Ideas
Anniversary video ideas for your husband or wife
The best anniversary video for a husband or wife is made of things you already have: photos in order, a place or two, your song and one line at the end. Here are ten ideas that work for a first anniversary or a twentieth, with how to make each one, then a photo plan for each year married. Most need nothing more than a phone.
Your story, in order
Start on the first photo of the two of you and end on one from this year. In order, even everyday photos turn into a story.
How to make it: Pick a photo for every month of a first year, or a few for every year after that. Once Upon Us puts them in order by the date they were taken.
Then and now
Recreate an old photo: same place, same pose, the same shirt if it still fits. Show the two side by side.
How to make it: Take the new photo on your phone and place it right after the original.
Every home you've shared
One photo from each flat, house or city you've lived in together, ending on your front door today.
How to make it: No photo of the first place? A screenshot from a street map works as a stand-in.
Messages from the people who know you
Ask friends and family for a ten-second clip with a memory or a wish. Especially good for a parents' 25th or 50th.
How to make it: Collect the clips in a shared album, then join them in any video editor on your phone.
Set to your song
Time your photos to the song from your first dance, your first date or your first road trip.
How to make it: Choose the song first, then pick enough photos to fill it: about one every three seconds.
A letter, read out loud
Write them a letter and record yourself reading it over your photos.
How to make it: Keep it under two minutes, record it somewhere quiet and read it slower than feels natural.
The moments nobody photographed
The night you met or the moment one of you proposed often has no photo. Describe it and have it drawn.
How to make it: Once Upon Us draws up to two moments you describe, with the two of you in them, in your film's style.
One second a day
One short clip every day for a year, played back to back: a whole year in about six minutes.
How to make it: This one needs a head start: begin on this anniversary for the next one.
Your story as an animated film
Your photos redrawn as a 3D animated, hand-drawn, anime, cartoon, claymation or comic book film, every photo brought to life as a short moving scene.
How to make it: Add 3 to 60 photos to Once Upon Us, pick a style and check every scene before it moves; films run 1, 3 or 5 minutes. Compare the six styles
For your parents: their wedding to today
Photograph a few prints from their wedding album and photos from every decade since, then play the film at the anniversary dinner.
How to make it: Ask a sibling to collect photos from the rest of the family. Make a parents' anniversary film
For your husband
Build it around the moments he talks about: the trip that went wrong, the first car, the night you moved in. Pick photos where he is laughing rather than posing, add one from his side of the family, and end on a photo from this year. If he is not one for speeches, let the song carry it and keep your words to the closing line.
For your wife
Start before the wedding: the first photo of the two of you, the place you met, a ticket or a message you kept. Put the wedding in the middle rather than at the start, so the film is about the years you've built since. A short letter read over the last few photos lands better than a long caption on screen.
For the two of you
Make it together: each of you picks ten photos without showing the other, then you watch them in one film for the first time on the night itself.
How many photos for each year married
Each photo becomes about 5 seconds of film. These counts match the 1-, 3- and 5-minute lengths; for parents, see the plan by decade.
| Anniversary | Length | Photos | A plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 minute | 12 | One from each month of the year |
| 5th | 3 minutes | 36 | 6 from the wedding, 6 from each year, 6 from this year |
| 10th | 5 minutes | 60 | 6 from the wedding, 5 from each year, 4 from this year |
| 20th and later | 5 minutes | 60 | About 3 a year, with the wedding and the first home first |
Lines to end on
Write your own if you can; if you're stuck, start from one of these and change a word.
- Every year with you is my favourite one so far.
- Same us, more stories. Happy anniversary.
- Thank you for every ordinary day. They added up to this.
- Year ten. Still choosing you.
- Here's to the next ten.
Three ways to make it
| Way | Cost | What you do | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your phone's photo app | Free | Pick photos and a song; the app builds a slideshow | A quick video the same day |
| A video editor | Free to a few dollars | You place each photo, cut to the beat and add text yourself | Full control, if you have an evening |
| Once Upon Us | $24.99 to $69.99, once | Your photos redrawn in one of six styles and brought to life as 5-second scenes, in order | An animated film of your story |
Made with you, scene by scene. Add your photos, pick your characters and see your first scene free before you pay, then check each scene before it comes to life.
Start our filmQuestions
What should I put in an anniversary video?
Photos from the day you met to today, in order, a few places that matter, a song that's yours and a closing line for the years ahead. A friend's ten-second wish or a moment you describe adds the rest.
How long should an anniversary video be?
1 to 3 minutes for a gift you watch together or play at dinner; under a minute for a post. A 3-minute film holds about 36 photos at 5 seconds each.
What is a good anniversary video for parents?
Their story from the wedding to today, made from family photos and played at the anniversary dinner, ideally with short messages from the people at the table.
What do I write at the end of an anniversary video for my husband or wife?
One short line, in your own words: a thank-you, the number of years, or a line about the next ones. 'Year 10. Still choosing you.' fits on one screen.
How many photos do I need for a 10th anniversary video?
About 60 for a 5-minute film: a handful from the wedding, five from each year and a few from this year. A 3-minute film holds 36.
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Updated November 6, 2026