Whether it’s for your parents, grandparents, siblings or cousins, it can be difficult to find the right gift for a fiftieth wedding anniversary. Presents for family members are often harder to choose than those for friends; you want to show how well you know them and how much you care.
This list is designed to help you pick a gift that will do just that without breaking the bank. Whoever it is in your family that has reached this golden milestone, we’ve got something that will help them celebrate in style and get you in their good books.
How to Choose a 50th Anniversary Gift for Family
For some golden anniversary couples, it’s appropriate to buy them gifts that are creatively linked to the theme or the number 50. That could be a good option for some relatives, but for close family, it’s best to look for something that has a personal touch and links to their interests or your shared history.
For example:
- A gift that refers to the date of their wedding.
- Something that connects to an interest that the couple share.
- A gift that highlights memories that you have of their marriage or their lives together.
- Something that they can enjoy together in the future.
50th Anniversary Gifts for Family
Here are our suggestions for an unforgettable 50th anniversary gift:
1. Anniversary Memory Book
A memory book is a beautifully presented scrapbook combined with a photo album. I love this engraved, wood fronted option at Not on the Highstreet and this uniquely personalised ring-bound book from Etsy. Inside they have as many blank pages as you need.
They’re a great way to collect and present pictures, treasured memories or keepsakes. You could collect family photographs or include favourite anecdotes and tales from the 50 years of marriage.
2. Wooden Family Tree Plaque
Family trees are a great visual way to celebrate a golden milestone with members of your family. This wooden plaque on Etsy is one of the best I’ve seen and beautifully presents each of your family names onto a tree.
3. Metal Golden Anniversary Family Tree Art
This family tree available at Not on The Highstreet can be personalised with your family names and is then printed onto gold metallic aluminium. It matches perfectly with the golden wedding theme and will be eye-catching and memorable when hung on the wall.
4. A Family Photo in a Gold Frame
Photos are an incredibly personal gift and can easily be turned into something exceptional. If you have a great photo of the couple or of your whole family you could have it printed and present it in this vintage-style gold frame from Dunelm. It has ornate detailing in each corner but is still simple enough to look stylish in any home.
5. 9ct Gold Carissima Photo Locket
This gold daisy pendant from Carissima will make an incredible golden wedding present. It’s available on Amazon and holds two small photos. You can choose your favourite pictures of the couple and add place them inside before you wrap it up. The only drawback is that it’s a gift for one person only, so you’ll need to pair it with something else.
6. A Photo Made into a Jigsaw Puzzle
Have your favourite picture of the golden couple made into a professionally finished Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle. There are several size options, you can go for a small 49 piece puzzle or even make it as big as 2000 pieces. This is a unique way of using a photo that will really make your gift stand out. If you don’t think the recipients of this gift will want to stare at pictures of themselves as they make the puzzle you could always use a picture of the whole family instead.
7. Personalised Garden Gift Basket
This lined garden basket is available on Etsy and comes packed with personalised bunting, gloves, a gardening hand tool, twine, 20 seed pots, 5 plant labels, a travel cup, a garden birds bag for life and a wooden bird box. It’s perfect for the couple who love to spend time maintaining their garden and watching the wildlife.
8. Couples Pamper Set
The Mega Anniversary pamper set contains everything you need for a long evening of relaxation. It can be gift wrapped and personalised; inside you get several handpicked products, including two pairs of spa slippers, two face masks, a selection of mini toiletries, two packs of assorted sweets, two Nescafe double choc mocha packets, two packs of two border biscuits, a Galaxy salted caramel bar and a Galaxy smooth milk chocolate bar.
9. Friday Night Curry Subscription
Created by The Spicery and available via Not on the Highstreet, this subscription service provides a monthly delivery of fresh spices and recipe cards to help you create a memorable curry for four people. The recipes are varied and include curries from all over the world, they also include instructions for several side dishes like chutneys, salads or breads.
10. Explorer Mixed Wine Club
The Explorer Mixed Wine Club is a monthly or quarterly delivery service provided by Great Wines with no contract or minimum term. It includes a box of 12 bottles of wine with a selection of different colours and types. They choose exceptional but uncomplicated flavours and allow you to get to know the grapes from new countries and regions. This is an ideal gift for a couple who enjoy a glass of wine in the evening and would be open to broadening their horizons and trying something new.
11. Big Love Jumbo Sweet Gift Box
If you’re looking for a gift for a couple with a sweet tooth then you’ve found it. The Big Love Jumbo Sweet Box is packed with all sorts of candy goodies. There are old favourites alongside some newer items, but they’re all linked to the theme of romance and love. This isn’t the most traditional present but it’s one that’s guaranteed to raise a smile.
50th Anniversary Gifts for Parents
If the couple celebrating their 50th year together are your parents, you may want to spend a little more and find something with an extra personal touch:
12. A Steam Train Journey
There are numerous steam railways still in action throughout the UK. Many of them offer package tours that involve great scenery, tasty food and even a night or two in a luxury hotel. Couples celebrating fifty years of marriage will likely still remember journeys on steam trains and this could be the perfect blend of adventure and reminiscence. Visit Virgin Experiences to see what they’ve got available.
13. Lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill
Virgin Experience Days offer lots of great dining deals that are ideal 50th anniversary gifts. My favourite is this three-course meal for two at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill. Surrounded by the elegance of the art deco dining room, your parents will get to enjoy delicious plates from a daily-changing seasonal menu. It’s a genuinely special experience that they will be talking about for many years to come.
14. Nespresso Machine and Pod Pack
If your mum and dad love coffee but get put off by having to fill up their own cafetiere why not make it super easy with a Nespresso machine. It’s the quick way to really great coffee and you can match it with a pack of assorted capsules; they get to try hundreds of different types of coffees without having to work their way through whole bags of beans.
15. Pro-Series Deluxe Photobook
You’re bound to have hundreds of photos tucked away that would be ideal as an anniversary present; take your parents for a trip down memory lane and include photographs of the family with pictures of past events. This luxurious photobook is a stunning way to turn photos into a treasured keepsake. Made with the finest materials this is one of the most luxurious photobooks I’ve seen which makes it just what you need for a golden wedding gift. You can choose from a range of sizes; small (8” x 6”) to extra-large (18”x12”) and you can also select the paper type and number of pages.
16. Engraved Decorative Plate
This delicate white pottery plate can be engraved with all the names of your family. The engraving is arranged in the outline of a collection of leaves; in the top leaf you can have a date, then there are six leaves for family names and a final pair of leaves to say, ‘our family’. It’s an ideal gift for your parents and it will be treasured more than any other plate they own
17. Framed Family Tree Illustration with Photos
This delightfully illustrated print can be customised to include pictures of your family members. Their faces will be carefully arranged around a tree and decorated with birds and flowers. You can choose the colours used and select which type of frame you prefer.
18. Fortnum and Mason Champagne and Chocolates Box
Seeing as it was likely you that drove your parents to drink in the first place, you owe it to them to let them do it in style. On a special occasion like this, it’s time to crack open the really good stuff; this set from Fortnum and Mason pairs Brut Reserve Champagne with Marc de Champagne Truffles in a gift box with a personalised label.
19. Engraved Crystal Cut Gin Glass
If your parents aren’t into Champagne or prefer something a little stronger why not get them some customised glassware. This crystal cut gin glass is perfect for gin lovers and will even be ideal for cocktails. You can have three lines of 25 characters each engraved onto the side to make it completely unique.
50th Anniversary Gifts for Grandparents
Here are our suggestions for 50th anniversary gifts for your golden grandparents. Whatever your grandparents are into, you’re sure to find something here that will catch your eye and inspire a meaningful golden wedding anniversary gift:
20. A Grandparents’ Journal
Entitled ‘Tell Us More Grandparents’ this is a well-presented journal packed with questions for your grnadparents to fill in. It’s designed to help them record their memories to act as a talking point and aid to memory. Not only are these incredible personal gifts that can be treasured for many years to come, the process of making them can be enjoyable too.
21. Ancestry DNA Kit
DNA kits can provide all sorts of information about your heritage and family history. If your grandparents are interested in their roots, why not give them a technological advantage. Depending on which test you choose they’ll be able to find out where their ancestors came from, track family lines and even look at the ancient migration paths of their predecessors.
22. Personal Biographer
This incredible service matches your grandparents with a professional ghostwriter who will write their life story. It’s not a cheap gift by any means, but it’s something that can be treasured for many years to comes. Story Terrace, founded by Rutger Bruining, is a UK company and was even featured on Dragon’s Den.
23. Digital Photo Frame
This Dragon Touch WiFI enabled frame from Amazon is an ideal gift in an age where thousands of the photographs we take remain on a phone or memory card. Similar in appearance to a standard frame, you can load it with hundreds of digital images which it slowly rotates so your grandparents get to enjoy their favourites.
24. Alexa Echo
The gift of an Alexa opens up a whole world of home automation. Why not add in some extra Bluetooth speakers, Alexa controlled plugs and lights or even a Facebook portal. Not only will these allow your grandparents to control their home with their voice, but they open up a whole new world of convenient access to music, radio, podcasts and even super easy communication with family.
25. Turntable with Vinyl to Digital Function
A turntable is a great gift in its own right, but these models on Amazon have a USB connection that allows you to convert your favourite vinyl into digital format. There’s nothing like the sound of vinyl but converting some golden oldies for digital use is a great way of preserving them and reducing wear and tear. If your grandparents have shelves full of old vinyl that they’ve not listened to in years, this may be just the thing to encourage them to dig them out again.
26. Audiobook Subscription
This is a useful service that anyone will love but it’s particularly suited to those who don’t feel they get the time to read as much as they like. It’s also a great way for the golden couple to enjoy a book together. It’s one of those things that they will likely really enjoy but are unlikely to think to buy for themselves. Audible gives you a new audiobook every month for just £7.99.
27. Bird Feeding Station/ Birdhouse with Camera
Ideal for those who like to get outside or watch the birds in their garden, why not get a bird feeding station with several different feeders. Or you could go for a WiFI enabled birdhouse. That’s not one that lets the starlings log in and surf the web but one with a camera that connects via WiFI to laptops, tablets, or phones. It’s an incredible way to see your garden birds in more detail than ever before.
Conclusion
If these ideas have sparked your interest, it’s time to personalise them and add those small touches that will make it even more special. Taking your time over the wrapping and presentation is another excellent way to show your appreciation of the happy couple.
