If you have a fifth wedding anniversary coming up, know that gift-giving is always easier when you go with a wooden gift. It’s funny that wood only commemorates five years since most wood gifts can last well beyond that time. Wood also brings a natural luster and beauty that can’t be matched, no matter what it’s used to make. So, when you do pick a woody gift for your anniversary, look for something that provides beauty, comfort, and compatibility—three qualities that also make for a lovely marriage! To help you get started, here are a few traditional gifts to give on your fifth wedding anniversary.
Bed Frame
Five years isn’t so long, but it’s further away from the early days of struggle and borrowed or reclaimed furniture. Celebrate adulthood by ditching the futon or metal bed for the sophistication and comfort of a queen- or king-sized wood frame bed. Wood beds have an elegance and charm that enhances the beauty of any bedroom, plus it’s much more fun to sleep in a new bed with more area to stretch out, read, catch 40 winks, and more.
Cutting Board
If you’re foodies or amateur (or even professional) chefs, one of the best traditional gifts to give on your fifth wedding anniversary is a top-of-the-line wooden cutting board. Wooden cutting boards beat plastic, metal, and marble ones because they self-heal, are easily cleaned, and look gorgeous in your kitchen. They also do double duty as charcuterie or cheese boards for parties and other events. Go with a high-grade board made of maple, teak, or cherry. And you can’t beat the sound wooden cutting boards make as you chop, slice, and dice!
Wooden Chests
Everyone needs a place for their stuff, and there’s no container more elegant and pleasing than a finely crafted handmade wooden chest. Depending on their size and material, wooden chests can serve many functions around the house. Cedar chests are best for storing clothing and other cloth items that you need to protect from moths and other pests. Chests are also ideal as coffee tables, benches, and display areas that not-so-secretly offer extra storage in places where space is at a premium.
A Framed Wedding Portrait
If you haven’t framed that perfect photo from your wedding day yet, now’s the time. Blow it up to a larger size and permanently ensconce it in a frame made of a fine wood like redwood, basswood, ramin, zebrawood, or whatever kind most appeals to you and complements the photo. A romantic inscription wouldn’t go amiss either, so choose the perfect words and immortalize them in wood!