40th wedding anniversary
Celebrate 40 Years of Love with Truly Unforgettable 40th Wedding Anniversary Gifts
Forty years. That’s 480 months, 2,087 weeks, over 14,600 shared breakfasts (and likely just as many debates over what’s for dinner). Reaching your 40th wedding anniversary isn’t just a milestone—it’s a marvel. In a world that changes faster than your Wi-Fi signal, your bond has endured. It deserves celebration. Not with trinkets or token gestures, but with a shared experience you’ll both remember for the next 40 years (and retell, proudly, to anyone who’ll listen).
The Meaning Behind 40 Years Together
The traditional symbol for a 40-year wedding anniversary is the ruby—a gem as rich and enduring as the love it represents. Rubies are formed deep within the Earth under heat and pressure, and they emerge unbreakable, luminous, and rare. Sound familiar? You didn’t make it this far without navigating storms, dancing in the kitchen, surviving family holidays, and laughing—sometimes against all odds. So when it comes to 40th wedding anniversary gifts, forget the dust collectors. You need something magical, meaningful, and just a little bit marvellous.
Shared Experiences Over Shelf Space
After four decades, chances are you've got enough *things*. But what you might not have enough of is time together, uninterrupted by chores, noise, or emails. That’s why experience gifts matter. They create new memories. They give you both something to talk about long after the cake is gone. And frankly, after all these years, you’ve earned it.
Our handpicked anniversary gifts are designed to be shared—because the best part of any experience isn’t the view, the taste, or the thrill. It’s the person beside you.
Take a Trip Down Memory Lane… By Steam Train
If your love story began in the 1980s (or even earlier), why not hop aboard something that predates even your wedding day? The Steam Train Experience for Two invites you to slow things down, sit back, and enjoy the gentle rhythm of a vintage locomotive as it winds through some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside. It's like time travel—minus the complicated tech and paradoxes. All aboard for an experience that's charming, nostalgic, and steeped in romance.
Anniversary Tea with a Twist
Afternoon tea is always a good idea, especially when it comes with scones, sparkling wine, or skyline views. Whether you're traditionalists or partial to a culinary curveball, we’ve got an experience that serves up both love and indulgence by the tiered tray.
- Deluxe Afternoon Tea for Two: Settle into a refined tearoom or countryside hotel, sip fine tea, nibble on finger sandwiches, and remember how wonderful it is to simply be in each other’s company.
- Japanese Afternoon Tea at Sanctum Soho Hotel: Prefer something a little out of the ordinary? How about Japanese flavours, bohemian Soho chic, and prosecco to toast the next chapter? A beautiful blend of old love and new experiences.
- Afternoon Tea on the Sunborn Luxury Yacht: For couples who enjoy the finer things, this floating five-star hotel lets you dine in style with London’s skyline as your backdrop. Scones taste better when you’re aboard a superyacht—scientifically unproven, but emotionally verified.
- Buckingham Palace & Sparkling Tea: Nothing says “forty fabulous years” like a stroll through the State Rooms of one of the world’s most iconic royal residences, followed by a sparkling tea at The Royal Horseguards. You’ve earned the royal treatment.
Love is in the Air (Literally)
After four decades of watching each other evolve, raise children, grow silver at the temples (gracefully, of course), you’ve earned a perspective shift. One that starts up to 2,000ft above the ground. The Hot Air Balloon Flight with Champagne offers peaceful skies, awe-inspiring views, and a moment to simply hold hands and float into another memory together. The quiet up there is almost as powerful as the love you’ve built down here.
For the Couple Who Still Loves a Date Night
Yes, you’ve probably cooked thousands of meals together. But isn’t it nicer when someone else brings the food and clears the plates? Especially when it's award-winning steak and fine cocktails on offer.
- View from The Shard & Dining at Marco Pierre White: Watch the sun set over London from 72 floors up, then descend for a three-course dinner that redefines romance—without the burnt toast.
- Three Course Meal & Cocktail: No fuss, all flavour. Celebrate with cocktails, candlelight, and the kind of steak that melts in your mouth—like the first time they said “I love you.” Almost.
Why Experience Gifts Make the Perfect 40th Wedding Anniversary Present
After four decades, the greatest gift you can give one another is more time together. Not chores. Not “what do you want for dinner?” Not gifts you’ll politely admire and tuck away. Real time. Shared laughter. Experiences you’ll relive every time you say, “Remember when...?”
Here’s why experience gifts win, every time:
- They bring you closer—without needing a Wi-Fi password
- They create new memories in the middle of a lifetime of them
- They're easy to book, meaningful to share, and impossible to forget
- They're a celebration of your love, your history, and your future
Four Decades In, and You’re Still the Greatest Gift
Whether you're buying for your beloved husband, your endlessly patient wife, or you're planning something magical together, our collection of 40th wedding anniversary gifts is made to mark this remarkable milestone in the way it deserves: with shared joy, wonder, indulgence, and love.
Because 40 years isn’t just a number—it’s a novel. It’s every ordinary Tuesday turned extraordinary by the person you chose, and keep choosing. So celebrate your 40th wedding anniversary not with more “stuff,” but with a story worth retelling. One that starts with a shared glance, a gift voucher, and a day neither of you will ever forget.
