Greet your audience and set the tone for the event. “Good evening, and thank you so much for joining us tonight. We cannot express how thrilled we are to have you — literally our favorite people in the world — with us tonight to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 40th wedding anniversary. It means so much to have you all here.” Welcome and thank any special guests. “Several amazing family members have flown across the world to be here tonight: Aunt Julie, who at the young age of 84 flew in all the way from Hong Kong to celebrate our parents . . . and our cousin John, who came here straight from volunteering with Doctors Without Borders in Cambodia. You two are the MVPs of the party! Thank you.” Send a heartfelt message to all your guests. “We’re here to celebrate Mom and Dad, but we’re also here to celebrate all of you. I know I speak for my sisters as well as myself when I say that every single person in this room has been a central part of our family. For as long as we can remember — and long before that! — you’ve loved us, supported us, made us laugh, driven us to soccer practice, and showed up at the hospital with bottles of wine when Mom was sick. No marriage exists in a bubble; you have been the village that surrounded Mom and Dad and supported their family. We love you all, and we are so excited to celebrate with you tonight!” Discuss any logistics. “I’ll stop crying now so that we can eat! Molly and Ivan have prepared this amazing buffet for us. For the vegetarians, your options are on the right hand side; there’s also a vegan salad on the far right. Once everyone’s had a chance to have a bite, we’ll invite some of the cousins up here — and anyone else who’d like to say a few words — to make some toasts before dessert.” Wrap up and re-iterate the welcome. “Again, we’re so looking forward to an evening with all of you. Please dig in, and enjoy.”