Be prepared and organized to make a 40th anniversary party more enjoyable for you and for the guests. This celebration honors a long-term commitment that few attain and all admire. Typically the husband gives the speech, but the wife certainly can give one also. A good idea for some couples is to give the speech together. Having your partner participating next to you, filling in voids and adding commentary, inspires a confident presentation.

Begin by thanking everyone for attending and singling out individuals who are very significant, such as parents, children and long distance attendees. Thank the hosts who organized the party and point out with pride any new additions to the family or declarations of impending marriages. Assume guests' ages will be very young to quite older and craft your remarks in a loving way rather than with an acerbic tone. Declare how important this day is to you and ask your wife to stand while you thank her for the many years she has given you. After she is seated, look directly at her and recount for the group an interesting or funny incident that occurred leading up to or after the wedding. Talk about the last 40 years: setting up a new household, the leaner years, children arriving and some of the ups and downs that occurred over such a long union. Tell the group something personal about how the new marriage affected you. Finish the tribute to your marriage by thanking your wife again for so many years of happiness and raise a toast to her, telling her how much you love her. Conclude by thanking everyone for attending and introduce the next speaker, if any.

Begin by thanking everyone for attending and singling out individuals who are very significant, such as parents, children and long distance attendees. Thank the hosts who organized the party and point out with pride any new additions to the family or declarations of impending marriages; ask those members of the family to stand and show off their babies or be recognized for their impending marriages. As you begin your remarks, craft them in a loving way with glimpses of gentle humor at your husband’s expense. Declare how important this day is to you and ask your husband to stand while you thank him for the many years he has shared with you. After he is seated, look directly at him and recount for the group an interesting or amusing incident that occurred leading up to or after the wedding. Talk about the last 40 years: setting up a new household, the leaner years, children arriving and some of the ups and downs that occurred over such a long union. Tell the group something personal about how the new marriage affected you. Finish the tribute to your marriage by thanking your husband again for so many years of happiness and raise a toast to him while expressing your love. Conclude by thanking everyone for attending and introduce the next speaker, if any.

This is an opportunity for some lively humor, primarily at the husband’s expense, but directed at the wife also. Follow the same template as for the individual speeches but jump in with humorous remarks as the other person is speaking. Show expressions of love and commitment during the speech and enjoy yourselves, saying what comes to mind as well as having some preplanned and amusing zingers aimed at each other. A beautiful finish is to renew your wedding vows or simply express your love for each other. As you exit, allow the host to introduce the next speaker, if any.