A guide to marking a Christian wedding anniversary across the major traditions. The day is principally the couple's own; available church rites, family customs, and the year-themed gift tradition are tools the couple may choose.
A wedding anniversary is principally a family and personal observance across Christian traditions. The role-by-role timelines below cover what is typical, with denominational notes inline.
What is available to a Christian couple marking an anniversary. Catholic, Anglican, and some Mainline Protestant traditions publish formal anniversary rites; Orthodox practice has no canonical rite; evangelical practice is family-set. Vow renewal is common on milestone anniversaries in Catholic and Anglican practice.
What family and close friends typically do for a couple marking a Christian wedding anniversary: attendance at church rites where the couple has chosen one, the year-themed gift tradition, and pastoral considerations for difficult anniversaries.
The Christian traditions handle anniversaries differently. Catholic and Anglican practice publishes formal rites; Orthodox practice has no canonical observance but holds the Many Years tradition; Mainline Protestant practice varies by denomination; evangelical practice is family-set.
The Catholic Church's Book of Blessings includes a Blessing on the Anniversary of Marriage that may be celebrated at home (read by the couple or by a family member) or within a Mass on or near the anniversary date. The rite is brief: a short scripture reading, a blessing prayer over the couple, and (in some forms) a renewal of consent. The rite is not a sacrament and does not require a priest in the home version, though most couples ask a priest to bless them at a Mass on milestone years.
Many US Catholic dioceses host an annual Wedding Anniversary Mass, often around Valentine's Day or during Marriage Sunday observances in October, for couples celebrating significant anniversaries (commonly 25th and 50th). The diocesan office or the parish bulletin announces the date; the couple typically registers in advance.
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer (and the parallel Anglican Book of Occasional Services) includes A Form for the Reaffirmation of Marriage Vows, available as a brief liturgy at a Sunday Eucharist or as a private rite. The form involves the couple reaffirming their vows in language drawn from the original wedding rite, with a blessing from the priest and (in some parishes) a renewal of rings.
Practice varies by parish. Some parishes offer the rite by request on milestone years; others incorporate anniversary blessings into Sunday services without a separate rite. The rector is the source for what is available at the parish.
Orthodox practice has no canonical anniversary rite. The customary observance is attendance at Divine Liturgy on or near the anniversary date with the priest's blessing afterward, sometimes with a brief Many Years prayer for the couple. Some parishes will offer a more developed blessing service on request for milestone years (25, 50), but it is not a liturgically prescribed observance.
The "Many Years" (Mnogaja Lyeta) is the conventional Orthodox marker for anniversaries, name days, and other family celebrations. It is normally sung by the choir at the request of the family, often at the end of Liturgy on the Sunday closest to the date.
The United Methodist Church's Book of Worship and the ELCA Lutheran supplementary resources include prayers and a brief service for wedding anniversaries. The form is normally an act of thanksgiving, a renewal of vows (where the couple wishes one), and a pastoral prayer for the year ahead. The service is offered by request rather than scheduled by the congregation.
PCUSA, PCA, and most Baptist practice is pastoral rather than liturgically prescribed. The pastor will normally offer a prayer or a brief act of recognition at the request of the couple, particularly on milestone years; a dedicated service is less common.
Evangelical practice is family-set, with no formal liturgical observance. A small number of evangelical churches offer vow-renewal services for milestone anniversaries (25, 50), usually as private services with the pastor and family present rather than as part of a Sunday gathering.
The conversational pattern in evangelical contexts is pastoral: a couple marking a milestone often meets with their pastor for prayer and reflection, with or without a separate service. The family gathering is the principal expression; the pastor's involvement is secondary and at the family's invitation.
Anniversary blessings and vow-renewal services normally include one or two scripture readings on marriage. The most commonly used are 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter, also a standard wedding reading); Genesis 2:18-24 (the creation of the partnership); Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (the cord of three strands, often read at milestone anniversaries); and Mark 10:6-9 (Jesus on the joining of husband and wife). The Catholic Book of Blessings anniversary rite suggests these passages; the Anglican Reaffirmation of Marriage Vows uses similar selections; Mainline Protestant services normally draw from the same set.
Three cross-cutting references on anniversaries live in their own hubs: the principal readings (with the Catholic and Orthodox deuterocanonical options Sirach 26 and Tobit 8), gift conventions across the year-themed tradition, and card-wording variations.
Last updated: May 20, 2026