As the wedding season fizzles out, it's been found that brides and grooms should not expect big things of their anniversaries to follow. More than half of Brits are not aware of the anniversary milestones like silver, pearl and ruby.
Weddings on Female First
Only 10% of Brits exchange gifts that are representative of tradition. So what's the reason for this besides not knowing what gift goes with which anniversary? One in two believe that precious stones such as rubies, diamonds and pearls do not take into account male tastes and 1 in 10 feel that they are old fashioned.
Brits in 2015 would much rather give each other cards, go out for a meal, a short break of buy something that is more reflective of their partner's tastes.
Despite not conforming to traditions, most Brits celebrate their anniversary, with only 4% who forget it and 6% who need a little nudge from their partner. 25-34 year olds are the worst offenders for this, so watch out if you are in this age bracket!
Aoife Davey, marketing manager at One4all, the Post Office gift card, said: "While I can believe that many British people are choosing to commemorate their anniversaries with gifts and celebrations which are more in keeping with 21st century tastes, it is really quite surprising that the old anniversary traditions have fallen so significantly off our radar as a nation.
"From this data, it's clear that many couples are opting to go for more personalised gifts and methods of celebrating, which is nice to see. Diamonds, pearls and rubies are beautiful and decadent, but they won't be everyone's cup of tea, and even stunning gems like this can seem impersonal if they're not what someone is into.
Even though Brits may not be keeping up with what traditions dictates, we are still a romantic nation.
68% of adults believe that their marriage will last forever; Sheffield holds the greatest number of couples who hold this belief.
Over 55s may be of an age where they are celebrating some of the major milestones, however they are more likely to buy their partner a gift that they will get more use out of and that's more personal.