What to write / Anniversary wishes
Anniversary wishes
An anniversary wish does one small job: it tells two people that someone noticed, and is glad for them. It does not need to be long. One or two sentences, written with a little care, is plenty.
Most of the wishes here are for a couple: your mum and dad, your grandparents, friends, a brother or sister, a son or daughter and the person they married. There are short ones for your own husband or wife too, for when you want to say it simply.
If you are stuck over a longer message to your own partner, our guide to what to write in an anniversary card goes further. For a quick, warm wish, start here.
How to write one
Say which anniversary it is
If you know the number, use it. 'Happy 30th anniversary' shows you have been paying attention, and for the big ones the name does half the work: silver for 25, ruby for 40, golden for 50, diamond for 60.
Write to both of them
A wish for a couple should land on the two of them equally. Use both names, or 'you two' and 'the pair of you', and steer clear of a message that is really about only one of them.
Add one small true thing
The crossword they share, the walks, the way they still hold hands. One detail you have noticed turns a stock wish into theirs.
Keep it short
One or two sentences is right for a wish. If you find yourself starting a third, you are writing a letter, which is lovely, but it belongs in a longer card message.
For your own husband or wife
Short does not mean cold. Say one thing you mean and stop. 'Still my favourite person to come home to' does more than a paragraph of adjectives.
Anniversary wishes for your husband
Short enough for a card on the breakfast table, true enough to keep.
Happy anniversary to the man who still brings me tea in bed. I'd say yes all over again.
Another year, and you're still the first person I want to tell everything to. Happy anniversary, love.
I've made some questionable decisions in my time. Marrying you was never one of them. Happy anniversary.
Thank you for every early start, every late pick-up and every time you gave me the bigger half. Happy anniversary.
Still my favourite person to come home to. Happy anniversary, my love.
Happy anniversary, husband. Same again next year, please.
Anniversary wishes for your wife
One thing you mean, said plainly.
Happy anniversary to the woman who can make an ordinary Tuesday feel like an occasion. I know how lucky I am.
You walked into my life and it has been louder, kinder and a great deal more fun ever since. Happy anniversary, my love.
I still look for you first in every room. Happy anniversary.
Thank you for another year of your patience, your good sense and your cold feet. Happy anniversary, darling.
Wherever you are is where I'd rather be, even when it's a garden centre on a bank holiday. Happy anniversary to my wife.
Another year of you laughing at my jokes out of pure kindness. Thank you, and happy anniversary.
Anniversary wishes for Mum and Dad
From a son or daughter. Add 'from all of us' if the whole family is signing.
Happy anniversary, Mum and Dad. Thank you for showing us what sticking together looks like, in all weathers.
All these years and you still save each other the crossword. Happy anniversary, Mum and Dad.
Happy anniversary to the two people who taught me that love is mostly putting the kettle on for someone else.
Mum and Dad, you made a marriage and a home look easy, and I now know neither is. Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary to my favourite double act. Still arguing about directions, still holding hands on walks.
Another year together, Mum and Dad, and all of us are the better for it. Happy anniversary, with love from the lot of us.
Anniversary wishes for Nan and Grandad
Swap in Grandma, Granny, Grandpa or whatever they answer to.
Happy anniversary, Nan and Grandad. We are all very glad you said yes.
Nan still straightens Grandad's collar and Grandad still carries Nan's shopping. Happy anniversary to the pair of you.
Happy anniversary to the two people whose house always smells of something in the oven. We love you both.
Nan and Grandad, you are the reason the rest of us believe in the long haul. Happy anniversary.
All those years, and you still sit next to each other on the settee. Happy anniversary, Nan and Grandad.
Happy anniversary to Nan and Grandad, keepers of the family record and the family biscuit tin.
Anniversary wishes for friends
Friends don't expect a card, which is why one is so nice to get.
Happy anniversary, you two. Still the couple everyone wants to sit next to at a wedding.
Another year married and still speaking to each other in the car. Impressive. Happy anniversary to you both.
You two make it look fun, which is the whole trick. Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary to you both. We were there on day one and you have only got better since.
Raising a glass to the pair of you tonight. Happy anniversary, and book us in for the next big one.
Happy anniversary to two of our favourite people. Dinner soon, and we're paying.
