loss as to what to get. As stated above, the traditional gift is one of crystal. For a crystal gift for a woman, you could buy crystal jewelry, a vase, or a crystal candle holder with a candle in her favorite scent. For a man, buy crystal cufflinks, a paperweight, or a crystal picture frame.
If you like the idea of staying true to the traditional gift, but want to think outside of the box for a gift, you could buy a crystal chandelier to remodel your home together. If you don’t want to go that extravagant, buy some crystal bookends or crystal serving ware that you can enjoy together.
Modern Gifts for the 15th Wedding Anniversary
If you want more modern ideas, check out the new tradition of giving timepieces as a gift. You could buy a clock for your house, or buy one another a watch. If you want to marry the old and new traditions, consider a watch with crystal inset.
Another theme for the modern 15th wedding anniversary is that of giving glass as a gift. If you like this idea, a new mirror for your home, glass champagne drink ware, or even a small glass keychain with a message engraved would be a nice gift to give your spouse.
15th Wedding Anniversary Flower
Aside from gift themes, wedding anniversaries have flowers associated with them, and the 15th wedding anniversary is no exception. Giving flowers with your gift is almost always a great idea, and men can receive flowers, too! The flower at the center of the 15th wedding anniversary is the rose, which represents passion, love, and perfection. Here’s to perfecting the next 15 years!
You can spice things up this year by sending your love 15 red roses, or by filling your home with 15 vases full of roses. If you want to have something that lasts longer, plant a rose bush together.
15th Wedding Anniversary Gemstone
Wedding anniversaries are also associated with a gemstone, and the gemstone that goes along with the 15th wedding anniversary is the ruby or garnet. The Ruby symbolizes love and passion, while the garnet symbolizes strength in a relationship. You can give a gift of ruby and crystal jewelry to add in this element.
15th Wedding Anniversary Color
Finally, the 15th wedding anniversary also has a color associated with it, and you may have figured it out- red, the color of love. If you want to bring this into your anniversary celebration, wear red or wrap your gift in red paper. It is a strong color, denoting passion, and one that is befitting a 15th wedding anniversary.
15th Wedding Anniversary Party Ideas
If you want to throw a party for the lucky couple, you may need some help planning it all. This wedding anniversary is a big deal, so if you throw the couple a party, you will need to make it special.
Choose the Type of Celebration
To determine the type of celebration you want to throw, think about the couple and what they like. Are they private and reserved? If so, a huge celebration may not be something they would enjoy. Are they adventurous and bold? Then something simple is probably not going to reflect them.
When you are planning a party for someone else, keeping them at the center of the planning is the best way to plan a party perfect for them. Ask yourself these questions:
- Will they want a large or small party?
- What type of food should we serve?
- Do I need to make it a surprise party or one they are aware of?
- What would be their ideal setting?
- Do they have any special interests or hobbies that you could incorporate in the party theme?
- What type of invitations should you send?
Once you have these things answered, you can move onto the next steps of planning a party.
Choose A Location
First, choose a location that has meaning to the couple. Then, choose one that will meet your size needs. Finally, if you are doing a surprise party, you will need to think of a sneaky way to get the couple to the location. Once you have your location selected, you can solidify the rest of the party plans.
Find Decorations
Decorations need to go with the theme. Again, the color for a 15th wedding anniversary is red, and the themes include love, passion, and commitment. If you want to stick with that, choose decorations in red, lots of roses, and crystal.
These are simple themes and colors to work with, and they go along with this anniversary, nicely, but if your couple doesn’t like red, or roses, you can choose something else that they do prefer. Remember- keep them in mind, at all times. In fact, placing photos of the couple around the the party will be a great way to decorate and keep them at the center of the celebration.
Entertainment
If it is a big party, entertainment may be expected. Would you like live music? Games? Other friends and family members of the couple can be very helpful in helping to provide entertainment. Even for a small party, you may wish to have something that keeps guests entertained, like a slideshow of the couple throughout the years, and you will definitely need music.
