Congrats on your upcoming ten year anniversary! Looking for the best 10 year anniversary gift ideas and date ideas? These are our favorites.
For the past 10 years, we’ve enjoyed putting together these lists as we research what to do on our anniversary and what traditional anniversary gifts to add to our home. It’s hard to believe 10 years went by in a blink.
Most of our money goes to travel and experiences, and we usually take a trip around our anniversary to make it memorable, but it looks like this year we’ll be celebrating at home.
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Last Updated: September 2, 2020
Our 10 Year Story
We got engaged and married in Atlanta, bought a house, and adopted two orange tabbies. Jacob was born and raised in Atlanta, and I had lived there since high school.
Everything looked like we were going to live a traditional life with the 2.5 kids working 9-5 jobs. But then, we moved cross country, started a travel blog, moved to 5 different cities each year following that, traveled to 6 continents, and faced many fears together while trying something new.
If I’m being honest, those were only the highlights. We had so many low points in our relationship too, some of which felt like our marriage was completely falling apart. We both carried our fair share of emotional baggage into the relationship, but I’ll admit I liked to hoard mine.
After ten years, we don’t know if we’ve dealt with the worst of it, but we still believe the best is yet to come as we work together. It will take a lifetime to work through every problem, but we’re each others’ best friends. Though it may not be rainbows and unicorns all the time, I can’t imagine life without my best friend.
10 Year Anniversary Traditional Gifts and Symbols
Traditional: Tin or Aluminum
Modern: Diamond
Flower: Daffodil
Gemstone: Blue Sapphire, Crystal, Diamond, Green Tourmaline
Color: Silver or Blue
Some sources say Diamond and Blue Sapphire while others say Crystal and Green Tourmaline
10 Creative Date Nights for Your 10 Year Anniversary
1. Attend a Daffodil Festival or Visit a Daffodil Field
If your anniversary happens to land around the Daffodil Festival, you can make a trip out of it. Depending on the location, the festivals or blooms can be anywhere from late winter to spring.
During our quarantine, we used this DIY candle making kit to try candle making for the first time. We picked the white tea scent, but it comes with a variety of scents and you pour them into tins. It’s also eco-friendly, since you can continue to reuse the tins and get supplies to make more candles.
These DIY tin can lanterns can be another DIY date, and you can use both of these to help set the mood for an even bigger date night.
Note: You need to pick up a food thermometer to make candles if you don’t have one already.
3. Tea Tasting (Tin Theme)
Many luxury teas come in tins, and for our tea tasting we chose:
- Heavenly Gyokuro – the highest grade of Japanese green tea where less than half of one percent of all Japanese green tea becomes Gyokuro.
- Blueberry Green Tea – one of my day-to-day favorites.
- Hojicha – roasted green tea that originated in Kyoto 100 years ago.
- Moroccan Mint – loved it in Morocco, so I wanted to try some at home.
This is the traditional Japanese tea set we have with a blue and white wave design. If you want to taste a variety of teas to figure out which one you like, you should try the Harney & Sons sampler with 18 different varieties.
4. Plant a Daffodil Garden
If you love gardening or you want to try your hand in a new hobby, it could be a lovely time to plant daffodils in your garden. Or you can plant a garden with all ten flower varieties for each year.
1. Carnation, 2. Cosmos, 3. Sunflower, 4. Hydrangea, 5. Daisy, 6. Calla Lily, 7. Freesia, 8. Lilac or Clematis, 9. Poppy
If you’re planting daffodils, here’s a daffodil planting guide.
If you’re not into gardening, you can try a flower arrangement class and learn to make a daffodil arrangement or find some youtube videos and DIY.
We have a park across the street that we like to take walks in, but we’re going to have to take our new electric bike for a spin soon. Don’t forget to get a solid bike lock for your bike too!
After 10 years, I’m sure you have some favorite recipes you could include in this tin recipe box. You can make a night of it and brainstorm all your favorite foods you’ve made and eaten over the years and make recipe cards together.
9. Stay at a Five Diamond Hotel
See the five and four-diamond hotels here. We recently enjoyed our staycation at the Wynn in Las Vegas, and we ordered a lot of room service.
10. Have a Tin-Themed or Diamond-Themed Movie Night
Here are some tin and diamond themed movies. Some are a stretch with the names, but I figure more options the better. I’ve also linked to rotten tomatoes if you want to see ratings)
Tin Movies: The Adventures of Tintin, The Little Tin Man, Tin, Tin City, Tin Cup, Tin Man, Tin Men, Tin Star, Wizard of Oz, All the Rin Tin Tin Movies
Diamond Movies: Blood Diamond, Diamonds are Forever, Diamond Cartel, Diamond Island, Diamond Necklace, Diamond on Vinyl, Diamond Tongues, Indiana Jones Temple of Doom, Oceans 8, Snatch, To Catch a Thief
Or if books and audiobooks are more your speed:
Tin Books: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Rin Tin Tin The Life and the Legend, Tin Can Titans, Tin Drum, Tin God, The Tin Kicker, Tin Man, Tin Pan Alley, The Tin Roof Blowdown
Diamond Books: Acres of Diamonds, Blood Diamonds, Diamonds and Blood, Diamonds are Forever, Diamond in the Rough, Diamond Head, Immortal Diamond, The Queen’s Diamonds, She Wears Pain Like Diamonds
10 Tin-Themed 10 Year Anniversary Gifts
Many of these were mentioned above to use in a creative date night.
