What to Say on an Anniversary Card
Have you ever planned for a special anniversary marked on your calendar and wondered what to write in an anniversary card? Anniversary greetings are a very popular way to say thank you, I love you, let’s keep our relationship going when an anniversary comes.
An anniversary is a special time to remember and recall the silver and golden moments in a relationship. Many store-bought greeting cards offer words and short poems that are sentimental, flowery, serious and funny. With the price of a paper card as high as six or seven dollars, you want to make sure that it offers the right message to the person receiving your card.
Knowing what to say in an anniversary card can be challenging, even if you have a way with words. How can you tell your husband what he really means to you in a simple paragraph? How do you tell your wife that your 25 years together have been amazing without sound hokey? What do you say when you have faced challenges during the year? When you’ve lost your father, what do you say to your mother on their anniversary? You don’t have to be a professional greeting-card writer to say something special.
Many greeting cards today have a variety of verses written in many different tones and words. For example, there are humorous anniversary cards that poke fun at the person receiving the card and the person giving it. There are risque cards that use tongue in cheek humor with double meanings. There are flowery greetings and verses, religious sentiments and just plain, old fashioned blank notes.
Write about when you first met each other. What attracted you to your spouse? Was it his eyes or her smile? Did you love his goofy attempts at telling jokes or the way she listened when you talked about your goals? How about the way he would do spontaneous things, just to make you smile? Did she show up at your work unexpectedly with a picnic lunch for the two of you? Did he give you a pair of earrings just because it was a Tuesday? Did she ask your mother for the recipe for your favorite lemon pie?
Let’s face it, anniversary cards that don’t strike an emotional card often get thrown out. Unless you put your heart into writing, it’s just a piece of paper. What makes a difference is giving your loved one a “keeper.” Anniversaries are fleeting. They come one day and leave the next. Just writing “Happy Anniversary” is not enough. Forgetting an anniversary is even worse. An anniversary card and love letter can take your love to a higher level.
Mention highlights from your previous year together. Did you buy a home? Did you have a baby? Did you take ballroom dancing lessons together? Did you go on a dream vacation? Many times, you may find that the greeting and words printed on the card just don’t do justice to your relationship. Every anniversary is different, because of the amount of time you have invested in a relationship or the season of your life. Writing a personal note with your anniversary greetings that express your heart feelings and your loving thoughts about your spouse or loved one is the best way to continue the flame in your relationship. If you struggle to find the words, it helps to look at samples of love letters to get a feel for what words to use. Then, you will have ideas that you can make into your own. Comment on the enduring qualities of your marriage. Are your religious beliefs central to your marriage? Maybe it’s your commitment to your children or your extended family.
Comment on the strength of your marriage during challenging times. If you’re going through a difficult period in your life, such as the loss of a job, a miscarriage, other health issues or relationship problems with your children or other family members–mention how your spouse’s love and support has been important. If the struggle is your marriage, look for something encouraging to say, even it if’s that you appreciate his willingness to go to counseling together.
You can write a long love letter on a separate piece of paper and then fold it and put in in with your anniversary card. You can write an anniversary love poem right on the inside flap of the greeting card. You can look for love quotes and print them in your card. Remember, celebrating an anniversary isn’t about just the day itself. It is a symbol of your love and time together. your relationship of togetherness. You and your entire family is affected by your love and how you celebrate this special time.
Do something special for milestone anniversaries. If your 25th anniversary is a month away, buy a pack of 25 notecards. On the first card write, “November 9, 1974; our wedding day.” Mention how beautiful she looked in her dress or how it touched you to see him cry as he recited his vows. Continue to write something special from each year of your marriage. Seal the envelopes with a heart or flower sticker. Give the cards to your spouse in a unique way, like mailing them one day at a time leading up to your anniversary (or all in one big bundle), or by hiding them around the house with a special map to find them. Including a love letter is an important part of what to write in an anniversary card. Don’t miss your chance when the anniversary day arrives. Make sure that you capture the moment by writing a “keeper.”