70th wedding anniversary gifts
Platinum is the traditional 70th anniversary gift, and the modern list gives platinum too. This guide sets out Australian-priced ideas at three budgets, weighted towards what children and grandchildren can bring to the couple rather than ask them to travel for.
What this anniversary symbolises
Seventy years of marriage means a wedding held before most of today's family was born. Platinum suits a run that long: a heavy white metal, worn for decades in wedding bands, given to a marriage that has outlasted nearly everything else in its era. One request to PM&C covers messages from the King, the Governor-General and the Prime Minister for a 70th, and many families frame those beside the gift itself.
Platinum turns up twice on the anniversary lists. Some lists give it as the modern 20th gift, and at the 70th it becomes the main theme. Shiels in Australia, Bridebook in the UK and the Wikipedia list all give platinum for the 70th, which makes this one of the few late milestones where the sources agree. A couple who received platinum at twenty years may enjoy the echo fifty years on.
At seventy years, the best gifts come to the couple rather than asking the couple to go somewhere. A photo book put together by the grandchildren, a portrait taken in their own lounge room and an afternoon tea a short drive away all fit that pattern. Genuine platinum is expensive, starting at about $317 for a plain band from an Etsy AU maker, so pooling across the family is a sensible way to put a platinum piece within reach.
Traditional gift: Platinum
Platinum is the 70th gift, and a plain platinum band worn beside the original wedding ring is the classic way to give it. Etsy AU makers list 950 platinum bands from about $317 to $498, Angara AU starts at about $1,289 for her and $2,299 for him, and Australian makers Larsen Jewellery and Temple & Grace list platinum wedding rings from about $1,770. Check ring sizes quietly with a family member first, since hands change over seventy years.
Modern gift: Platinum
The modern list repeats platinum for the 70th, so there is no second theme to juggle. If metal is not right for them, give the colour instead: a silver-grey frame for the new family portrait, white flowers on the table, or a printable 70th card that the great-grandchildren decorate. Etsy AU sells printable platinum anniversary cards for about $10.
- Traditional
- Platinum
- Modern
- Platinum
- Name
- Platinum anniversary
In Australia: The Queensland Governor's congratulatory letters list the 70th as "70 years (platinum)", and the Victorian Premier's scheme also names it the Platinum anniversary, so the name is in Australian official use.
Gift ideas by budget
Under $50 (AUD)
Seventy-year photo book
One page for each year of the marriage, gathered and captioned by the grandchildren. Kmart Photos books start from about $5, depending on size and cover.
Printable platinum anniversary card
A printable 70th card from Etsy AU costs about $10, and every great-grandchild can sign or draw on it before it goes into a frame.
Memory jar (for her, for him)
Each family member writes one memory of the couple on a small card; fill a jar for each of them to dip into on quiet afternoons.
Family recipe book in large print
Collect the dishes they cooked for the family over seventy years and print them in large type, with a photo of whoever loved each one most.
$50 to $200 (AUD)
Personalised 70th wall clock
Zazzle AU prints clocks with the couple's names and wedding date for about $83; pick a design with bold numbers that reads well from across the room.
Plywood and hardwood family tree
The Humble Gift Co makes a family tree in plywood and hardwood for about $100, with room to name four generations.
Harbourside breakfast for two
RedBalloon's gourmet harbourside breakfast with sparkling for two is about $75, a short and gentle outing for a morning when they feel up to it.
$200 and up (AUD)
Yarra River high tea cruise
Adrenaline's two-hour high tea cruise in Melbourne is about $119 a person, about $238 for two. Ask the operator about boarding ramps and seating before you buy.
Platinum band (for her)
Angara AU lists plain platinum bands for her from about $1,289, and the children can split the cost and hand it over at the family lunch.
Platinum band (for him)
Etsy AU makers list plain 950 platinum bands from about $317 to $498, while Angara AU's men's bands start from about $2,299.
In-home portrait with every generation
A photographer comes to their home and captures the couple with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in one sitting, so nobody has to travel far.
