What Is the Platinum Anniversary?

Whether it’s the first or the fiftieth, a wedding anniversary is a major milestone—and it absolutely deserves to be commemorated! In fact, the older you get and the more years that pass, the more this occasion should be celebrated. And if you or a couple you know is approaching the platinum anniversary, you’ll definitely want to pull out all the stops.

Read on for all the details on this epic anniversary year, as well as gift ideas and ways to celebrate. 

What is the Platinum Anniversary? 

The platinum wedding anniversary celebrates 70 years of marriage. As couples typically need to marry young and live long lives together in order to reach this anniversary, it is one of the rarest anniversaries to hit. (Think about it: If you marry at 20 years old, you’ll be celebrating your platinum anniversary at 90 years old. That’s quite an accomplishment!) Per statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau as reported by Steamboat Pilot & Today, a mere 0.1 percent of American couples make it to this milestone. 

The traditional gift for the platinum anniversary is, you guessed it, platinum. Rarer and heavier than gold, this precious metal has a silver-white luster and is quite popular in engagement rings and pieces of fine jewelry. With a melting point of 3215 degrees Fahrenheit, it is also extremely durable, yet is preferred by jewelers over white gold because it is also more malleable. If these characteristics aren’t an apt metaphor for a 70-year marriage, then we don’t know what is! 

Platinum Anniversary Gift Ideas 

• A platinum stacking band makes for a perfect complement to an engagement ring and wedding band. Think about how proud your partner will feel to look down at their left hand each day and be reminded of your many decades together. 
• A platinum watch or a watch with a platinum face is a lovely way to mark the passage of time. 
• Additional pieces of platinum jewelry, such as earrings or a necklace, will make for a wonderful heirloom to pass down to generations to come. 
• Less expensive and more sentimental gifts, such as a scrapbook of memories or a refreshed wedding photo album, are great platinum anniversary gifts for children to give their parents. Also an option: The New York Times Custom Anniversary Book, which offers a look at the headlines on the anniversary for each year the couple has been married. 
• For a cheeky take on the anniversary, try a Personalized Platinum Record featuring your first dance song and other important melodies of your relationship.

Platinum Anniversary Date Ideas and Other Ways to Celebrate 

• A quiet night in recreating a favorite meal from your first date, wedding, or honeymoon is a low-key way to conjure up memories and romance. Why not add a slow dance in the kitchen to your favorite song as well?
• What did a typical date night look like when you first started seeing each other? Maybe it was going for ice cream or talking for hours on a park bench. Whatever it may be, your platinum anniversary is a great excuse to revisit the activities of the good ol’ days. 
• Uncork a special bottle of wine or sip from glasses of Johnnie Walker Platinum Label. 
• Seventy years of marriage has likely produced plenty of new friends and family members. Gather everyone together for an anniversary party so the happy couple can be surrounded by the fruits of their relationship. 
• Sit down with family members to reflect on and record the memories of your seventy years together. (Future generations will be so glad you did!) The StoryCorps App offers conversation prompts and interview question ideas, and it will also record and archive the discussion.