Here's a great idea that costs nothing and is a great conversation piece for a 50th wedding anniversary party. Make a montage display of the wedding. Include your Mom's wedding dress, treasured original wedding gifts, music from that year, and even a bulletin board that you help them put together of their special milestones.
By kwbren from Yucxaipa, CA
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My in-laws are having a 50th anniversary and we are all scattered regionally. Other siblings are not able to help financially very much so I need ideas as I don't want them forgotten. This creates a lot of expense for us (read that as a lot falling on me). I'd really like to do something nice for them, have thought of a cruise, or something else. Any ideas would be appreciated.
a friend of mine was having a baby and all her family was scattered..i called them secretely and had them send their gifts to me..i held a baby shower for her and she was able to open up her family's gifts...
you could do the same
if you cant get the whole family together, maybe they can send you their gift or gifts then you can present them their gifts at the restaurant..you can make an anniversary cake similar to their wedding cake
if no one is in the same town as they are, maybe you could have a video made//send one tape to one person they video tape a message and show their wrapped gift; then send the video on to the next person and so on until you get it back with all the gifts then send it on to them.
hope this gives you ideas!!!
My friend made a nice scrapbook for her parents for their 20th anniversary. It included letters and pictures from scattered friends and family. The pictures kind of told the story of their 20 years of marriage.
My parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I'm an only child and my mom's large family is expecting a party. I'm looking for ideas that won't break the bank (since I have no one to share expenses with) and satisfy everyone. Please help!
By Jody from Midwest
A picnic, a pot luck party (people bring food), backyard party, comes to mind. People don't mind "helping out" these days, they know things are expensive.
Pictures of them make nice decorations and aren't terribly expensive to use as decorations, especially if you just use ones they already have. Pictures from all through the years is nice.
Flowers from someone's garden or yards are free. Borrow pot plants or use pot plants you have. A grouping of potted plants looks great.
You can get inspiration as well as actual "party" goods at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. (and it's fun to "hunt and find"). A grouping of small candles, or tea lights in cheap, small, pretty glasses, jars or vintage saucers (mix & match looks great).....make great decorations. Look around your house, their or friends... for things already possessed...nice table cloths, fake flowers, glasses, urns, punch bowls, serving dishes, to borrow. We tend to think you have to go out and buy everything "new" and perfectly matched, but you don't.
If you buy the food, do it yourself. Make your own dips and veggie trays. Catering is terribly expensive. You can come out way cheaper making the food yourself. You can "borrow" friends refrigerators, your church, maybe. Heck, even a couple of coolers and some dry ice might do the trick to store to food until party time! If you serve liquor, keep it to punch bowl type or one or two types of drinks only and don't think everybody has to have 6 drinks total, you can help them with moderation by just providing minimal liquor.
Check your own music stash for music to play. (A CD player hidden works just fine). You can borrow music from others or the library. If you know someone who plays guitar or can sing, maybe they can provide a couple of songs for entertainment.
We played games at my Dad's 80th BD party. People got a real bang out of it. One of the games I came up with was questions ---"info" about him. What is his favorite pie? What was his childhood nickname? (try to think of some questions that are challenging.) We gave prizes (gift cards mainly), but they don't have to be much, or you could find small (new) gifts at thrift stores, or not even give gifts at all (offer a "dance" with Dad or something).
I gave a baby shower at my house once in which I used mostly items I already had (including the grouped candle thing with fake pot plants on the serving table). A very wealthy woman (boss of the baby's father) came to the party and told me as she left that it was the nicest baby shower she had ever been to.. and I am sure with her wealth and socializing, she'd been to plenty, so it's not all about "cost"-- it is more about making it festive, filled with love, creative, that counts the most towards having a really fabulous and memorable party.
First, make sure your parents actually want a big party. It's their anniversary, and it should be up to them as to how they want to celebrate it.
Tell those family members to plan and pay for the party and you'll chip in, but not the other way around! No way!
You could make it an open house and just serve hors d'ouvoures like small finger sandwiches, relishes, etc.
