3 year anniversary gifts: 30 leather and personal ideas for him or her
Thirty ways to mark three years, from a leather journal to a book with "our 3rd year" on the cover.
30 ideas ·
Three years is when the honeymoon glow turns into something better: a life with routines, inside jokes and a few hard conversations you've already come through. A 3 year anniversary gift should show you've noticed what you're building.
The traditional 3rd anniversary gift is leather, chosen because it's tough, it lasts and it gets better with wear, a bit like a marriage. The modern gift is crystal or glass, and the flower is the sunflower. These 30 ideas cover leather gifts, gifts made of words, ideas for him, ideas for her, ideas for couples three years in, and experiences.
Writing the card? Our guide to what to write in an anniversary card has messages for every milestone, and 100 reasons I love you has plenty to borrow.
Make it a book: Years of Reasons holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Leather anniversary gifts
Leather wears in rather than out. These are leather gifts with something personal stitched or stamped in.
- A leather journal with the first page already written by you, about your first three years.
- A leather weekend bag, packed with the details of a trip you've already booked.
- A leather wallet or card holder with your wedding date stamped inside.
- A leather watch strap engraved with your initials.
- A leather photo album, starting with the best picture from each of your three years.
- Leather luggage tags with the coordinates of where you married.
- A leather-bound copy of the book you read on your honeymoon, or the one you always quote at each other.
- A leather keyring for the keys to your first home together.
Three years in words
Leather lasts. The words are what make it yours.
- A book of reasons with "our 3rd year" on the cover: fifty reasons from three years, one per page, with the two of you illustrated on the front.
- Three letters, one for each year, about what you remember most.
- A list of thirty small things you've loved about the last three years.
- A jar of folded notes for year four, one for every week.
- Your wedding vows, with a note under each about how you've kept it.
- A playlist of the songs from your three years, with a line about each.
3 year anniversary gifts for him
Three years in, you know what he'd never think to buy himself.
- A book of fifty reasons you love him, for the bedside table.
- A leather wallet with a note tucked inside where he'll find it next week.
- Tickets to see his team or his favorite band, in seats he'd never buy himself.
- A whiskey, beer or coffee tasting for two, booked for a Saturday.
- A day doing his favorite thing, planned by you, with nothing for him to organize.
3 year anniversary gifts for her
Three years in, the gifts she'll love show you've been paying attention.
- A book of what you love about her, from your wedding day to now.
- The leather tote she's had her eye on, with a note in the inside pocket.
- Sunflowers, the 3rd anniversary flower, delivered to her work.
- A crystal pendant or a pair of crystal earrings, for the modern gift.
For a boyfriend or girlfriend, three years in
Not married? Three years together is still worth marking properly.
- A scrapbook of your three years, with the tickets, photos and a caption for each.
- A book of fifty reasons you love them, written from three years together.
- Your first date, recreated three years on.
Experiences for your third anniversary
- A trail ride on horseback, about as leather as a day out gets.
- A weekend in a city neither of you has been to.
- A cooking class for two, to add one dish to your home menu.
- A glass-blowing class, for the modern crystal and glass gift.
What the 3rd anniversary stands for
Leather is tough, it protects what it holds, and it softens and improves with use, which is the idea behind the 3rd: a marriage that's been through its first real tests and come out more comfortable. Crystal and glass, the modern gifts, are about clarity, and the sunflower, the year's flower, stands for warmth and loyalty.
None of it needs to be literal. A leather journal is lovely, but what's written on its first page is the gift.
Whatever you choose, give it with words. Three years is enough to have real stories, and a short note telling one will outlast almost anything you can buy. If you want the words to be the gift, Years of Reasons puts fifty reasons in a book with "our 3rd year" on the cover, the two of you illustrated in the style you choose.
Marking a different year? See paper anniversary gifts for your first, 5 year anniversary gifts for your fifth, and every year from paper to diamond in our anniversary gifts by year.
Questions people ask
What is the traditional 3rd anniversary gift?+
Leather, because it's tough and gets better with wear. The modern gift is crystal or glass, and the flower is the sunflower.
What should I get my husband for our 3rd anniversary?+
Something about your three years: a book of fifty reasons you love him with "our 3rd year" on the cover, a leather wallet with a note inside, or tickets to something he loves.
What should I get my wife for our 3rd anniversary?+
The leather tote she's had her eye on with a note in the pocket, sunflowers delivered to her work, or fifty reasons you love her in a book, written from your three years together.
What is a good leather anniversary gift?+
Leather works best when it's personal: a journal with the first page already written, a weekend bag packed with a trip you've booked, or a wallet stamped with your wedding date.