The Food
Whatever your party theme, the food will need to fit it. If this is a formal party, a full course menu should be served. If it is a backyard BBQ, a potluck and a grill would be perfect. Just make sure you ask people to RSVP on the invites so you know how many people you will need to feed.
The Invites
Like the food, the invites should match the party theme. You should also send invites out to everyone you know the couple would want to include, even if they aren’t able to make it. You do not want to create bad feelings between the couple and their loved ones. Include all pertinent information, and designate someone to receive RSVPs and field questions.
15th Wedding Anniversary Activities
If you would rather spend your 15th wedding anniversary doing something romantic with your spouse, and not having a party, there are plenty of amazing things you can do. You don’t even have to wait until the day of your anniversary to start celebrating. When the big day approaches, start doing a few small romantic gestures to make your spouse feel special. Here are some ideas to get you going.
- Make breakfast in bed on your 15th wedding anniversary
- Send them flowers every day for a week leading up to your anniversary
- Picnic in the park at sunset
- Go back to where you first met
- Go to where you had your first date and recreate it
- Get a couple’s massage
- Run your spouse a candlelit bubble bath and stay and talk to them as they relax
- Cook a nice dinner together or surprise your spouse with their favorite meal
- Have a movie night, either at the theater or home
- Go to a local theater production
- Look through you wedding photos and watch your wedding video
- Skim through photos of the two of you throughout the years
- Book a photo session to make new memories
- Go camping or do some outdoor adventure
- Book a night or two in a hotel
- Do something adventurous, like skydiving or even take a simple hot air balloon ride at sunset
- Renew your vows with friends and family there to support you
- Write each other romantic love letters and hide them around your house
- Enjoy the day with no interruptions, just the two of you
- Take a romantic vacation together
These are just some of the amazing things you can do with your partner on your 15th wedding anniversary. Of course, what you end up doing depends on what you both like and have time and money for. Remember- romance doesn’t have to be expensive. You can show your partner you love them in simple ways, at home, or if you want to be extravagant, you can do that, too! It is all up to your personal likes and dislikes.
15th Wedding Anniversary Vacation Ideas
Another way to make your 15th wedding anniversary out of this world is to get out of town- no really, go on vacation! If you have been planning a dream vacation, this is the time to take it.
The 15th wedding anniversary is about spending money that will help cement the love between the two of you for the future, and what better way to start a brighter future than by making memories on a vacation you have been planning together? Here are some amazing romantic getaways to consider.
New York City
There is no place quite like New York City, with its bustling avenues contrasted against cobblestone streets in the downtown region. It is the city that never sleeps, but it does offer some of the best hotels in the world.
Deciding where to stay while here might be hard, but you really can’t go wrong no matter where you choose to lay your head after a fun day exploring all that NYC has to offer- and it offers a lot! If you want to keep it romantic, check out the restaurants, jazz clubs, and catch a show on Broadway. You can even get a couple’s massage at an uptown spa, and have drinks in a candlelit club, after.
Napa Valley, California
Napa Valley Wine Country is on the other side of the country from NYC and offers a different, but still incredible, approach to romance. If you want a quieter vacation where you can stroll along beautifully maintained avenues, dine in some amazing restaurants, sleep in a bed and breakfast, and tour wineries- Napa Valley is your ideal vacation.
Savannah, Georgia
Known as one of the most romantic cities in the USA, Savannah has become a popular wedding and honeymoon destination, so why not make it the vacation spot for your 15th wedding anniversary? This city on the water is the epitome of Southern grace and beauty. Stay at a bed and breakfast inside an old Antebellum mansion, stroll through the 21 public gardens, walk down by the river, and dine on some of the most amazing southern food in the world.
Paris, France
The City of Love is the perfect place to vacation for your 15th wedding anniversary. It offers some of the best food, art, and entertainment in the world, and the views at night are to die for. Fall in love all over again when you take your love to Paris.
Italy
Head to Italy for your 15th wedding anniversary. Really, anywhere in this magnificent country will do, but some of the smaller villages have the most to offer for a romantic getaway with your spouse. Off-the-beaten-path sights, beautiful music flowing through the air, and authentic Italian food- amazing!
