How to Celebrate Your 30th Wedding Anniversary

Congratulations! You’ve made it thirty years into your marriage. After decades of anniversaries, it might be challenging to figure out how to celebrate your 30th. This milestone anniversary is a perfect opportunity for vow renewals as you both recommit to a life together. If that’s not appealing to you, there are several other ideas below that can turn this moment into a memory that will last a lifetime. 

Common Symbols

• Traditional: Pearl. The pearl is symbolic of beauty and long life. 
• Contemporary: Diamond. Diamonds are a symbol of faithfulness and promise. 
• Color: Green. This color symbolizes growth and renewal.
• Flower: Lily. The lily is a symbol of devotion and rebirth. 

30th Anniversary Gifts

Anniversary lists usually have a traditional, modern, and gemstone option. For example, the fifth anniversary includes wood, silverware, and sapphire. However, since thirty is such a milestone year, both symbols are gemstones: pearl and diamond. 

There’s no skimping out with a gift of wood, pottery, or leather this year. The experts who created these anniversary guidelines recommend jewelry in some form or another since fine jewelry sentimental, long-lasting, and can become a family heirloom. 

If you made it to your thirtieth wedding anniversary, that’s something you want all of your family to remember. However, not everyone can easily afford heirloom-quality jewelry, so we have some other gift ideas that are both sentimental and accessible for most people. 

For Her

• Classic pearl jewelry with diamond accents. 
• Order a flower subscription service for the entire year.
• A diamond eternity band to wear with the wedding set. 
• Mother-of-pearl locket with your wedding photos inside. 
• Luxury pajama set with mother of pearl buttons. 

For Him

• Watch with a mother-of-pearl faceplate.
• Mother-of-pearl or diamond cufflinks.
• Watch with diamond accents. 
• A diamond anniversary ring for the opposite hand.
• Mother-of-pearl pen or desk set.

For Couples

These gift ideas are ideal for family and friends who want to celebrate the occasion with the couple. 

• A keepsake candle in a lily scent with a custom label that has the couple’s initials. 
• Upgraded wedding bands with inset diamonds and interior engraving.
• An herb garden that is filled with the couple’s favorite greenery. 
• A wine subscription for the couple to enjoy all year. 
• A personalized photo canvas with the family tree and an anniversary message. 

30th Anniversary Celebration Ideas

Unless you’re an incredibly private couple, a thirtieth wedding anniversary party usually includes your closest family and friends in some capacity. Celebrate! Let your loved ones witness a love that has withstood thirty years of love. If you’re in doubt about sharing the occasion, consider that your celebration could be an inspiration for younger couples who have yet to make it through some of those more tumultuous ups and downs. 

Here are some ways you can craft a fun, creative celebration that honors your love story and captures it for generations to come. If you are the happy couple and don’t want to plan the celebration yourself, pass this link onto your children or close friends and tell them to get busy coordinating something special for you and your spouse. A hint here or there never hurts.  

• Assemble a personalized photo book to showcase highlights from the last three decades. If you're creating this book for your parents, include personal life and relationship lessons you've learned from them over the years. What do you admire about their relationship?
• Throw a surprise party for the happy couple and include a theme that resonates with the couple. Some clever anniversary themes include a 1930s Art Deco pearl party, a honeymoon theme based on their honeymoon location, and a theme based on the decade the couple was married. 
• If you can’t throw a party, find a way to decorate and prep the couple’s home so they can enjoy a romantic night together. Do the legwork for the couple, so they don’t need to plan a thing. For example, offer to cook them dinner and then let them reminisce in peace. 
• Create an anniversary time capsule that is meant to be opened by future generations on their 30th wedding anniversary. Include memories, pieces of advice, and sentimental pieces you don’t mind being covered up for a few decades. 
• Have the entire family chip in on getting the couple a cruise to their favorite locale. 
• Rent a house in a scenic location for a weekend getaway and include your closest family and friends. 
• Create a video montage of family and friends sharing their favorite memories with the couple.