to make this speech?

[7seater]

Dh and I are having a big party at the end of next month. A proper one - engraved invitations and caterers and a marquee and everything.

Do you think it would be okay to tap on a glass and say...

"Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming. We feel we are so lucky to have so many fantastic friends and wonderful family, and to see so many of you all here today is great.

Over the years, Dh and I have been so lucky, in finding each other and muddling along happily together for all these years, and of course in our children, [children's names]. We have never celebrated any of these traditional milestones along the way, and it was not because we didn't think they were worth celebrating. So, here today I suppose we are saying that we felt we owed everyone a party. Here it is. Thank you for coming, and cheers."

Hmm... it's not right is it? What I am trying to say is that we never had a wedding or a christening or naming ceremony or aniversary party and we wanted to have a big foofy party with all our friends and family to make up for all the parties we didn't have. How should I put it?

Sounds fine to me.....what a great idea.

Delete the last sentence of your speech and replace it with your last paragraph - perfect and lovely, I imagine it would put a tear in my eye were I attending!

Why don't you just tell them exactly what you put in your last paragraph? They may have already come to that conclusion anyway. Have a great time

I'd change the last sentence to - "So here today, this is our way of celebrating every celebration that we have ever missed, with everybody who we wanted to celebrate each of them with. Thank you all for being here, and have a great time!"

Or something along those lines I'm spectacularly shite at speeches mind!

I don't think you need to change it, it sounds perfect as it is. I hope everyone enjoys the party

Thank you everyone. Am relieved no one has been scornful or snickered!

SheWillBeLoved - I really like that and I think I'll use it! Thank you.

I don't want to come across as smuggity smug having a party to celebrate my lovely life and lovely family . Do you think people might see it that way? Maybe I shouldn't say anything. But I do want to say something. I do feel as though we have missed the 'normal' milestone celebrations.

Is it okay to finish with a toast? Not to everyone, but just a general 'cheers'? Or is that just for weddings and occasions?

Lots of people coming will know if we are making any terrible breaches of ettiquette. I don't want to be too bogged down with The Done Thing, but equally don't want people to be raising their eyebrows to each other and thinking "how odd".

I think this is last minute nerves.

Typo: "A toast not to everyone anyone" I mean.

It isn't smug to want to celebrate the good things in your life, people don't do it enough. We waste far too much time worrying about what we haven't got and not being grateful for what we have. Enjoy!

Take out this bit:

So, here today I suppose we are saying that we felt we owed everyone a party. Here it is.

Add in this:

we never had a wedding or a christening or naming ceremony or aniversary party and we wanted to have a big foofy party with all our friends and family to make up for all the parties we didn't have.

And it will be lovely

[Definitely do not say 'owe you a party'!!]