Posted on 09/15/2025 5:27:20 AM PDT by Cowman
My folks are getting ready to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary and I have the honor of giving a speech to honor them and the occasion. I am the youngest of 4 and the only one of their children to be in attendance. I need ideas on how to pull this together. I'm not a public speaker. I prefer written communication but after several years in a technical career I write like a lab report or shop manual. I thought of outlining all of the history and societal changes they have been through (their first home cost $10500 for a 3br cape and my dad built it himself.) Or should I stick to their strong faith and working with church and mission functions?
Does this presentation location allow for the use of visual media; e.g. photos on the “big screen”?
A photo chronology of their important milestones and other key events could serve as the framework to link it all together for you.
75th anniversary — wow, what a blessing.
How about more of a slideshow, with music from the eras of their lives?
Or, people do like hearing heartwarming stories. Pick three virtues they show as a couple and come up with a little memory story showing each one. Like an example of perseverance, one of mutual respect, one of keeping a sense of humor.
Don’t run on too long. 5-7 minutes?
The months, days, hours thing sounds good initially but only serves as a stark reminder of impending mortality and how little time is left. They get that each day in the mirror.
I’d go with that self-deprecating tech writer opening after a short prayer of thanks, highlights and recognition, note how many have congregated to honor them in person (this is a thanks to those who did in this age of Zoom), perhaps get a few sober and sane people up for short statements and wrap up on a positive note.
A little after party featuring music from their time of courtship is nice, then send them off on an all-expense paid dinner at a swanky place. Just suggestions.
Ps my parents would have been married 75 years this year.
Short slide slow with music would be great. A favorite song? Or Nat King Cole
L-O-V-E or Kenny Roger’s Through the Years. Like other poster said keep your speech short. You can say plenty in 5 min.
Go to AI and run simple ideas by it. Make notes to take up to the podium and keep it down to 5 mins. Practice, practice, practice and don’t forget to add humor.
Gemini
For a 75th wedding anniversary speech, focus on a theme of endurance, commitment, and legacy. Start by welcoming guests and introducing yourself. Share a brief, heartfelt story or memory that highlights the couple’s strong bond and resilience. Acknowledge the rarity of this milestone and the lessons their love has taught you. End with a toast celebrating their incredible journey and the enduring legacy they’ve created.
A good start:
Proverbs 16:31
A gray head is a crown of glory;
It is found in the way of righteousness.
Exodus 23:25-26
But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days
I attended a 50th wedding anniversary not too long ago (Italian family).
The oldest son’s speech was about how all five kids had long marriages and no divorces, they’d learned from their parents.
‘Thanks, we wouldn’t be here if not for you’
I got them beat. Marriage feels like a hundred years
Ladies and gentlemen, family, and friends,
We gather here today to celebrate something so rare, so extraordinary, that it feels like we’re witnessing a piece of living history. Seventy-five years of marriage between Joe and Mary. Seventy-five years of love, faith, family, and endurance.
Their story began 77 years ago, in a world that looked very different from today. It was a time when life was simpler, yes—but also harder in ways many of us can barely imagine. Joe and Mary grew up during the shadows of the Great Depression, when parents didn’t just teach their children the value of a dollar—they taught them the meaning of life itself: faith in God, devotion to family, and a deep love for their country. Those lessons became the foundation for the lives Joe and Mary would build together.
When World War II raged across the globe, the very fabric of our nation was tested. Neighbors planted victory gardens, flags flew in every yard, and patriotism wasn’t a slogan—it was a way of life. Joe and Mary carried those values with them, standing shoulder to shoulder as young adults, learning what sacrifice and endurance truly meant. Later, when the Korean War came, Joe answered the call to serve his country. Mary, with strength and quiet courage, kept the home fires burning. Their love was tested by distance, by uncertainty, and by the heavy weight of war—and yet, when Joe returned, their bond was unshakable.
Together, they built a family. Four children blessed their home, and though two are no longer with us, their lives and their legacies live on in the love of this family. Joe and Mary’s story is not only one of endurance, but also one of resilience—the kind of resilience born from a generation that knew how to endure hardship without complaint, how to find joy in the little things, and how to put God, country, and family above all else.
Think back, if you will, nearly a century ago: children walking dirt roads to school, gathering on front porches to listen to the crackle of the radio, penny candy at the corner store, and evenings spent under the stars because there wasn’t much else to do. That was the world Joe and Mary came from—a world that shaped them into the people we admire today.
