Wedding anniversaries mean themed gifts that emphasize or subtly hint at the name of the holiday. A nickel wedding, which falls on 12.5 years of marriage, fits perfectly into the series of metal anniversaries, when it is customary to give high-quality items or souvenirs for home and personal use. But even here there are subtleties and nuances that need to be taken into account when dealing with the question of what to give for your 12th wedding anniversary.
How to choose a gift for your 12th wedding anniversary
When choosing a gift for 12 years of marriage, find out what the anniversary is called. It turns out that the 12th anniversary itself is not celebrated. Another date was given the honor - 12 and a half years of marriage, which is exactly halfway to the silver anniversary.
It was this holiday that was called the nickel wedding. Although in the festive anniversary calendar the nickel wedding is still celebrated for 28 years of marriage.
If you still decide to go with options with nickel, it’s worth finding out what kind of metal it is and where it is used. History has endowed this material with quite mysterious and sometimes mythical properties.
There were times when this “gift from space” was used exclusively for making talismans and the most formidable weapons that never rusted. Why not use this quality in choosing your 12th wedding anniversary greetings?
So, the first direction in choosing a gift is definitely - feel free to choose talismans, coins on pendants or collectible sabers and knives. Don’t forget to supplement your congratulations with a mysterious story about the origin of such a souvenir or tell us about the magical properties of the talisman.
If you forget about the mythical side of the issue and plunge into more real stories related to nickel, you can find out that any things made of stainless steel contain nickel.
It is this raw material that prevents products from rusting and gives them special strength and shine.
The second direction is dishes, candlesticks, salad bowls, teapots, stainless steel Turks. But even before the advent of stainless steel, nickel was considered a semi-precious metal. It can still be found today in cupronickel alloys.
Ideal gifts for a nickel wedding of 12 years include sets of cutlery, wine glasses, cupronickel silver trays.
Traditions and features of the celebration
The nickel wedding is the second of the “half” anniversaries, including zinc, aluminum and stone. According to custom, it is celebrated after 12 years and 6 months, but many couples celebrate it at 12 years old, coinciding the celebration with the date of the wedding. Like all wedding ceremonies, it has its own customs and traditions.
A couple of centuries ago, guests gave uncleaned utensils to a nickel wedding. The owner had to polish it to a shine so that the family could live happily. Today, before celebrating a memorable date, it is customary to polish all metal utensils in the house: spoons, frying pans, pots.
The room for the celebration is decorated thematically, making sure that the decor echoes the symbolism of the holiday. Steel shades and silk fabric become the “headliners” in the interior.
Nickel-plated or cupronickel cutlery is wrapped in silk napkins. Silk curtains are hung on the windows, chairs are decorated with satin ribbons. The decorative design is complemented with candles in steel candlesticks, openwork metal napkin holders, and a shining ice bucket for champagne or a samovar is placed in the center of the table.
Before the festive feast, the “newlyweds” exchange symbols of fidelity - nickel-plated rings, and visit memorable places for them: the place where they met or had their first date, the church where the wedding ceremony took place. It is advisable that the “bride” wear a silk dress and the “groom” wear a silk shirt. As a last resort, you can complement the festive outfit with silk handkerchiefs or ribbons.
Happy 12th wedding day: departs from standard gift options
You don’t like the hackneyed theme of metal gifts, since the “newlyweds” have already been given similar gifts for a cast iron anniversary and a copper holiday, a tin wedding and a tin tenth anniversary of marriage. And just recently there was a steel wedding - so, for sure, most products for the kitchen and home have long been crossed off the list of possible gifts.
In this case, consider other options for names for a 12-year wedding anniversary - the traditions of other nations will tell you what to give.
A beautiful silk wedding is celebrated in eastern countries. Go this way. Silk is a beautiful, durable and elegant material. You can choose beautiful 3D bed linen.
Floral prints or city images will look great on silk.
Moreover, on the 12th anniversary, there is a tradition for spouses to repeat their “wedding” night on beautiful silk linen.
If you have a fairly friendly relationship with the newlyweds and you are well acquainted with their tastes, feel free to choose something from personal clothing. Let it be an elegant silk scarf for the “bride” and a formal tie for the “groom”.
Gifts for the holiday table will be less frank, but no less desirable. A tablecloth, themed silk napkins - such a set will invariably please the spouses.
But there is another tradition associated with the 12th wedding anniversary that Americans adhere to.
It is customary to celebrate pearl weddings there. But giving pearls is a bad omen.
Therefore, it is better to focus on the second version of the American name - the festival of multi-colored stones. Agree, a beautiful name and a limitless field for choosing gifts.
There is an opportunity, give the spouses jewelry or even jewelry with beautiful stones. Any lamp, ashtray, vase, photo frame made or decorated with stones will fit perfectly into the holiday concept.
Once you find out what you get for your 12th wedding anniversary, feel free to make a list of options. Our options and ideas for gifts for a nickel wedding will help with this, what to give from parents, children, relatives, friends, spouses.