You could have it be an afternoon thing from 2-4pm so no one should be expecting a meal. Just serve cake and bar cookies and beverages.
You could ask your parents to pitch in, say like for all beverages. You could plan a picnic or potluck and ask relatives to bring a salad, you provide the meat choice and buns, and cake. I don't suggest asking relatives to just bring anything or else you might end up with a lot of chips and dessert and little else. I just held a farewell picnic where we furnished meat and buns and chips. Boy were the rest of the attendees skimpy about what they brought , except for the lady who made the cake. So tell people what you would like them to bring.
If they have been together that long, they are bound to have long time social connections; church, Sunday School class,senior citizens' center group,etc. Contact these people and let them get involved . They will love it!
Then get a few cans of high quality gold metallic spray paint,odds and ends from yard sales,and spray away!
A cute centerpiece would be some of the huge" brandy glass bowls", with gold taper candles heated and stuck to the bottom securely, then pretty gold glass rocks,then a gold flower or two,add water and two goldfish per bowl! (Keep the waterline well below the candle, of course.) Add a few flowers and rocks scattered on the table at the base of the brandy glass vase. Total cost for a centerpiece,probably less than 15 dollars,and one stop at a Walmart Supercenter. They have the huge brandy glasses for ten dollars. I just bought one. The glass shiny rocks are about 1.50 a bag,and goldfish are about 35 cents!
This is what it looks like, but this is a male beta fish (also available at walmart, about 3.00). Just imagine this with lots of the gold rocks, gold lame' silk flowers, and a lit candle in the center!
For a family reunion we did this-one family provided the chicken, one the pasta, one a large meat tray, one buns, etc. Pass around a list and divided into categories, and ask everyone to choose what they want to bring. Or in the invitations put in it please bring a dessert of your choice in a few of them, salads in a few, etc. We had a great response to them all.
We're having a fairly low-key 50th wedding anniversary Open House for my parents. About 40 people will be attending. I am looking for fun ideas as people mill around.
Thanks!
By Jen from Los Angeles
The open houses that I have been to, people sign the guest book, visit with different people, have lunch, visit some more, and leave when they want to. The people that attend open houses, are there to visit with other people, and have a good time doing just that.
Hello Jen. One similar event I attended had a buffet style table set off to one side that was filled with the anniversary couple's scrap books and photo albums. They used a few framed family portraits (from across the decades) as the "center piece" of this conversation area. It was really fun to browse about this table and it started many a delightful conversation between newer and longer term friends and family. Congrats to your folks for this milestone event.
Instead of the common guest book: look at your local bookstore to see if they have a coffee table book that has something significant to your parents. Maybe something that celebrates the 1960's? That would be something that they could display and enjoy all the time.
Rent a popular movie from "their year" (or an old tv series on DVD) and have it alive on the tv screen, but muted.
Food? Look up what things were popular in their year for entertaining.(we had a 1940's cocktail party styled wedding and had great hors d'oeuvres from that era. The fare from days of old is much less $$, too!) OMG...jello molds and Pineapple upside down cake!
decorate with crepe paper....that's pretty inexpensive and was the usual back in the '60's. Copy and blowup some Life magazine covers and frame them for your buffet table. And, of course, photos of your parents from their day!
Music....make a couple of dvd's of the popular music of that era and have that playing, but LOW.
redhatterb is right about wanting people to visit with each other, so keep the tunes as background only.
and, if you want a game or two to have just in case...charades and password were so popular then.
It sounds like a lot to do, but it's really simple. Keep it streamlined and then just enjoy!
Hi Jen, First allow me to send congratulations for your parents! A 50th is called "golden" because it was an ancient tradition for a husband to give his wife a golden wreath, garland or necklace. It's a celebration of a life spent together and great things accomplished with love and commitment.
