Romanian silver and golden wedding anniversaries: church, party, gifts

In Romania a silver wedding (nunta de argint) marks 25 years of marriage and a golden wedding (nunta de aur) 50. It is not a second wedding: on request, the Orthodox Church holds a thanksgiving service, usually with the original godparents, and the family throws a party, which for a golden wedding is usually organised by the grown-up children.

This guide is for anyone planning one: Romanian families in the diaspora, foreign sons- and daughters-in-law who have been handed the job, and guests invited to their first Romanian anniversary who want to know what to expect. Church practice and city-hall awards were checked on 25 October 2026, with sources linked. Amounts are in lei with a rough euro equivalent at about 5.3 lei to the euro.

Anniversary names by year

There is no official list. Names are a matter of tradition and vary between countries and even between lists. The most common Romanian list puts amethyst at 60 and diamond at 75 (Romanian Wikipedia), while traditional American lists give diamond to the 60th (Wikipedia). Silver (25) and gold (50) are the only two everyone agrees on.

In practice Romanian families throw a party mainly for the 25th and the 50th, sometimes for the 40th and 60th.

What the Orthodox Church does

The wedding itself is not repeated. Silver, golden and diamond weddings «are not weddings proper», writes Fr Nicușor Olariu on Doxologia (in Romanian); they take the form of a thanksgiving service. It is not a sacrament and can be held whenever the couple asks (CrestinOrtodox.ro).

What usually happens:

• A service of thanksgiving from the priest's service book, with added petitions for the years lived together (Diocese of Ungheni, Republic of Moldova).
• Rings. In many parishes new silver or gold rings are blessed and placed on the couple's hands next to their original wedding rings (CrestinOrtodox.ro). The crowns, the common cup and the procession around the table, which belong to the wedding sacrament, are not used.
• Godparents (nași). Ideally the couple's original wedding godparents stand with them. If they have died or cannot come, other Christians can take their place (Doxologia).
• Clothes and candles. No wedding outfits: the couple wears ordinary church clothes, and two candles from the church shop are enough (Doxologia).

There is no single published rite for anniversaries, and parishes do it differently. Even the author of the Ungheni text notes that his adaptations have not been confirmed by higher church authority (source). Agree the details with the parish priest. As with any service there is no official fee: the parish council sets a voluntary contribution and you can ask for a receipt (Agerpres, in Romanian).

Who organises it, week by week

For a silver wedding the couple is often still keen to plan it themselves. For a golden wedding the children and grandchildren usually take over. Either way, agree three things first: surprise or not, who pays (siblings usually split it) and how big. A dinner for 20 in a good restaurant often suits the couple better than a 150-guest party they no longer want.

What the meal costs. For a family party, a menu without alcohol costs roughly 100-240 lei (about €20-45) per person in Bucharest and 75-180 lei (about €15-35) in cities such as Craiova or Bacău, at standard and premium level (luxury menus reach 400 lei), based on the 2026 christening menu prices published by ievent.ro. For 30 guests that is about 2,300-7,200 lei (about €430-1,360) for food alone, before drinks and cake.

Ideas that land: a 5-6 minute slideshow set to the song from their wedding; the wedding photo recreated in the same pose; a cake with the number of years; guests from the original wedding; a dance for the couple before the cake.

With more than 40 guests and several branches of the family, a seating plan helps; the same rules apply as at a wedding, see our wedding seating plan guide.

The invitation, with wording you can copy

The invitation can come from the couple («join us to celebrate») or from the children («join us in celebrating our parents»), which is natural when you are organising and paying. Include the date, the church and time of the service, the venue and time of the meal, and an RSVP date. Send it four to five weeks ahead. For mixed families, a bilingual invitation (Romanian first, English below) is perfectly normal.

1. From the couple, 25 years

«25 years ago we said yes. Since then we have gathered a home, two children and countless memories with you. Please join us to celebrate our silver wedding on Saturday 12 June 2027: a thanksgiving service at 12 noon at St Nicholas Church, followed by lunch from 2 pm at Grădina Restaurant. Kindly reply by 25 May. With love, Elena and Mihai»

2. From the children, 50 years

«Mum and Dad have been married for 50 years. They taught us what a family is, and we would love to thank them with everyone dear to them around the table. Please join us for their golden wedding on Sunday 19 September 2027 at 1 pm, at Casa Albă in Sibiu. Do let us know by 5 September. With love, Ana, Radu and the grandchildren»

3. Short, for WhatsApp

«Dear all, on 12 June we celebrate 25 years of marriage and we would love to share it with you. Details and RSVP here: [link]. Hope to see you there!»

4. No gifts, please

«Having you there is the best gift. Please, no presents: if you would like to bring something, bring a photo of us from years gone by for our album.»

For the message that goes with the link, see our guide to the online invitation message. With 40-80 guests, an online invitation with a personal link saves you a round of phone calls: each household says how many are coming and you see the list update.

Gifts, and whether to give money

The traditional gift follows the name: something silver at 25, something gold at 50. But most couples of that age already have what they need, so the gifts that matter carry memories.

Money or a present? There is no rule and no survey for anniversaries. At a restaurant party many Romanian guests bring an envelope, following wedding logic, where a common benchmark is to at least cover your place at the table (see how much to give at a Romanian wedding). If the couple wrote «no gifts», respect it; flowers are always welcome.

Speeches: who speaks and what to say

1. 1Order: one of the children opens, a godparent or old friend tells a story, and the couple thanks everyone at the end.
2. 2Length: 2-3 minutes each.
3. 3Shape: one concrete memory (the first car, the move, the first baby), what you learned from them, a toast.
4. 4Tone: warm and funny, without mother-in-law jokes.

An opening to adapt: «25 years ago Mum and Dad got married with almost nothing in their pockets and a rented studio flat. We grew up on that story and only now understand how brave they were. Mum, Dad, thank you for showing us what a family looks like. To the next 25!»

Your next step

Agree the date and size with your siblings, then talk to the priest about the service. The rest is easier in one place: guest list, RSVPs, the day's timings, seating and the party photos. On Celebrum the anniversary gets its own website (choose «Petrecere», the party type, so both names appear) with invitations and RSVP, a seating plan and a gallery where guests upload photos through a QR code, and the sibling organising with you gets their own link to the whole dashboard.

Planning your own wedding next? Our guide to the Orthodox church wedding in Romania covers the documents and the service.