A practical guide
How to make an anniversary video for your parents
Decades together make a story with a beginning, a middle and a lot of love. Here’s how to tell it.
01Tell it as a love story
The best anniversary films have a shape: how they met, the wedding, the early years, the family, and where they are now. Ending on a recent photo of the two of them together brings the room back to the present.
02Choosing the photos
For a five-minute film, about 40 to 60 photos is plenty. Look for:
- Photos of each of them before they met
- The wedding: the ceremony, the two of them, the family
- First home, first children, and the holidays that became traditions
- The harder years too, if the family is comfortable: they are part of the story
- A recent photo of the two of them together, to close
03Ask them, if you can
If it isn’t a surprise, a few minutes with each of them is worth an album. Record their answers as a voice note on your phone, or write them down, and add them to your memories.
- When did you first see each other?
- What do you remember about your wedding day?
- What was the hardest year, and how did you get through it?
- What’s the secret, after all this time?
04Gather stories from the family
Children, grandchildren and old friends each remember something different. Ask everyone for one photo and one sentence. It gives the narration the details only family knows.
05At the celebration
Give the film its own moment in the evening.
- Check there’s a screen and speakers, and test the film on them beforehand
- Download it rather than streaming it, in case the connection is weak
- Play it after the toast, when everyone is already in the room
- Send the private link to family who couldn’t travel