We loved this candle making kit from Wash and Wik for one of our quarantine date nights.
2. Art Supplies
We mentioned this one as a date night option, but it’s a fun way to collect all those favorite recipes in one place.
If you’re a tea connoisseur, you can find some rare and high-end tea like the Gyokuro (mentioned above), and they come in tins. If you’re a beginner, you can start with the Harney & Sons sampler with 18 different varieties before you commit to an entire tin.
We have these state cookie cutters in all the states we’ve lived in: Georgia, Oregon, California, New York, and Nevada. If you want to be extra, you can even store your cookies in cute vintage cookie tins.
Do you love camping? You have to check out this portable campfire.
There’s a lot of makeup that comes in a tin case, including the Naked 3 eyeshadow palette (and Naked 2) from Urban Decay.
Do you have a song as a couple? You can personalize this tin sound wave wall art with your favorite song, the whole song or part of the song, text, font, and ink color. Our songs are either Come What May or Darling I Do, because we sang them both at our wedding.
Did you know Tiffany’s came out with a collection of everyday objects, one of which is a sterling silver tin can? Sure, it might be more than $1000, but what else are you going to do with that $1000 laying around.
They also have this sterling silver first aid tin box. You may think it’s ridiculous, but many of the everyday objects are sold out.
10 Aluminum 10 Year Anniversary Gifts
As a travel blog, it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t include travel gear. This aluminum luggage from MVST is our first hard case suitcase, and so far we love it. It’s beautiful but also has solid construction that can handle the wear and tear from any adventure.
I also happen to be a little OCD about everything my luggage touches at the airport, so I’m glad they included a protective cover.
I haven’t had a bike since I was a little kid, but I do love riding them when we visit different cities.
We just ordered the new RadWagon 4 in white, which we can’t wait to get so we can be more eco-friendly and save on gas. We’ll mostly be using it to run errands around town. Plus, we can convert the back to have a seat or handlebar so that we can ride together and live in our very own K-drama. Don’t forget a solid bike lock to keep it safe!
Going for a scenic bike ride at the park is another one you can add to the ten year anniversary date nights list!
The Apple Watch, iPod, and iPhone are all made of aluminum.
If you want to upgrade your SO’s sunglasses, these Raybans have an aluminum frame.
These beautiful Mont Blanc smart headphones are crafted in high-quality aluminum, fine leather, and silicone.
6. Airstream or Car
This would be a real splurge, but we have been talking about getting an Airstream ever since we lived in an Airstream one summer.
Although not completely made out of aluminum, this Crosley turntable has a damped die-cast aluminum platter.
You can find all sorts of home decor made out of aluminum. If you’re looking for something custom, these dancing mosaic letters are made of recycled aluminum. You could get your initials or family name. We love our ampersand.
9. Outdoor Furniture
If you’re a plant lover, these aluminum planters are beautiful and come with a brass finish or chrome finish.
10 Diamond 10 Year Anniversary Gifts
1. Diamond Jewelry
This is the most obvious. If your SO loves jewelry, you can always find plenty of diamond jewelry options, or you can use this opportunity to upgrade your engagement ring. After all, it’s been 10 years.
If you’d rather not spend a lot of money on jewelry, you can find a lot of cute diamond-shaped jewelry on Etsy. Love how dainty it is!
This diamond-shaped tea strainer can also go perfect with our tea tasting anniversary date idea. Previously I’ve been using disposable tea bags from Daiso, but I’ve been meaning to find a more waste-free way to drink my tea. Can’t wait for these to arrive!
You can bake a cake together with this diamond heart-shaped cake mold.
Is it overkill if you have diamond-shaped ice cubes in your diamond-shaped glasses? haha We like our whiskey neat, but these certainly are pretty for other drinks.
If you’d rather eat your gifts like me, we found diamond-shaped chocolates. We’re waiting until it’s not 100+ degrees out before ordering these, so they don’t melt on the way.
7. Diamond Watch
If you’re looking for more luxury items, you might love this Chanel diamond watch.
If you’re looking for something for your home, here’s a diamond-shaped coffee table. I’ve always had a thing for geometric shaped decor.
