Anniversary Party Invitation Wording: 25th, 40th & 50th Examples
Milestone anniversary invitation wording — hosted by the children, 'no gifts' phrasing, surprise-party lines and vow-renewal wording, from formal to warm.
Updated July 24, 2026 · 2 min read
A milestone anniversary — silver at 25, ruby at 40, gold at 50 — is often organized by the couple's children and carries the weight of a wedding. Here's wording for every version, from a formal seated dinner to a surprise.
Who's hosting, who's honored
The clearest anniversary invitations name both roles. When the children host:
The children of Robert and Linda Hayes invite you to celebrate their parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary
When the couple hosts themselves:
Robert and Linda Hayes invite you to celebrate fifty years together
Formal / traditional
With joy and gratitude for fifty years, the family of Robert and Linda Hayes requests the pleasure of your company at a dinner in their honor Saturday, the eighth of June at seven o'clock The Garden Room, Hotel Bellevue
Warm / modern
Fifty years, and still each other's favorite. Come raise a glass to Robert and Linda — dinner, dancing and a lot of old stories. Saturday, June 8 · 7:00 p.m. · Hotel Bellevue
The "no gifts" line
Most milestone couples want the company, not the presents. One gentle line does it:
Your presence is the only present we ask for.
No gifts, please — but if you wish, a donation to the Heart Foundation in their honor would be treasured.
A surprise party
If it's a surprise, the wording has one job beyond the details: protect the secret. Lead with it, and route replies to the organizer.
Shhh — it's a surprise! We're gathering to celebrate Robert and Linda's fiftieth, and they have no idea. Please arrive by 6:30 (they'll arrive at 7:00), and keep it between us.
Our dedicated guide on surprise party invitations covers the mechanics — arrival times, secrecy, and replying to the planner instead of the guest of honor.
Renewing vows
If the anniversary includes a vow renewal, say so — guests treat it with the ceremony it deserves:
Join us as Robert and Linda renew the promises they made fifty years ago, followed by dinner and dancing.
The engagement party and vow renewal guide has more on ceremony wording.
The reply
An anniversary spans generations — grandchildren to old friends — so keep the RSVP dead simple: a link guests open and tap, no app or account, meal choices captured per person. The same online RSVP fundamentals apply.
When you're ready to build it, our milestone anniversary invitations are hand-built around the couple and their years together — and let you control exactly who receives the link, which matters when it's a surprise.
Related guides
- Milestone birthday invitation wording — for the other big number
- Surprise party invitation wording — if you are keeping it secret
- Wedding RSVP wording examples — reusable reply wording
Quick answers
- How do you word an anniversary invitation hosted by the children?
- Name the children as hosts and the couple as the celebrated: 'The children of Robert and Linda Hayes invite you to celebrate their parents' fiftieth anniversary.' It signals who's organizing and who's being honored in one line.
- How do you politely say no gifts on an anniversary invitation?
- 'Your presence is the only present we ask for' is the classic. If you'd welcome donations instead, add 'but if you wish, a donation to [cause] would be treasured.' Keep it to one gentle line.
- How do you word a surprise anniversary party?
- Lead with the word SURPRISE, ask guests to arrive early, and remind them to keep it secret: 'It's a surprise! Please arrive by 6:00, and shhh — Mom and Dad don't know.' Route RSVPs to the organizer, never the couple.