Wedding anniversaries are the perfect time for couples to organise a special holiday.
It’s an occasion they are prepared to splash out on too, so plenty of commission-earning potential for agents.
We’ve already given you holiday suggestions for the first 10 years; here are some ideas for the next 10 landmark anniversaries.
11th Anniversary: Steel
The gift: A watch
The holiday: Lucerne, Switzerland. The Swiss don’t just make cuckoo clocks; they’re recognised as the best watch manufacturers in the world. Top brands include Rolex, Cartier, Breitling and Swatch.
Where to stay: Lucerne is not only the cultural heart of Switzerland, it is also home to the largest Rolex store in the country. For a choice of different brands, try Bucherer, a multi-level jewellers on Lowenplatz. Stay at the five-star lakeside Palace.
Sample package: Kirker has three nights for £875 including return flights, available year round.
12th Anniversary: Silk
The gift: A handmade outfit
The holiday: Thailand. Take a photo of a designer dress or suit to a Bangkok tailor and they’ll run you up a made-to-measure copy for a fraction of the price you’d pay at home. It takes two to three days, but make sure you leave plenty of time for alterations.
Where to stay: A hotel near the Sukhumvit shopping district, or somewhere conveniently located close to a Skytrain station.
Sample package: Hayes and Jarvis has eight-night packages, including three nights in Bangkok and five nights in Phuket from £939 with flights and three-star hotels.
13th Anniversary: Lace
The gift: Bedspread
The holiday: Cyprus. The village of Lefkara in the foothills of the Troodos mountains is renowned for its traditional style of lace embroidery, known as Lefkaritikia. Visitors can visit the village workshop where women still work lace under shady trees.
Where to stay: The beach resort of Larnaca is a good base from which to make trips around the island. It’s only 35 minutes by road from Lefkara.
Sample package: Libra Holidays offers seven nights bed and breakfast at the Palm Beach Hotel, Larnaca from £495 per person including return flights and transfers in May.
14th Anniversary: Ivory
The gift: buying anything made of ivory is illegal, but you can catch sight of a pair of tusks on an African safari.
The holiday: The Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa is one of the best places to get up close to elephants. Buy your loved one an elephant back ride through the African bush, during which they’ll learn about these magnificent creatures.
Where to stay: The Abu Camp has just six luxury tents, all with en-suite bathrooms and shaded decks, and offers elephant back safaris of between one and three hours. Game drives, nature walks, bird watching trips or motor boat safaris are also available.
Sample package: Abercrombie & Kent includes a day trip to the Okvango Delta, including a walk with a herd of semi-habituated elephants, on its 11 day Signature Botswana package, which costs from £3,445 including flights until June.
15th Anniversary: Crystal
The gift: Jewellery or cufflinks
The holiday: The Viking seaport of Waterford on the southeast coast of Ireland is said to produce the ‘crystal of connoisseurs’ and, in addition to tableware, produces a small range of jewellery.
Where to stay: The seaside resort of Tramore is a good base from which to visit Waterford eight miles away.
Sample package: Grand UK Holidays has a Jewels of Emerald Isle eight-day holiday by coach which includes half-board accommodation, all travel and trips to Cork, Blarney Castle, Kilkenny and a half-day excursion to Waterford, including a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory from £429 with departures from May to August.
20th Anniversary: China
The gift: Dinner service
The holiday: Dresden in eastern Germany was where the first piece of hard white porcelain was produced in the early 18th century. Today, the nearby medieval town of Meissen continues to produce the highest quality porcelain in Europe.
Take a tour of the local factory, Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur or pick up second hand pieces of china in the local antique shops
Where to stay: There is plenty to see in Meissen to fill a couple of days, otherwise clients could base themselves in Dresden, which is only 40 minutes away by car.
Sample package: DERtour offers two nights bed and breakfast at the four-star Parkhotel in Meissen with flights and transfers from £309 per person; two nights bed and breakfast in Dresden staying at the two-star Ibis Lilienstein costs from £279 per person, including flights and transfers.
25th Anniversary: Silver
The gift: Candelabra
The holiday: The colonial town of Taxco is Mexico’s silver capital as there were numerous mines in the region. Today there are many workshops in the town where you can buy everything from cheap trinkets to high quality handicrafts. For collectors items, try the Spratling workshop in Taxco Viejo.
Where to stay: A tour of Mexico will allow you to visit Taxco and the country’s other silver towns, including Guanajuato.
Sample package: Journey Latin America suggests a 12-night self-drive tour including Taxco and Guanajuato plus Mexico City and the colonial cities north of the capital costing from £1,887 per person including quality accommodation, car hire, private transfers and tours.
30th Anniversary: Pearl
The gift: Necklace
The holiday: Genuine South Sea pearls can cost the earth, but you can always buy imitation ones in Majorca, Spain, where faux pearls have been manufactured since the 19th century. Apparently they bear such a striking resemblance to the real thing that only experts can tell them apart.
Where to stay: You can pick up a pearl necklace in Palma for only £20, or go for a ‘South Seas Look’ double string in white and grey for only £85.
Sample package: Mundicolor Holidays has seven nights at the five-star Gran Melia Victoria overlooking the Bay of Palma from £774 including flights and transfers from February to April and during July.
35th Anniversary: Coral
The gift: A learn-to-dive course
The holiday: Where to better to learn to dive than the crystal clear waters of the Maldives, which offer some of the best underwater sights in the world. You can learn to dive on the islands in three days on The Scuba Diver course or take a five day Open Water Diver course.
Where to stay: the Eriyadu Island Resort has an excellent house reef and one of the best diving sites in the North Male atoll.
Sample package: Kuoni has seven night half board packages from £980 in May, which includes flights, transfers and the Scuba Diver course.
40th Anniversary: Ruby
The gift: Ring
The holiday: India is the country most closely associated with rubies and Jaipur in Rajasthan is well know for its numerous outlets selling precious gem stones, but there are also some excellent bargains to be found in Delhi, which can easily be visited on a short break from the UK.
Where to stay: A hotel in the heart of the city to make the most of the shopping – try Connaught Circus for variety or Khan Market for top quality gems.
Sample package: Somak offers three night breaks from £955 per person including bed and breakfast accommodation at the four star Le Meridien Hotel in the city centre, transfers and flights throughout April.
