Anniversary Messages, by Relation and Year
What you write for an anniversary depends on two things: who it's for and which year it is. Start with the person, add the year, and put in one thing only you would know. If the day has already gone by, there's a section for that too.
Find a message45 messages: for your partner, your parents, friends and coworkers, milestone years, and when you forgot.
How to write an anniversary message in three lines
- 1.Name the time. "Seven years", "our first year", "forty years of you two". It shows you know which one it is.
- 2.Add one real thing. A memory, a habit, something they've built together, or something that changed because of them.
- 3.Look ahead. One line about the next year, a plan, or simply that you're glad.
For example: "Seven years today. I still think about the night the power went out and we ate cereal by candlelight. Here's to the next seven, with better dinners."
A text is fine for friends and coworkers. For your partner, or your parents in a milestone year, a card or a few handwritten lines are worth the effort, because people keep them.
For your wife, husband or partner
Your own anniversary matters most, and it's the easiest one to make generic. Skip the lines from a greeting card and say something specific about this year: what they carried, what made you laugh, what you'd choose again. More in anniversary wishes for your wife and for your husband.
This year in one line
Happy anniversary. This was a hard year, and you were the best part of every week of it.
Choosing them again
Five years, two apartments, one very bad couch. I'd choose you again in every one of them.
The small things
Happy anniversary to the person who still saves me the last bite and pretends they weren't hungry.
Not a words person
I'm not good at saying this out loud, so here it is in writing: I love our life, and I love you. Happy anniversary.
Apart on the day
Another anniversary in two different time zones. Counting the days until we're in the same room. Happy anniversary, love.
After a rough patch
We didn't make this year easy for each other, and we're still here, still choosing this. That means more to me than any easy year. Happy anniversary.
Funny, to your partner
Happy anniversary. Another year of you calmly pretending my parallel parking is fine. I have never felt so supported.
Dating, not married
Three years since you asked if I wanted to split a pizza, and I said I wasn't hungry, then ate half of it. Happy anniversary. I'm still glad I said yes.
A letter instead of a card
No card this year. I wrote you a letter instead, about the year we just had and the one I'm hoping for. It's on your pillow. Happy anniversary.
For your parents
Thank them for something their marriage showed you, not only for staying together. If one of them has died, if they've separated, or if one is a stepparent, write to who is there and what they've given you. More, including two moms and two dads, in anniversary wishes for parents.
What their marriage showed you
Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad. Watching you two make up after every argument taught me more about love than any film did.
Parents, a milestone year
Thirty-five years. You've made it look easy, and I know now that it isn't. Proud to be your kid. Happy anniversary.
Parents, from far away
Wish I could be there to raise a glass with you tonight. Happy anniversary to my two favorite people. Call me when you're back from dinner.
A parent and stepparent
Happy anniversary to you both. Thank you for the home you built for all of us, and for making room for me in it.
Still holding hands
Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad. You still hold hands in the grocery store, and I've finally stopped being embarrassed about it. I hope I'm that lucky.
From all the kids
Happy anniversary, you two. Sunday lunch is on us this year, all three of us, and nobody is letting Dad pick up the bill.
For friends or a couple you know
Keep it about them as a pair: what they're like together, how they host, how they handle the chaos. An inside joke is fine if both of them will get it. More, including your daughter and son-in-law or your sister and her husband, in anniversary wishes for a couple.
As a couple
Happy anniversary to the two people who make every dinner party better. Keep finishing each other's stories. We'll keep pretending we haven't heard them.
Remembering the wedding
Three years since the best wedding I've ever cried at. Happy anniversary, you two.
Funny, to friends
Happy anniversary. Another year of putting up with each other's music in the car. Truly inspiring.
A quick text to friends
Happy anniversary to you both. Hope you get a quiet evening and someone else does the dishes.
You introduced them
Happy anniversary. I still take full credit for seating you two next to each other at my birthday dinner. You're welcome, and congratulations.
Your favorite hosts
Happy anniversary to our favorite hosts. Another year of your porch, your playlists and that lasagna we keep hinting about. Thank you for always making room for us.
For a coworker or someone you know less well
Short, warm and not too personal: congratulate them both and wish them a good evening. If it's their work anniversary instead, see work anniversary messages.
A coworker
Heard it's your anniversary today. Congratulations to you both, and enjoy the evening.
A neighbor
Happy anniversary to you both. It's lovely to see you two still out on your evening walk together.
From the whole team
Happy anniversary to you and [Name], from all of us on the team. We hope tonight involves good food and nobody mentions work.