Now imagine the butterfly effect: how the smallest moments—two young people meeting, sharing a laugh, daring to dream—can ripple outward through time. Because Joe and Mary chose each other all those years ago, generations of family exist today. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren—all of us gathered here are part of the living proof of their love story. A decision made 77 years ago has created a legacy that will stretch on long after we leave this room.
So today, we celebrate more than an anniversary. We celebrate the gift of their example: that love endures, that faith sustains, that family matters, and that patriotism still has a place in our hearts.
Joe, Mary—you are the living embodiment of a promise kept, of vows honored, of a life well-lived. On behalf of everyone here, thank you—for showing us not just how to live, but how to love.
Here’s to 75 years of marriage—and to the butterfly effect of your love, which continues to touch us all.
God bless you both, and God bless your family.
Bowhunter: Great idea and so helpful to provide an actual speech to work with!
I recently went to a dinner for a 70th anniversary. It was great. No real speeches, a couple of toasts really. Someone brought a game bought off Amazon (I assume), matching prices from 70 years ago for a list of items. It was kind of fun to keep the discussion going. Also we didn’t have any media, but would be cool to maybe play their favorite songs from back in the day, the song from their wedding dance..... along that line. Talk of the family tree is good, some of the most important lessons you learned from them and/or their union. You will do great! GOOD LUCK
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to your parents on their 75th
( I’ve been married for almost 40! ).
For this event I highly recommend using Powerpoint.
I worked for Medical Television, a support division for a University College of Medicine in the Southwest part of the US. One of my duties was to help presenters set up their laptop computers and answer any questions before they gave a Grand Round presentation before a live audience of 150 Doctors and a LIVE cable television audience.
FIRST thing I would ask them is, “Are you presenting any ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED data?” ( the Chinese were stealing EVERTHING!!! ). Many did NOT know they would be recorded and broadcast LIVE! A few CANCELLED the presentation when they found out.
Without exception in 16 years of doing Surgery, Medicine and Psychiatry Grand Rounds EVERYBODY gave a POWERPOINT presentation. GREAT format, easy to use and easy for the audience to follow. My department printed out “Tips” for presenters and we would recommend ONE slide for every minute of presentation.
One trend I noticed was the BETTER presenters would every few minutes break up their talk with an image TOTALLY unrelated to the topic. They would have been talking about some scientific analysis of basal cell carcinoma when suddenly they’d show a picture of a hummingbird they’d taken in their backyard and then explain what kind of hummingbird it was. They would repeat this process several times during the talk. VERY effective at maintaining the audience’s attention. Discover themes in the photos you have available and use THAT! Family pet photos is one idea.
The FIRST 10 seconds of the talk is the WORST for the presenter, how do you SURVIVE??? Here’s how, customized for your situation :
I want you to WALK up to your parents, where they are sitting, LOOK at them individually in the eyes and say, “Mom, or Dad, I LOVE YOU!” Make it personal, make it real. DON’T rush it. LOOK THEM IN THE EYE! Cowman, at THAT point you will share with your parents a priceless memory of LOVE and JOY .. . when you head to the podium after that you will be walking on air and your heart will be so FILLED with LOVE there will be NO ROOM for “stage fright.” USE that bounce - tell your audience, “Let’s look at some pictures!” ( Honestly, no one wants to look at YOU reading from a script! ) By this time the audience is in awe of you ( WHAT A GREAT SON!!! )
DO NOT start with a joke - HIGH risk, LOW reward, and if it flops you get a loss of confidence. Unless you know a KILLER Rodney Dangerfield gag like, “I remember the FIRST time I had sex, I was so scared .. . I was all alone.”
START emailing relatives NOW for images! IF you have time use MUSIC appropriate to the time period in the images you use. Practice your talk several times, a rehearsal before some friends or family members WILL REALLY HELP!
Remember to BREATHE. When you are finished I want you to hold on to THAT feeling of TRIUMPH and be amazed by just HOW MUCH YOU ENJOYED talking about your parents and when you were finishing up how disappointed you were that the moment was over. You began being methodological and precise and FINISHED adlibbing like a game show host!
LOVE trumps FEAR every time, my friend. Now .. . go break a leg!
Spaceman
I once sat on a couch with a 90 year old great granny from the steps of Russia.
I asked her Bubbie you have lived so long
Seen t.v. Telephone, air travel.
What would you say made the biggest change in your life?
She thought for a moment, said Skipper, I grew up on a farm.
Each day I would go in the fields with my family.
Ya gotta go ya squat, do your business, grab some weeds.
She blurted out thank God for toilet paper.
Just saying.
😳
Tell their stories, like flashbacks
Bring up the fact that they attended Moses presenting the 15 commandments...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmZFGw5CeWE
That they used one of the first telegraphs...