Anniversary wishes for a son or daughter
Written to both of them: your own child and the person they married.
Happy anniversary to you both. Watching the two of you build a life together is one of our great pleasures.
We could not have picked a better person for you if we'd tried, and we'd have liked to try. Happy anniversary, both.
Happy anniversary to our son and the person who finally got him to use a coaster. We love you both.
Happy anniversary to our daughter and the one who makes her laugh like that. Thank you for making her so happy.
You look after each other so well, and that is all a parent ever wants. Happy anniversary to you both.
Happy anniversary, you two. Come for Sunday lunch soon and we'll toast you with the good glasses.
Anniversary wishes for a brother or sister
A little teasing is allowed. It is what brothers and sisters are for.
Happy anniversary to my brother and the best thing that ever happened to him. Have a brilliant day, both of you.
Happy anniversary to my sister and the one person who can win an argument with her. Love to you both.
You two are proof that someone in this family has good taste. Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary to you both. Still my favourite couple to share a takeaway with.
Another year married, and I still haven't recovered from the speeches. Happy anniversary to the pair of you.
Funny anniversary wishes
Tease the habits, never the marriage.
Happy anniversary. I love you more than a lie-in, and you know how I feel about a lie-in.
Here's to another year of sharing a bed, a bank account and a strong opinion about how to load the dishwasher.
Happy anniversary to the person who knows exactly how I take my tea and makes it wrong anyway.
We've been together so long that I now find your snoring oddly reassuring. Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary to the one person I'd hand the remote to. Occasionally.
Another year, and still nobody has agreed on the right setting for the heating. Happy anniversary to you both.
First anniversary wishes
The first is the paper anniversary, so a card is the traditional present.
One year in and you already make it look easy. Happy first anniversary to you both.
A year of being married to you and I still grin when I say it out loud. Happy first anniversary.
Paper for the first year, so here is some, with a great deal of love written on it.
It feels like five minutes since the confetti. Happy first anniversary to you both.
Happy first anniversary. The top tier of the cake has waited long enough.
One year down and I'd still pick you out of any crowd. Happy first anniversary, my love.
Silver, ruby, golden and diamond anniversary wishes
The 25th is silver, the 40th ruby, the 50th golden and the 60th diamond.
Twenty-five years, and still the best team we know. Happy silver anniversary to you both.
Happy silver anniversary. A quarter of a century and you still make each other laugh, which is the part that counts.
Ruby for forty years, and well earned. Congratulations to you both on a marriage we all quietly admire.
Happy ruby anniversary. Forty years of shared tea, shared troubles and one shared umbrella.
Fifty golden years. You have set the standard, and it's a high one. Happy anniversary, with so much love.
Happy golden anniversary. Half a century, and you still walk to the shops arm in arm.
Sixty years married. Even the King sends a card for that, and he hasn't met you. Happy diamond anniversary from those of us who have.
What to leave out
- Jokes about life sentences and balls and chains. Tease the couple gently, never the marriage.
- The wrong number. If you are not sure whether it is 29 years or 30, leave the number out.
- A wish that is all about one of them. It is their day as a pair.
- Rough patches, or anything they told you in confidence. Other people may read the card.
Questions people ask
What is a short anniversary wish for a couple?
Use their names, say one warm thing about the two of them and stop: 'Happy anniversary to you both. You make it look fun.' One or two sentences is all a wish needs.
What do you write for your parents' anniversary?
Thank them for the example they set and mention something they still do together, such as the crossword or the Sunday walk. A son or daughter is the best person to say 'you showed us how it's done'.
What are the names of the big anniversaries?
The first is paper, the 25th is silver, the 40th is ruby, the 50th is golden and the 60th is diamond. Using the name in your wish is an easy way to show you thought about it.
Do you send an anniversary card to friends?
Nobody expects one, which is why it is so nice to get. A short wish on the day, especially for a first anniversary or a round number, tells friends you remembered.
Is it all right to send anniversary wishes by message?
Yes. What matters is that it arrives on the day and sounds like you. An animated card sent by WhatsApp or email on the morning feels more of an occasion than a plain text.
What do you write when one of the couple has died?
Leave out 'happy anniversary'. A short note on the day to say you are thinking of them, perhaps with a fond memory of the two of them together, is a kind thing to send.