From your manager
I saw it's your anniversary today. Congratulations to you both. If you'd like to head off early and celebrate, go ahead. We've got things covered here.
By year, from the 1st to the 60th
Milestone years each have a traditional theme, which some people use for gifts. Lists for the years in between differ from country to country, but the milestones are much the same:
- 1st: paper
- 5th: wood
- 10th: tin or aluminum
- 15th: crystal
- 20th: china
- 25th: silver
- 30th: pearl
- 40th: ruby
- 50th: gold
- 60th: diamond
The first year is often harder than people admit, so mention something you've learned about each other (1st anniversary wishes). Five years is usually when life gets busy, so say what you've built (5th). Ten years is a decade worth telling back, year by year if you like (10th). A 25th is often a party where messages are read aloud (25th). For a 50th, tell the couple's story back to them, in words that are easy to read and to hear (50th).
1st, to your partner
One year married. I've learned you need coffee before conversation and that you sing in the shower when you think I'm out. I love all of it.
1st, to a couple
Happy first anniversary. Year one is done, and you two still look at each other like it's the wedding day.
2nd
Two years married. Year two had less confetti and more ordinary Tuesdays, and I liked it even better. Happy anniversary.
3rd
Happy third anniversary. Year three was the year we stopped trying to impress each other and just got on the same side. It's my favorite one yet.
5th
Five years, and we've built a whole life out of small, ordinary days with you in them. Happy anniversary.
10th
Ten years ago I promised to love you. It turned out to be the easiest promise I ever made. Happy tenth.
15th
Fifteen years. Three jobs, two cities, more school runs than I can count, and I'd still rather do the boring parts of life with you than the fun parts with anyone else. Happy fifteenth.
20th, to friends
Twenty years ago we danced at your wedding in shoes we all regretted by midnight. The shoes didn't last. You two did. Happy 20th.
25th, to your parents
Twenty-five years, two kids, three dogs and a lot of burnt pancakes on Sunday mornings. Happy silver anniversary, Mom and Dad.
25th, to friends
A quarter of a century together and you still make each other laugh. Happy 25th to a couple we all look up to.
30th, to your parents
Thirty years, Mom and Dad. Two moves, one flooded basement, all of my teenage years, and you still do the Sunday crossword together. Happy pearl anniversary.
40th
Forty years. Ruby suits you two: rare, a little fiery, and better with time. Happy anniversary.
50th, to grandparents
Fifty years ago you said yes to each other, and because of that, all of us are here. Happy golden anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa.
50th, to a couple
Half a century of choosing each other. Congratulations on fifty years, and thank you for showing the rest of us how it's done.
60th, to grandparents
Happy diamond anniversary. Sixty years, and Grandpa still pours Grandma's coffee before his own. Some of us are still learning that one.
What to write when you forgot
It happens, and it can be put right. Say it in the first line, without an excuse, then make the rest of the message about them, not about your week. If it's your own anniversary, say it in person or on the phone first, then follow up with a plan.
Don't explain how busy you've been, don't pretend you planned a surprise, and don't let a gift do the apologizing for you. More help: forgot your anniversary and what to say to your wife.
Your own, the next morning
Our anniversary was yesterday, and I let it go by. I'm sorry. You deserved better from me. This weekend is planned, every part of it, and you don't have to lift a finger.
Your own, after a reminder
You had to remind me, and that's on me. I'm sorry. Nine years married to you is still the smartest thing I've ever done, and Friday night is mine to plan.
Your parents', a day late
I missed your anniversary yesterday, and I'm sorry. Happy anniversary, both of you. Can I take you to lunch this weekend to celebrate properly?
Friends', a few days late
Late, but meant: happy anniversary to you both. I hope you celebrated in style, and I owe you a drink.
A week late
A week late, and no excuse. Happy anniversary. You two are one of my favorite things about our group of friends.
So it doesn't happen next year, save the date now, with a reminder early enough to plan: a week or two before gives you time for a booking or a card.
Save the anniversary once
Greetigo emails you before each date you save, with a message ready: the day before, or 3, 7 or 14 days before if you want time to plan. Anniversaries repeat every year.
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Frequently asked questions
What do you write in an anniversary card?
What do you say to your parents on their anniversary?
What is the traditional gift for each anniversary?
What should I write if I forgot our anniversary?
How do I wish a coworker a happy anniversary?
Want a first draft? On Plus and Premium, Greetigo's AI writes one from the person's name, the occasion, the style you pick and any notes you add (for example, how you know them). You edit it before anything is sent. Try the greeting generator.