Spain
There is a reason why the three love languages are French, Italian, and Spanish- these countries know romance! Take your spouse to Spain for your 15th wedding anniversary and enjoy a relaxing vacation full of luxury, good food, and some of the best sights in the world.
Bora Bora
If you have been longing for a beach vacation, take off to Bora Bora! It offers some of the best beaches in the world, as well as a slower pace of life. Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean, and enjoy the time with the love of your life as you both unwind.
Kerala, India
If you like outdoor adventures, this is the place to go for your anniversary vacation. Stay at a Lake Resort that has traditional features, like wooden gables, carved doors, and large brass locks. Stroll through the 14-acre Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, where you will see storks, herons, egrets, and more, and rent a boat or canoe and spend time on one of the many waterways here.
Staycation
If you don’t have time or money for a huge vacation, consider a staycation. Chances are, you and your spouse have many wonderful memories of your town, so book a hotel room right where you live and explore the city you call home. Visit old stomping grounds, meet up with friends for lunch, have room service bring you breakfast in bed, and relive some of your favorite dates. You don’t have to go far to be romantic and enjoy your 15th wedding anniversary!
Another staycation idea is to stay home for an extended weekend. Have a cleaning service spruce up your home before that weekend arrives, then order takeout and watch your favorite movies all weekend long. You can order a large meal and invite your friends and family over to celebrate with you, or stick to just enjoying the company of your spouse. Getting back to basics and shutting out the rest of the world can be just and rejuvinating as any vacation- and costs less!
Make Your Anniversary Amazing
When you are planning ways to make your 15th wedding anniversary special, you have a lot to think about and many options to choose from. From the amazing gifts to romantic vacations, parties with friends and family to small romantic gestures, spicing up your love life and showing your partner you appreciate and love them is what this anniversary is all about.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to spend a lot, nor do you have to stick to tradition. This anniversary is all about you and your spouse, your favorite things in life, and how you want to remember your 15 years of marriage together. It is about looking to the future and remembering the love you’ve shared over the years, and however you choose to do that is up to the two of you.
15th Wedding Anniversary Wishes
If you are sending wishes to your friends or family members who are celebrating a 15th wedding anniversary, you may be at a loss as to what you need to say. This anniversary is a big one, and you definitely don’t want to miss out on wishing those you love well on this momentous occasion, so check out a few of these quotes from greeting cards to get an idea of what to say.
“Yours is a marriage made in heaven. Wishing you many more years of love!”
“Congratulations on your 15th Anniversary! As you continue your journey together, may your lives always be filled with great health, good fortune, and true happiness.”
“May all your days be filled with love and happiness!”
“The deep love you two share is fresh and bright, truly an example of love done right.”
Of course, you can just keep it sweet and simple and wish your friends “A happy 15th wedding anniversary, and may there be more to come!” Whatever you say, just knowing that their loved one remembered their special day will warm the hearts of the happy couple.
Additional Questions
Do I have to get my spouse a gift of crystal, glass, or a watch for our 15th wedding anniversary? Absolutely not! Those are the traditional and modern suggestions, but your anniversary gift should reflect something your spouse loves or wants.
How much money should I spend on a gift for my spouse for our 15th wedding anniversary? How much you spend depends on how much you can spend. If you are able to buy them something expensive, this is the anniversary to do so. If you can’t, however, that is not a problem. Small, romantic, thoughtful gifts mean just as much (if not more) than expensive items.
My spouse does not like the color red. Is there another color associated with the 15th wedding anniversary? Yes! The amethyst gemstone is also connected to this anniversary. It is purple and it represents healing emotions and making one stronger. In this case, making a couple stronger together.
Can we renew our vows? Yes! You can renew your vows and commitment to one another any time you like, but doing so on the 15th wedding anniversary is particularly special because it is a time of forging a stronger bond and looking to the future.
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Mike is the Founder of Familylifeshare. Mike is well-knowledged in marriage, parenting, dogs, blogging and committed to sharing his knowledge and expertise with his readers. Know more about Mike from here.
