Rose Wedding: Meaning, Customs and a Gift That Lasts

Ten years of marriage are no longer a beginning and still far from an end. The rose wedding is the 10th wedding anniversary, as the Duden lists it. The rose is considered the flower of love, and many interpret its thorns as the years you have come through. The name does not apply everywhere, however: in some places the day is called the wooden wedding. Here you will find the meaning, the customs and a gift that lasts when the roses wilt.

Rose wedding: the 10th wedding anniversary explained

When is the rose wedding? It is best to look it up in the dictionary. The Duden calls it the “10th anniversary of the marriage” and adds the note: regional usage. That means it is used regionally, not the same everywhere in the country.

An authority counts it the same way, too. In its list of wedding anniversaries (as of 02.03.2026), the Austrian Federal Portal places the rose wedding at ten years. It says: “The flowers of love mark the first round-number anniversary. It is already a celebration with guests.” So it is the first round-number anniversary, a milestone that couples like to celebrate on a larger scale than the years before.

We have not found an official list for Germany. The names have grown over time. That is why we name the source for every count.

Why the rose? Between blossom and thorns

Since antiquity, red roses have been regarded as a sign of love, joy and youthful freshness. According to Wikipedia, the red rose was sacred to Aphrodite and Eros, and later to Flora. At the same time, the rose carries the idea of “no rose without thorns”. Its delicate petals also stand for transience.

Why the tenth year in particular came to the rose is not documented. We have found no source that explains it. We only know an interpretation that almost all guides share. The blossom stands for love, the thorns for the difficulties you have come through.

Think of the first ten years. The first apartment together, the moves, the job changes, an argument that ended in making up, the Sundays with coffee at the kitchen table. Not every day was in bloom. But you are still here. That is the constancy and faithfulness celebrated after ten years of marriage.

Rosalia demitasse cup. Staged photo; props are not included.

Wooden wedding or rose: which name applies to the 10th wedding anniversary?

The rose is the most widespread answer. It is not entirely certain. The Duden knows a second name for the same day: the wooden wedding, also marked as regional. In the north in particular, the tenth wedding anniversary goes by this name, according to GenWiki in the Oldenburg region, for example. Elsewhere, wood comes after just five years, as the Austrian Federal Portal lists it.

Conversely, the rose wedding was celebrated in some places after only five years. According to GenWiki, this was the case in the Oldenburg region and in northern Germany, provided the couple had a child by then. This is a single regional variant, not a rule.

And the tin wedding or the sheet-metal wedding? In German-speaking countries, neither belongs to the tenth year. The tin wedding falls at six and a half years, the sheet-metal wedding at eight years (Austrian Federal Portal, which also lists it at twelve and a half). If you read “ten years equals tin”, you are probably looking at the English-language list, where tin stands at the tenth year. That is our interpretation; it is not documented.

We have not found an official list, only customs that have grown over time. That is why we do not hand out right or wrong. Use the name that applies in your region and your family. The overview shows how differently the names are assigned.

Who came up with this? The origin of wedding anniversary names

Silver and golden weddings have been documented for centuries. In 1876, Daniel Sanders recorded them in his dictionary of the German language as celebrations after one, two and three times 25 years. GenWiki speaks of a tradition going back to the 17th century. The names in between are considerably younger. We have not been able to find out since when the rose wedding has existed. That is why we do not give a year.

In 1992, Helmut Walther examined the names of wedding anniversaries in the journal Der Sprachdienst, published by the Society for the German Language. He noted that for many names, “business interests, above all of the flower and jewelry trade […] cannot be overlooked”. We know this sentence second-hand and have not read the essay in the original. It does not apply to all names, and we do not know whether it refers to the rose.

We at SilberKosmos are retailers ourselves and say so openly. For you, this means: the name is an occasion, not an obligation. What matters is that you celebrate the day. The silver wedding is one of the oldest documented names; the rose is younger. How the silver wedding got its name is told in the story of the silver wedding.

Customs for the 10th wedding anniversary: ten roses, a rose bush, a wreath on the door

We have not found a folklore source for the customs. What you find appears in guides, and even the Wikipedia section carries the note “citation needed”. That is why we describe them as what they are: widespread and frequently recommended.

• Ten red roses: Many guides recommend one rose for each year of marriage.
• Planting a rose bush: It grows along with the marriage. Ask first if the garden does not belong to you alone.
• A wreath on the front door: A wreath of roses on the door is often mentioned.
• A celebration with guests: The Austrian Federal Portal calls the day “already a celebration with guests”.

Renewing your wedding vows is a trend, not a custom. Some couples do it in a small circle, with photos that tell the story of their years. We have not found any regional customs. So we do not invent any.

Just the two of you or with guests: how to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary

Two paths suggest themselves. The quiet one: dinner at a restaurant, a short trip, a weekend away, perhaps where you first met. The big one: a celebration with family and friends, in the garden or around a coffee-and-cake table with roses as table decoration. These are ideas, not customs. Which path suits you depends on how you like to celebrate.

With guests, the coffee-and-cake table is the moment for porcelain with silver. You can find more ideas for wedding anniversaries in the guide to wedding gifts made of silver.

Rosalia milk jug at the breakfast table. Staged photo; props are not included.

A gift that lasts: roses that do not wilt

The rose wilts; that is part of its symbolism. A bouquet still belongs to the day, and a rose bush in the garden is a lovely idea. If you would also like to give something that will still be on the table in ten years, you will find the rose in silver and porcelain. That is our conclusion, not a rule. A voucher is used up after the evening. An everyday piece becomes a keepsake because it sits at the table with you every Sunday.

