A wedding anniversary is a joyous occasion that should be celebrated with family and friends. While silver, gold, clocks and all the other traditional anniversary gifts have their place. The greatest way to honor the couple is through a public wedding anniversary toast. It is one of those gifts that can’t be bought and will remain special forever.
Now don’t take this lightly. There are certain guidelines that should be followed when preparing and delivering.
- Show sincerity. If you’re going to stand up and give an anniversary toast your loved ones deserve much better than “Congrats Grandpa and Grandma” or “Here’s to another 30 years”. Stay away from tired clichés such as these. Make it heartfelt and show them just how special they are to you through proper preparation.
- Keep it short and direct. Shoot for 2-3 minutes.
- Be subtle yet direct when getting the attention of all the other guests. Simply standing up and lightly tapping your glass will make enough noise to get everyone’s attention. This is not the time to be loud and boisterous.
- Keep it about them. It doesn’t matter if you’re closer to the husband or wife. Don’t address either one of them directly. The celebration is their achievement as man and wife.
- Put a personal touch into it. Tell a short story of when the couple did something special for you that impacted your life forever.
- High light the good. This is a happy occasion. So don’t bring up anything that will bring the room down. For example don’t say, “June, I really admire you for staying with Robert after he gambled away the kids’ college funds at the horse track. You’re an amazing woman!”
Following these guidelines will insure you will make the appropriate mark on your special couple’s anniversary. Give them a wedding anniversary toast they will never forget!
