11 year anniversary gifts: 30 steel and personal ideas for him or her
Thirty ways to mark eleven years, from an engraved steel watch to a book with "our 11th year" on the cover.
30 ideas ·
The 11th is the first anniversary past the big ten, and it often gets less fuss than it deserves. That's a shame, because eleven years in, you know each other better than anyone, and a gift can show it.
The traditional 11th anniversary gift is steel, chosen because it's strong, it holds its shape and it's made in fire. The modern gift is fashion jewelry, the flower is the morning glory and the gemstone is turquoise. These 30 ideas cover steel gifts, gifts made of words, ideas for him, ideas for her and experiences for your eleventh.
Writing the card? Our guide to what to write in an anniversary card has messages for every milestone, and 100 reasons I love you has plenty to borrow from.
Make it a book: Years of Reasons holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Steel anniversary gifts
Steel is strong without being showy, which suits eleven years. These are steel gifts with something personal in them.
- A stainless steel watch engraved with your wedding date on the back.
- A steel bracelet or cuff stamped with eleven words, one for each year.
- A steel print of the map of the place you met, or the street of your first home.
- A good chef's knife for the one who cooks, with your initials etched on the blade.
- A pair of insulated steel travel mugs for the coffee you have together every morning.
- A steel garden sculpture or planter for the garden you've grown together.
- A steel keepsake box for eleven years of cards, tickets and notes.
- A steel-framed photo of your wedding day beside one from this year.
Eleven years in words
Steel is the theme. The words are what make it yours.
- A book of reasons with "our 11th year" on the cover: fifty reasons from eleven years, one per page, with the two of you illustrated on the front.
- Eleven letters, one for each year, about the moment you remember best from it.
- A steel tin of eleven folded notes, one memory from each year.
- A booklet of love coupons for your twelfth year: a lie-in, a night off, a dinner you cook.
- Your wedding vows, with a note under each about how you've kept it.
- A playlist of a song from each of your eleven years, with a line about where you were.
- A video of your family and friends each sharing a favorite memory of the two of you.
11 year anniversary gifts for him
Eleven years in, you know what he'd love and never buy.
- A book of fifty reasons you love him, for the bedside table.
- A steel watch or money clip with a word that's yours engraved inside.
- A steel-cased flask or tumbler, filled with his favorite drink.
- A day doing his favorite thing, planned by you, with nothing for him to organize.
- Tickets to the team, band or show he's talked about all year.
11 year anniversary gifts for her
Eleven years in, the gifts she'll love show you still notice.
- A book of what you love about her, from your wedding day to now.
- A piece of fashion jewelry for the modern gift, chosen to go with what she already wears.
- Turquoise earrings or a pendant, for the 11th anniversary gemstone.
- Morning glories, the 11th anniversary flower, planted where she'll see them every morning.
- A steel bangle engraved with the coordinates of where you married.
Experiences for your eleventh anniversary
- A night in the city where you married, eleven years on.
- A blacksmithing or knife-making class for two, about as steel as a day out gets.
- A dinner at the restaurant from your first date, with the same order.
- A weekend away with no phones, no plans and no one to look after but each other.
- A trip somewhere with turquoise water, for the year's gemstone.
What the 11th anniversary stands for
Steel is iron made stronger by fire, it holds its shape under strain and it lasts: the idea behind the 11th is a marriage that's been tested and come out tougher. Fashion jewelry, the modern gift, is a reminder to still dress up for each other. The morning glory stands for affection, opening fresh every morning, and turquoise for protection and luck.
None of it needs to be literal. A steel watch is lovely, but the date engraved on the back is the gift.
Whatever you choose, give it with words. Eleven years is a lot of stories, and a short note telling one will outlast almost anything you can buy. If you want the words to be the gift, Years of Reasons puts fifty reasons in a book with "our 11th year" on the cover, the two of you illustrated in the style you choose.
Marking a different year? See 10 year anniversary gifts for your tenth, 15 year anniversary gifts for your fifteenth, ideas for her in our anniversary gifts for her, and every year from paper to diamond in our anniversary gifts by year.
Questions people ask
What is the traditional 11th anniversary gift?+
Steel, because it's strong, holds its shape and is made in fire. The modern gift is fashion jewelry, the flower is the morning glory and the gemstone is turquoise.
What should I get my husband for our 11th anniversary?+
Something about your eleven years: a book of fifty reasons you love him with "our 11th year" on the cover, a steel watch engraved with your wedding date, or a day doing his favorite thing that you plan.
What should I get my wife for our 11th anniversary?+
Turquoise earrings, morning glories planted where she'll see them, a steel bangle engraved with where you married, or fifty reasons you love her in a book, written from your eleven years together.
Why is steel the 11th anniversary gift?+
Steel is iron made stronger by fire, so it stands for a marriage that's been through hard times and come out tougher. It also lasts, which is the point of an anniversary gift.