Symbolism of the twelfth anniversary
Nickel and silk are the main symbols of the celebration. The holiday scenario is built around them, and they are also necessary elements of gifts for the “newlyweds”. These materials are beautiful and reliable, but they still lack strength - nickel melts easily, and silk is afraid of direct sunlight. Their properties are usually transferred to the relationship between husband and wife.
A couple with 12 years of experience experienced crises in the first, third, and seventh years of marriage. Minor quarrels, annoying habits of the other half, problems with sex no longer make you want to get a divorce. Growing children delight their parents with their successes. Settled life goes on as usual, but the couple’s relationship cannot yet be called strong. For this, both lack life experience and wisdom. Therefore, the main goal of the holiday is to remind the “newlyweds” that their union needs to be polished, as well as work on mistakes.
Since a nickel wedding is not an anniversary, it is not necessary to celebrate it on a grand scale. Spouses have the right to congratulate each other without witnesses or magnificent celebrations. But the 12 years of marriage are worth remembering in a special way: setting a festive table, inviting guests, or going on a honeymoon together.
What do parents give for a nickel wedding?
Parents, like no one else, know what the heroes of the occasion need, and can safely give personal gifts and important little things.
The children's house is undergoing renovation, choose faucets, towel holders, and a beautiful hanger. Such a gift will come in handy and will fit perfectly into the theme of the holiday.
Someone in the family is interested in garden design, give them an original fountain or bench or chaise lounge. Let your gift remind you of caring and add variety to the environment.
Children love picnics - buy a set of grills, skewers for the grill, and a mini smokehouse.
These items are made of stainless steel and will never become redundant.
A travel set of stainless steel cookware is ideal for outdoor trips. It does not break and fits compactly into portable suitcases or baskets.
The symbol of a nickel wedding is considered to be real edged weapons. It is customary to give swords, daggers, sabers. Supplement such a gift with a parable telling about the strength of such a weapon, which will invariably maintain the strength of the alliance.
If you want to surprise your children, give them a beautiful samovar.
It will become not just a wonderful gift, but also the center of attention during the holiday itself. Why not have a tea party from a brand new samovar, mesmerizingly releasing steam.
What do relatives give for their 12th wedding anniversary?
When choosing a gift for your family, take into account their tastes and preferences. It will be a shame if another photo frame or set of pens is immediately given away or thrown on a shelf.
Considering the variety of items containing nickel, choosing gifts for a nickel wedding should not arise.
If you are going on holiday to a family of coffee lovers, give your spouses a beautiful Turk. Coffee lovers will always appreciate this gift. But it’s better to supplement it with a package of quality coffee beans.
A set of a beautiful bottle and glasses on a tray, made of an alloy containing nickel, will perfectly decorate the table and become a themed gift. Fill such a bottle with homemade wine or liqueur, which you can drink right at the holiday.
If you bake well and create themed culinary masterpieces, give them an original cake made with your own hands. Make inscriptions with wishes on it or write the names of the spouses and the wedding date.
Come up with cool decorations that symbolize the name of the wedding and the strength of the newlyweds’ relationship. Usually the 12th anniversary is celebrated in a close circle.
Therefore, invited sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles can easily agree on a common gift.
In this case, you can choose more expensive household or computer equipment.
Do you think that a couple who has lived together for 12 years should have every possible device available? You are deeply mistaken. During this time, many technologies have simply become outdated, and quite a lot of new products appear on the market in this direction.
Consider a gift option in the form of a multi-oven or fondue set. Or perhaps it's time to replace your refrigerator, TV or washing machine.
How to congratulate parents
Let their adult children organize a 28th wedding anniversary celebration for parents. It is necessary to prepare an interesting program, with jokes and congratulations, so that the holiday carries as many romantic notes and positive emotions as possible. Remember that organizing a holiday does not negate the need for a symbolic souvenir as a gift to parents, and wealthy adult children can afford a fairly expensive present. Successful gifts for parents on a nickel wedding anniversary can include, for example:
- Bathrobes. Give your parents matching bathrobes. To make it a symbolic gift, order initials embroidered with silver threads. And tie the gift with a silver ribbon. It will cost about 4,000 rubles for everything.
- Theater or cinema tickets. Give the “newlyweds” cinema or theater tickets, let them go out together and see each other not only at home. After watching, they can sit in their favorite cafe and have a romantic dinner.
- Rest in a boarding house. If you are ready to spend big, then give your parents a holiday in a boarding house for their 28th anniversary. Pay for a room for a week or more so that the spouses can celebrate this date together in a calm and comfortable environment. Rest and treatment in a boarding house for two will cost no less than 40,000 rubles.
- Video. An option for a budget gift that requires some effort is a video of your most memorable photos, videos and your parents’ favorite tune. This can be created using a special computer program absolutely free. Come up with and write down a beautiful message, thanking your mom and dad for giving you life.
