What to Say - Anniversary Speech Script — Free Teleprompter

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Script text

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming. I'm [Your Name], [relationship to the couple or "and this is my partner"]. [Pause.] Tonight we're marking [Number] years since [Date or event — e.g. a very windy afternoon in 1985]. [Number] years is easy to say and hard to imagine. It's roughly [concrete comparison — e.g. nineteen thousand ordinary mornings]. Almost none of them were remarkable. That's rather the point. What I've learned watching [Name 1] and [Name 2] — [or: what we've learned] — is that the anniversary you celebrate is not really the wedding. It's everything since. It's [specific shared ordeal — e.g. the year of the house renovation], [specific shared joy — e.g. three children and a series of increasingly badly behaved dogs], and the long unglamorous stretches in between. [One specific story — under a minute — that shows who they are together.] If you want to know the secret, I don't think there is one. I think it's [the honest answer — e.g. two people choosing each other again on the days it would be easier not to]. [Raise your glass.] To [Name 1] and [Name 2] — [Number] years down, and no sign of stopping. Cheers.

What you'll need to fill in

This script has 11 details to fill in before you read it. Have these to hand — the customizer above updates the script as you type:

Your Name
relationship to the couple or "and this…
Number
Date or event
concrete comparison
Name 1
Name 2
or: what we've learned
specific shared ordeal
specific shared joy
the honest answer

It also contains 3 stage directions in grey. Those are instructions to you, not lines to say out loud — they mark where to pause, listen, or wait for a response.

201words

1 min 33 secread time

11to fill in

That timing assumes about 130 words a minute, which is a normal conversational pace. If you are presenting to a room you will likely go slower; if you are nervous you will go faster. Read it aloud once and time yourself before it matters.

When to use this script

Use this when the stakes are emotional and you will not get a second attempt. Wedding speeches, eulogies, and toasts are delivered once, in front of people who care, usually by someone who does not speak publicly very often. A script is not a crutch here — it is the thing that lets you get through the difficult sentence without losing the room or yourself.

It matters most in the passages you already know will be hard to say. Write those out fully and read them as written. Improvising through the emotional peak of a eulogy is how people end up unable to finish.

Making it sound like you

Replace every generic compliment with a specific story. "She was generous" is forgettable; the time she did the specific generous thing is not.
Use names and details freely. The audience knows these people, and the specifics are what make a speech feel like it was written for this occasion.
Cut the length by a third. Almost every speech at an event runs long, and the shorter version is almost always the better one.
Mark your pauses on the page. Prompted speech goes wrong when the text keeps moving and the speaker never breathes.

Reading it out loud

Print it or keep it on a device you can hold steadily — a phone at chest height is fine, and far better than trying to recall a paragraph while emotional. Use large text and short lines so you can find your place after looking up, because you will look up, and that is the point.

More on the setup side: Moving Text for Speeches, Teleprompter for iPhone & Mobile, What Is a Teleprompter? Complete Guide.

Questions about this script

How long does this anniversary speech script take to read?

The script runs to about 201 words, which is roughly 1 min 33 sec at a normal speaking pace of around 130 words a minute. Your own pace will vary, so time one read-through before you rely on the number.

What do I need to prepare before using this script?

There are 11 details to fill in: Your Name, relationship to the couple or "and this…, Number, Date or event, concrete comparison, Name 1, and a few more. Enter them in the customizer and the script updates as you type, then opens straight in the teleprompter.

Is it acceptable to read a wedding speech or eulogy?

Completely. Nobody at an emotional occasion has ever objected to a speaker holding notes. What people remember is whether the speech was specific and heartfelt, not whether it was memorised.

How long should an event speech be?

Shorter than you think. Three to five minutes is plenty for most toasts, which at normal speaking pace is roughly 400 to 650 words. Speeches at events almost never fail for being too short.

What to Say - Anniversary Speech