That they took the 1,912-mile long transcontinental train that took just 7 years to build from 1862 to 1869... (unlike Calif today)
That they bought an electric car in 1890 as it was the coming thing and everyone knew it...
That they knew Orville and Wilbur and were their first paying passengers of their new airline...
That they connected to Free Republic using a dial-up modem...
That they are still trying to figure out “What is the any key?”...
I asked my grandpa, “after 65 years, you still call grandma darling, beautiful, and honey.
“What’s the secret?”
He said, “I forgot her name 5 years ago and I’m scared to ask her”
Ask each of your siblings who won't be attending to write something that you can share with your parents at the celebration. Write something down for yourself, too.
Take what they wrote (and your own thoughts) and weave it into a larger family story that includes everyone's perspectives -- you just have to put it all together.
After the celebration, you can give the letters to your parents so they can read what you and your siblings wrote.
-PJ
Thanks so much for your suggestions. the venue didn’t have provision for video but i did have a podium and everyone was seated at big round tables. I decided to base the presentation on the story of how their relationship got started and a few comments at the end to tie it up. it went over great except my dad kept commenting like “that was a great car” etc. anyway everybody had a great time. BTW for those interested here’s what I did and Claude AI helped with the format immensely.
A Cord of Three
75th Anniversary Celebration
The Beginning: A Warm Fall Night in 1947
Picture this: It’s a warm fall evening in 1947. A pair of young miscreants park their 1936 Hudson on the side of a quiet country road in rural Connecticut. They slip out and skulk through the woods toward a lonely house with a single light glowing in the window.
Inside, a young woman is wrapped up in her geography homework, puzzling over why the capital of Kentucky is Frankfort and not Louisville. It just didn’t make sense.
Outside, each hooligan reaches into his dark clothing and produces a flat-bladed screwdriver. They creep up to the screened windows and go to work...
BANG! BANG! CRASH!
The Encounter That Changed Everything
The calm of the night is shattered. The woman jumps up, her geography papers flying everywhere. “What’s that! Who’s there!” she cries out.
Another screen falls in, followed by maniacal laughter. In a panic, she grabs the only weapon she can find—a heavy geography book. Then she hears footsteps on the cellar stairs and a tapping on the door.
Book raised and ready, she walks slowly toward the door as it starts to open with a long CREEEEEEEKKK.
There appears a boy from school—one she’d never paid much attention to and didn’t particularly like.
“Don’t worry, it’s only me,” he says. “I have the car. Wanna go someplace?”
She didn’t.
The boy decided to go home because he suddenly discovered that geography gave him a headache.
Persistence and Providence
But that didn’t stop him. For weeks, he tried every way he could to ask her out. Nothing worked—something always got in the way, or she simply wouldn’t answer his messages.
Finally, he decided on the direct approach. He worked up his courage and even said a short prayer: “Lord, I really like her, and if it’s what you want, please let her take my call.”
He looked up her number and reached for the phone when it rang in his hand.
You see, that during this time things were happening that were unknown to him. For several weeks after the screen incident, the young woman was preparing to sing in a church choir concert but couldn’t find a way to get there. She called everyone in the choir, everyone she knew who was going—but there was no room or they couldn’t make rehearsal.
So in an act of desperation, she decided to call that awful boy with the ‘36 Hudson.
Three Years Later
Three years later, that wedding picture over there was taken. 75 years ago.
Think of that—75 years. Three quarters of a century. When I was growing up, if you said “three quarters of a century,” you were talking about a wrecked Buick!
A Journey Through Time
Think of what has happened in that time:
From the Korean War to 9/11
From Joe McCarthy to Jimmy Kimmel
From the bakery to the farm to the beach
In this span, four children would come to them. And two would be taken from them.
They remained steadfast through:
The 70s with skyrocketing divorce rates and stagflation
The 80s with social instability and self-centeredness
The 90s when the meaning of the word “is” and even the very existence of truth itself was questioned
The Secret of Their Strength
How did they withstand all of these things?
Ecclesiastes 4:12 gives us the answer:
“Though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
The Third Strand
In these times of radical change, they had one rock-solid standard that both bound them together and gave them hope for the future.
It was that third strand of the cord.
Their faith in the Savior saw them through whatever they had to face, and they knew they would face whatever came—together.
75 Years Strong
Today we celebrate not just 75 years of marriage, but 75 years of a threefold cord that has not been broken.
A cord strengthened by love, woven with commitment, and anchored in faith.
A cord that began with a geography book and a prayer, and continues strong today.
Here’s to 75 years of an unbreakable bond—and to the many more years yet to come.
“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
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