- A sky lantern will be an incredibly cute and bright surprise. Buy several lanterns decorated with the number twenty-eight for the holiday. Launching lanterns with friends and relatives will be a worthy climax to a romantic holiday.
- Rings made of jewelry alloy with nickel. Few spouses save their wedding rings. Someone loses, for someone they become small. Spouses can exchange nickel-plated silver wedding rings, which will be given to them by their children. Rings can be engraved with initials or a family motto.
What do friends give for their 12th nickel wedding?
Friends can easily give a cool or heartfelt gift to the heroes of the occasion.
Stop at any useful little thing made of nickel. But just give 12 of these little things.
Let each item symbolize the year lived together. Alternatively, consider:
- 12 spoons;
- 12 glasses;
- 12 razors and hairpins each;
- 12 skewers;
- 12 jars for seasonings;
- 12 silk napkins.
It will be interesting to come up with cool congratulations or sayings and present these items one by one.
Or order a beautiful painting, for which you will have to choose a shiny frame. Let it depict happy spouses. Nowadays it’s easy to make such a portrait from a photograph.
Inexpensive options include shiny boxes, elegant bottle stands, original figurines, and stationery.
The “tree of happiness” made from nickel wire will look original.
You can buy it or make it yourself. You can provide for an original ceremony at a wedding, when guests write wishes on leaves and attach them to such a tree. To do this, you will need to additionally prepare such leaves.
What to give your wife for a nickel wedding
Over the course of 12.5 years of marriage, the couple became well acquainted with each other’s tastes and preferences. Therefore, there are usually no problems with choosing the right, practical gift.
You should not choose ordinary souvenirs - it is better to give your beloved a not too expensive, but desirable gift.
And let it not entirely correspond to the theme of the nickel anniversary. The main thing is that it pleases everyone and emphasizes the attentive, caring attitude of the man.
Perhaps your wife has been looking for kitchen appliances in an unusual design or in a certain color scheme for a long time, or she boasted that she saw in the nearest store exactly that set of miniature saucepans that are so missing in your kitchen.
Don't think that this is a whim or self-indulgence. A woman will really be happy with this transparent kettle with a timer and heating or a multicooker with 56 programs, but in a light green color.
If your family has a tradition of giving themed jewelry for your wedding anniversary, do not change it. Look for wedding rings made of nickel - let these jewelry add to your home collection.
Make a cute engraving on these rings. And if you choose a ring with a beautiful stone or a designer one, it will become not just an element of the collection, but the wife’s favorite piece of jewelry and a pleasant wedding gift.
If you prefer precious metals, buy earrings, bracelets, pendants, and chains made of silver. The brilliance and beauty of such decorations will emphasize the magical meaning of the holiday.
A woman will never refuse to replenish her jewelry box.
Don't forget about the opportunity to give silk items for your 12th wedding. Here you can dwell on personal and even intimate things. A set of beautiful underwear, a sexy peignoir with a nightgown, an elegant silk robe embroidered with flowers - only a husband can afford to give such things.
And this holiday is a great opportunity to let your beloved know that you like the way she looks in a homely, intimate setting.
If a magnificent banquet is not planned, arrange a beautiful romantic dinner. Invite your spouse to an expensive restaurant or to an unusual meeting for two on the roof of a house, in the forest or on the seashore.
Definitely, vacation packages for two will be a pleasant surprise for your beloved and a wonderful way to congratulate her and celebrate a joint date.
Gifts for husband
Men traditionally love practical gifts, so all ideas on what to give your husband on his wedding day will be on the useful side.
Nickel gifts:
- A new phone, laptop or tablet in a nickel case or with inserts made of this metal will delight your loved one. Moreover, the device will be useful to him in his work.
- A cigarette holder with a commemorative engraving will be a great gift for your spouse if he loves to smoke.
- A set of flasks and glasses with nickel decorations can be found in any gift store and is perfect for a travel enthusiast, fisherman or hunter.
- A wristwatch with a case made of this metal with a shiny strap is an excellent gift that will add style to every modern man.
wrist watch
- A desk set consisting of a stationery stand, papier-mâché and a stylish globe will become a real decoration for both your office and your home workplace.
- You can search the Internet for a full globe bar, and fill it with your husband’s favorite drinks, so that in moments of relaxation he can relax with something tasty from the glass he’s already given.
globe bar
- Newton's balls are an excellent desk toy that will not leave any lover of intellectual gifts indifferent.
Newton's pendulum
Silk gifts:
- A stylish suit or shirt will undoubtedly decorate every man's wardrobe. There are never enough good suits, but now your beloved will have something to wear with you to the restaurant on the occasion of the celebration.
- If you have both a suit and a shirt, a cool branded tie from a well-known company definitely won’t hurt. Believe me, men understand such things and business partners will definitely notice that your husband is wearing good, presentable things, and this can be a good plus when signing an important contract, since respectable people are trusted more.
- For your home, you can buy your spouse a silk robe, in which he will leave the bathroom and spend his leisure time with you in a pleasant environment.
