Occasion HandbookWeddings 19 examples

Anniversary Wishes for a Son, Daughter, Sister or In-Law

You are writing to two people, one of whom you have known their whole life and one of whom you have not. The card works when it addresses the pair rather than choosing a side.

Congratulations Happy anniversary to you both.Watching the two of you buildthis has been one of the great… PRINTED YOURS
The rule
Write to the couple, not to your own child with the spouse appended. That distinction is felt.
The best line available
Say something warm about the in-law specifically. It is the sentence they will read twice.

To a daughter and son-in-law

  1. 1 Happy anniversary to you both. Watching the two of you build this has been one of the great pleasures of the last decade.
    Tone WarmLength Full
  2. 2 Five years. You chose extremely well and so did he.
    Tone WarmLength Very short
  3. 3 Happy anniversary. He was a good addition to this family and we say so regularly when he is not in the room.
    Tone WarmLength Short

To a son and daughter-in-law

  1. 4 Happy anniversary to you both. She has been the making of him and we are all aware of it.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  2. 5 Seven years and the pair of you are still visibly pleased with each other. Long may it continue.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  3. 6 Happy anniversary. Thank you both for the grandchildren, the Sunday lunches and the tolerance.
    Tone WarmLength Short

To a sister and brother-in-law

  1. 7 Happy anniversary to my sister and to the man who has put up with her admirably since 2011.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  2. 8 Twenty years. You two remain the standard the rest of us are judged against.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  3. 9 Happy anniversary, both of you. Still the best wedding I have ever been to.
    Tone PlainLength Short

To a brother and sister-in-law

  1. 10 Happy anniversary. She improved him considerably and we are all grateful.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  2. 11 Happy anniversary to you both, and thank you for always having room for the rest of us.
    Tone WarmLength Short

To parents, on their anniversary

  1. 12 Forty years. You made it look easier than it can possibly have been.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  2. 13 Happy anniversary. Everything I know about being married, I learned by watching the pair of you.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  3. 14 Happy anniversary, Mum and Dad. Thank you for a childhood in a house where people liked each other.
    Tone WarmLength Short

Naming the in-law specifically

The most valuable sentence on this page, and the one most often left out.

  1. 15 You joined this family and made it better. That is not a small thing and it is not said enough.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  2. 16 We have had you longer than we did not, and it feels that way.
    Tone WarmLength Short
  3. 17 Thank you for looking after her so well. It is noticed from this end.
    Tone WarmLength Short

A first anniversary in the family

  1. 18 One year in. Welcome properly — you are stuck with us now.
    Tone WarmLength Very short
  2. 19 Happy first anniversary to you both. Best day out we have had in years.
    Tone WarmLength Short

Questions people actually ask

What do you write for a daughter and son-in-law’s anniversary?

Address the couple rather than your daughter with her husband attached, and include one sentence about the son-in-law specifically. That sentence is the one he will read twice.

What do you write to a sister and brother-in-law on their anniversary?

Something warm about the pair as a unit, with room for a gentle joke about your sister that you would happily make in front of her.

What do you write on your parents’ anniversary card?

Say what their marriage taught you. It is the one thing only their children can say, and it is worth more than a milestone number.