Personalised 70th glass suncatcher
A made-to-order 70th suncatcher from an Etsy AU maker is about $217, and it throws colour across the room from the window they sit beside.
Quick picks by recipient
For her
- Memory jar (for her, for him)
- Platinum band (for her)
For him
- Memory jar (for her, for him)
- Platinum band (for him)
For the couple
- Seventy-year photo book
- Family recipe book in large print
- Personalised 70th wall clock
For parents
- Seventy-year photo book
- Printable platinum anniversary card
- Plywood and hardwood family tree
What to write in the card
- Seventy years ago you promised each other forever, and you have kept your word every single day since. Happy platinum anniversary.
- To the love of my life: seventy years on, I would still pick you out of any crowd.
- From your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: none of us would be here without the two of you. Happy 70th.
- Platinum suits you both, rare and strong and still shining after seventy years together.
- Happy 70th anniversary. Thank you for showing three generations what staying together really looks like.
More wording by recipient and milestone is in our anniversary messages and wishes.
What to avoid
- Long drives or flights to a celebration venue; at seventy years married, bring the party to them, or hold it within a short trip of home.
- Platinum-coloured costume jewellery passed off as the real metal; a plain genuine band, or no metal at all, is kinder than a fake.
- Gifts that need setting up, charging or learning, such as unfamiliar gadgets, unless someone in the family will stay to help them use it.
- A crowded room all afternoon; plan short visits in small groups so the couple can rest between them.
Ways to celebrate
- Gather every generation for one photograph in the couple's own home, then frame it next to their wedding photo.
- Hold a platinum-themed afternoon tea with white and silver flowers and a cake in their wedding cake flavour, if anyone remembers it.
- Ask each grandchild to read one short letter at the party, then bind the letters into a keepsake the couple can reread.
- Display the congratulatory letters from the King, the Governor-General and the Prime Minister where guests can read them.
- Set up a video call so relatives overseas or in care can join in for the toast.
Official congratulations for the 70th
From the 50th anniversary, the Prime Minister and the Governor-General send a free message of congratulations. For the 60th, 65th, 70th and every anniversary after that, the King sends one as well.
One request covers every message. Lodge it with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) through the online form, by email or by post, or ask the office of any federal MP or senator to lodge it for you.
The online form takes requests up to 3 months before the date, and it is best lodged at least 2 months ahead. You will need a copy of the marriage certificate or a statutory declaration. Belated requests are accepted up to 6 months after the anniversary.
Official sources differ on permanent residents and on some state rules for late requests, so check with PM&C if either applies. State Premiers, Governors and MPs send messages too: ask the office of your state MP how to request one.
70th anniversary questions
Platinum. Shiels in Australia, Bridebook in the UK and the Wikipedia anniversary list all give platinum for the 70th, which makes it one of the more settled late milestones.
The classic form is a plain platinum band to wear beside the original wedding ring, but a platinum theme carried through flowers, frames and cards works for a family on any budget.
The modern list also gives platinum for the 70th. Some lists use platinum as the modern 20th gift as well, so a couple may have been given it once already, fifty years earlier.
It is the platinum anniversary. Australian official messages use the name too: the Queensland Governor's office lists the 70th as platinum, and so does the Victorian Premier. None of the lists we checked gives a gemstone or flower for the 70th.
Yes, on request. Australians ask through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) rather than Buckingham Palace, and a single 70th application covers the King, the Governor-General and the Prime Minister. You can apply by online form, email, post or through a federal or state MP.
Messages are never sent automatically. Apply two to three months before the anniversary and attach a copy of the marriage certificate or a statutory declaration. If the date has already passed, PM&C accepts requests up to six months afterwards.
Agree on one gift, such as a platinum band or an in-home portrait session, and let everyone contribute what they can. An anniversary registry collects those contributions in one place, so nobody has to chase bank transfers from cousins.
Prefer cash toward something bigger?
Set up a free anniversary registry and let friends and family chip in toward a trip, an experience, or one special gift.