Aniversário de casamento vs. bodas
In Portuguese, aniversário de casamento and bodas both relate to the celebration of time spent in a marriage, but they function differently. Aniversário de casamento is the descriptive, general term for the annual date, while bodas is a traditional term usually coupled with a specific material (like gold or silver) to symbolize a specific milestone.
Aniversário de casamento
A2This phrase literally translates to anniversary of marriage. It is the standard, neutral way to refer to the date itself or the count of years a couple has been married.
Nós vamos viajar no nosso aniversário de casamento.
(We are going to travel on our wedding anniversary.)
Eles esqueceram que hoje era o aniversário de casamento deles.
(They forgot that today was their wedding anniversary.)
Feliz aniversário de casamento para o casal!
(Happy wedding anniversary to the couple!)
Bodas
B2This word comes from the Latin for vows and refers to the celebration of the marriage or specific milestones named after materials. It is rarely used alone in modern speech regarding anniversaries; instead, it is almost always followed by de and a material (e.g., silver, gold, cotton) to indicate exactly how many years are being celebrated.
Meus pais vão fazer uma festa para as bodas de prata.
(My parents are going to throw a party for their silver wedding anniversary.)
Você sabia que 50 anos de casados são as bodas de ouro?
(Did you know that 50 years of marriage is the golden wedding anniversary?)
Eles renovaram os votos durante as bodas de diamante.
(They renewed their vows during their diamond wedding anniversary.)
Summary
Use aniversário de casamento when simply stating the date or referring to the event generally. Use bodas when you are specifically naming the traditional milestone associated with a material, such as bodas de prata (25 years) or bodas de ouro (50 years).