Sapphire, traditionally, and the forty-fifth is one of the quietest entries on the list. Forty is marked, fifty is a genuine occasion, and forty-five sits between two things that both get more attention.
Which makes it useful for something else: it is the year the fiftieth should start.
Why five years is not too early
A golden jubilee book is the largest thing most families ever assemble, and the work is not the printing.
| The work | Realistically |
|---|---|
| Finding the 1970s prints | They are in one house, in one copy |
| Scanning or photographing them | An afternoon, once found |
| Getting photographs from four households | Months, and it needs chasing |
| Interviewing the couple | Nobody does this and it is the best part |
| Choosing 300 from what you have | Weeks |
| Design, proof, print | 5 to 14 days from order |
Families who start a golden jubilee book six weeks out end up with a good book about the last fifteen years. The first twenty are the ones that need the lead time. How to interview your parents →
What to give at forty-five itself
Small, and it can be the first visible step of the larger project.
Prints of what you have found so far, from ₹270 for thirty. Handing your parents thirty photographs from 1979 that they have not seen since is a complete gift on its own.
A short magazine, ₹499 for 8 pages, of one chapter — one decade, one house, one recurring holiday. A sample of the bigger book, and it tells you whether the structure works before you commit to a hundred pages.
Nothing, and the work. Also a real answer at a year with no event attached to it.
What the fiftieth will need
| Format | Pages | Photographs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album, square | 60 | ~240 | ₹1,799 |
| Album, A4 | 60 | ~240 | ₹1,899 |
| Album, square | 100 | ~400 | ₹2,199 |
| Album, A4 | 100 | ~400 | ₹2,299 |
Flat ₹70 delivery anywhere in India, and a hundred pages is the largest thing we make. 50th anniversary gift ideas →
The reason to start now rather than at forty-nine
The people who can identify who is in a 1978 photograph are the people whose anniversary it is, and the ones a generation above them.
That is not a comfortable thing to say and it is the honest reason the lead time matters.
Frequently asked
What is the traditional 45th anniversary gift? Sapphire. It is one of the quieter years, sitting between two that get considerably more attention.
What should I give for a 45th anniversary? Something small — prints, or a short magazine of one chapter — and start assembling the fiftieth.
How early should a 50th anniversary book start? Years rather than months. The gathering and the identifying are slow; the printing is 5 to 14 days.
What is the hardest part of a golden jubilee book? Finding the oldest photographs and working out who is in them. Both depend on people, not on us.
How big is a 50th anniversary album? Sixty to a hundred pages, ₹1,799 to ₹2,299. A hundred pages holds about 400 photographs and is the largest thing we make.
Part of our guide to anniversary photo books by year. See also: 40th anniversary gift ideas and 60th anniversary gift ideas.
For the long project: Hardcover albums from ₹1,299 · Print packs from ₹270 · Anniversary gifts