These concrete diamond sculptures are another gift option for the home. I’ve never been a fan of sculptures for home decor until Daina came and redecorated our new apartment in Vegas. Now, I see the appeal. Depending on the size you get, you can also use it as a ring holder.
10. Whiskey Glasses
We love whiskey tasting nights and have been trying different kinds. These diamond-shaped whiskey glasses and a bottle of your favorite whiskey sounds like the best night.
More Tin Themed Ten Year Anniversary Gift Ideas
- Anatomy of Coffee Sign
- Antique Toys
- Aromatherapy Set
- Bacon Soap
- Baguette Pan
- Beer Mug (Tin/Aluminum) – custom engraved with Periodic Table Element
- Bento Box
- Beverage Dispenser
- Board Games
- Book Darts Line Markers
- Bread Box
- Cake Stand
- Campfire in a Tin
- Camping Cups
- Can Cable Car (Aluminum/Tin)
- Can Robot (Aluminum/Tin)
- Candle Making Kit
- Carry-on Cocktail Kit
- Christmas Cookie Tin Custom
- Chocolate Drink from Charbonnel – haven’t tried the chocolate drink, but their champagne chocolates are my favorite.
- Coffee Tin
- Colored Pencils
- Cookie Cutters
- Cufflinks
- Cufflinks with Dimes
- Dishwasher Starter Set – also eco-friendly
- Funnel
- Gin Kit (Some Tin)
- Golf Ball Custom Marker Tool (from Tin Cup)
- Gourmet Popcorn
- Kaleidoscope
- Kazoo
- Lantern
- Lunch Box
- Magnetic Spice Tins
- Makeup Palettes
- Metal Letter Decor
- Muffin Tin
- Oatmeal
- Outdoor Popcorn Popper
- Periodic Table of Elements Glass (Tin/Aluminum/Carbon for Diamond)
- Photo Frame
- Recipe Box
- Retro Popcorn Seasoning Set
- Ring
- Small Tin Box
- Solid Lotion
- Sound Wave Art
- Star Map (Aluminum/Tin)
- Survival Kit
- Tea
- Tiffany’s Sterling Silver Tin Can
- Tin Cup Custom Engraved
- Tin Man Statue
- Upcycled Earrings Circle Drop, Triangle, Fan, Mismatch Triangle
- Vintage Tins
- Watering Can (Aluminum/Tin)
More Aluminum Ten Year Anniversary Gift Ideas
- Airstream
- Apple Watch
- Beer Mug (Tin/Aluminum/Carbon for Diamond) – custom engraved with Periodic Table Element
- Bike
- Bluetooth Speaker
- Bracelet Custom Engraved
- Can Cable Car (Aluminum/Tin)
- Can Robot (Aluminum/Tin)
- Car
- Carabiner
- Cocktail Shaker – vintage and only one available
- Cookie Spoon Pan
- Cookware Set
- Dancing Mosaic Letters
- Dice
- DJI Mavic Air (9% Aluminum)
- Dutch Oven
- Fishing Boat
- Fly Fishing Rod
- Fountain Pen
- Fry Pan
- Grigri Belay Device
- Hand Juicer
- Headphones
- Ice Cream Scoop
- iPhone
- Juicer
- Kazoo
- LED Chandelier
- License Plate Art with Anniversary Date
- License Plate USA Map
- Luggage
- Metal Wall Art
- Outdoor Furniture
- Periodic Table of Elements Glass (Tin/Aluminum/Carbon for Diamond)
- Photo Frame
- Planter
- Pocket Bike Pump
- Self-Warming Mug
- Side Table Gem Cut
- Slim Wallet
- Star Map (Aluminum/Tin)
- Sunglasses
- Tumblers – vintage and only 1 available
- Turntable
- Whipped Cream Dispenser
- Watering Can (Aluminum/Tin)
More Diamond Themed Ten Year Anniversary Gifts
- Beer Mug (Tin/Aluminum/Carbon for Diamond) – custom engraved with Periodic Table Element
- Cake Mold
- Chocolates
- Coffee Table
- Diamond Jewelry
- Diamond Shaped Jewelry
- Ice Cube Tray
- Paper Clips
- Periodic Table of Elements Glass (Tin/Aluminum/Carbon for Diamond)
- Sculptures
- Soap
- Tea Strainer
- Tray – also Linen for 4th anniversary
- Whiskey Decanter
- Whiskey Glasses
More Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas and Random Gift Ideas
- Wrap your gift in aluminum foil
- Fill a tin bucket with your SO’s favorite things like snacks, books, etc
- Friends Mug for 10 years “the one where we were quarantined” I randomly saw this while browsing etsy.
It took us a few days to look up everything imaginable, but in case we missed anything, can you think of any other ideas for 10 year anniversary gifts?
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“Discovery consists not of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes” – M. Proust
Esther + Jacob
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.