The pieces are made of white bone china from the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory in St. Petersburg. The mount of 925 silver is made by ArgentA. On the cups, roses, leaves and stems run around the porcelain like a fence, and the handle is a rose stem. The pots bear a rose blossom on the silver handle. The roses are cast, after which the silver is polished by hand. You can find all pieces of this kind under porcelain in silver mounts. Rosalia and Rose are the names of the two lines at the manufacturer. How porcelain and silver came together in the first place is told in the history of porcelain and silver.

For the two of you

The demitasse cup set for two contains two cups of approx. 70 ml each, two coffee spoons and a case, without saucers. The product page itself calls it a gift for the rose wedding. Two cups, one mocha, a quiet morning: that is closeness in everyday life, not grand words.

Rosalia demitasse cup set for two. Staged photo; props are not included.

For the coffee-and-cake table with guests, there are the Rosalia coffee pot and the Rose coffee pot, each approx. 500 ml. Both have a rose finial on the porcelain lid and a rose blossom on the silver handle. You can see the difference at the foot: Rosalia stands on an openwork arched ring, Rose on a granulated, closed foot band. For both, there is a milk jug with the same mount.

Rosalia coffee pot on the arched ring. Staged photo; props are not included.

Rose coffee pot on the granulated foot band. Staged photo; props are not included.

For her

The Rosalia demitasse cup comes on its own in a case, without a spoon and without a saucer, and holds approx. 70 ml. It is a piece just for her, if she likes her mocha and already owns a great deal.

For him

To be honest: the rose motif suits the two of you or her better. For him, the shared mocha ritual is a good fit, in other words the set for two. Or you can look for a piece without a rose motif among the wedding anniversary gifts.

Names or the date on the silver? Whether and where a piece can be engraved is something we check on the piece itself and agree with you. How it works is described under the engraving service. On request, there is also the SilberVerse card: a verse created individually for the occasion and names, free of charge on request, on a 15 × 10 cm photo card in landscape format. With these pieces, expect the higher price range. You can read how to handle this wisely in the next section.

How much do you give for the 10th wedding anniversary? Honest guidance

We have not found a reliable source that names an amount for the 10th wedding anniversary. So we do not invent one. Guidance comes in three levels.

Between spouses there is no guideline amount. Thoughtfulness and symbolism count for more than the sum.

As a guest at a celebration, it helps to look at the silver wedding. For that occasion, the Sparkasse guide gives around €30 to €100 per guest. The 10th wedding anniversary is the smaller milestone, so you are more likely at the lower end. Our assessment, not a fixed rule: around €30 to €50 from friends, €40 to €70 from close family. You can find ranges by degree of kinship in our article on how much to give for a silver wedding.

Spending more, but not alone: family or a circle of friends club together and give a lasting piece, such as a pot or a set. As a joint gift, what counts is the value of the piece, not the sum on the slip of paper.

Sayings and quotes: what poets say about the rose and love

For a card or a short speech, quotes with a correct source are helpful. These five are in the public domain and can be traced to a source.

Best suited to ten years of marriage is Friedrich Rückert (1788–1866), Liebesfrühling (1823): “Long and loving habit / No quick quarrel undoes in an instant; / And in the end, reconciliation / Ties the knot more tightly.”

From the same collection comes “Widmung” (“Dedication”), which Robert Schumann set to music in Myrthen, Op. 25. Rückert: “You my soul, you my heart, / You my bliss, O you my pain […] You lift me lovingly above myself, / My good spirit, my better self!”

Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), Book of Songs, “Lyrical Intermezzo” III (1827): “The rose, the lily, the dove, the sun, / I once loved them all in love’s delight. / I love them no more, I love alone / The little one, the fine one, the pure one, the one”

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2, translated into German by August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845); in the original: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet”

Angelus Silesius (Johann Scheffler, 1624–1677), The Cherubinic Wanderer, Book One: “The rose is without why; it blooms because it blooms, / It pays no heed to itself, asks not whether it is seen.” (spelling adapted in the German original)

And if you are looking for words of your own? Here are two formulations of our own, not quotes: “Ten years, and I would walk the path with you again, detours included.” Or: “Thank you for ten years of everyday life and for staying.” Add a year you shared or a place only the two of you know.

10th wedding anniversary: frequently asked questions in brief

What is the 10th wedding anniversary called?
The 10th wedding anniversary is called the rose wedding, as the Duden lists it. The same Duden knows the wooden wedding as a second name. Both are considered regional.

Rose wedding or wooden wedding: which applies?
The Duden lists both for the 10th anniversary. In the north, wood is more common; most sources name the rose. Elsewhere, wood stands at five years. We have not found an official list, so use the name that applies where you are.

Is there a rose wedding after just 5 years?
Only regionally. GenWiki names the Oldenburg region and northern Germany, provided the couple has a child by then. This is an isolated variant, not a rule.

How much do you give for the 10th wedding anniversary?
We have not found a reliable source that names an amount. Between spouses, the symbol counts; as a guest, the silver wedding offers guidance, toward the lower end. More on this in the article Silver wedding: how much to give.

What do you give a couple who already have everything?
Something that lasts and is used together. Porcelain in a silver mount for the coffee-and-cake table does both. Cups, pots and sets can be found under porcelain and silver.

What traditions are there for the rose wedding?
Ten roses, a rose bush and a wreath on the front door are frequently mentioned. These are recommendations from guides, not documented customs. We cannot name an origin.

How many roses do you give for the rose wedding?
The number most often mentioned is ten, one rose for each year of marriage. This is a recommendation from guides, not a documented custom. Roses wilt; a piece with a rose motif lasts.

How do you congratulate a couple on their rose wedding, and what goes on the card?
Personally and briefly, with a year or an experience you shared. Suitable quotes can be found in the section on poets. If you would like a verse of your own for the occasion: the SilberVerse card brings a verse created individually for the occasion and names, free of charge on request, on a 15 × 10 cm photo card.