The flower for a 50th is violet. Maybe a small vase with a violet (purchase a small plant maybe from garden center at WalMart). Put gold stones (Dollar Tree) at bottom with water for table decor. Before you purchase any decorations and such, check out stores like Dollar Tree. They have a wonderful party section along with other things. You can save a lot of money that way This doesn't have to be expensive for you. The idea is that friends and family gather together for a nice time and celebrate this great event with your parents. Here's a few ideas: Go out in your yard and find a branch with several offsprings. Spray paint it gold and put it in a vase with marbles or glass stones (dollar tree)
Hang photos of your parents (maybe major events in their life).
Ask guests if giving gift to do things like lottery tickets, gift certificates, travelers checks, etc. These can be put in envelopes, wrapped in gold ribbon and hung on your branch tree. Have a photo of them (maybe one of their wedding) enlarged. Put it in a wide white mat and display it on a table for all your guests to sign on the mat. Use a gold pen. We did this for mine and it was a treasured gift for them. How about a poem written in gold and framed? Or make a CD with songs from the era of their marriage?Ask guests to contribute a picture of themselves for your parents to remember their wonderful event?You can even find gold paper plates and cups.
If you don't want to deal with a lot of food, have it during a time of day such as early evening and provide little finger snacks. Folks will eat their dinner before coming and you will be all set! Wishing you a successful event. Just think "thrifty" but chic and you'll do just fine!
How about a party memory book? This could be done ahead of time or as the guest arrive. Have everyone send or bring photos of themselves with the guests of honor (or separate pictures of each couple). Along with the picture(s) have them write a heartwarming or amusing story about the couple and themselves.If you like, some of these could be read aloud by the donor(s).
I am trying to make a program for our celebration. We are renewing our vows and having dinner and a few other things. Is it better to eat first or renew vows or? What is the order of a program for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration?
By Yvonne from St. Louis, MO
When we had my parent's 50th anniversary we had the vow renewal first and the party, afterward.
What would you like to do first? It's your day! Congratulations on your milestone! (PS your guests will be just happy to be included on your most special day!)
I agree w/both previous posts, but tend to lean towards vows first and dinner party after, unless you know of an important guest who cannot be there "early" and would really want to be there for the renewal of vows! And, congratulations!
Why not make it the "special event" between dinner and dessert? It could make the dessert course (if you are having one) the highlight of your night. Let me know what you think! And again, as other say - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Looking for help with 50th anniversary ideas.
By denise from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
I don't know if you mean for a party or for a gift. Mu suggestion is for a gift, it is what I did for my brothers 50th wedding anniversary. I got 50 silver dollars from the bank. I was shopping at a dollar store and just happened to find gold foil, a gold gift bag, and gold "Easter" grass. I cut up the foil and wrapped each coin seperately, taping each one shut. then I alternated a little grass and a coin or two in the bag. To open their present, they had to find the coins, and then unwrap, and count to make sure they didn't miss any. My brother knows I am kinda weird anyway, so was not surprized with my idea.
Google "fake newspapers" and you will come up with a slew of them. You can make a newspaper that will be stories and photos of the couple. But, keep in mind to order two, so they can frame either side of the newspaper if they choose. It's great for a gift and for a party!!
Dear friends who were celebrating their 50th anniversary didn't want a party or any kind of big deal event. Since they are both cancer survivors, I made a $50.00 contribution to the American Cancer Society in their name. It was the best choice I could have made!
I recently attended the 50th Anniversary party of a couple that was so wonderful. Their kids got a bunch of old/new pictures from the family album and used Smiling Snaps to compile them into a choreographed DVD show depicting their life together. It was perfectly synchronized to music and because it was professionally made, the results were awesome! It was so touching, the couple as well as many guests got emotional while watching those moments come alive on the screen!
We need tips for our 50th wedding anniversary. Perhaps a nice getaway or bed and breakfast, but something that is really special.
By betty from San Bernardino, CA
What sort of things do you like to do together? My thought, if I were to have a 50th anniversary, would be to stay at Disneyland or Disneyworld hotel for a couple of days or more and be like kids again adventuring together at the Disney park ;-) Wouldn't need to do any driving (take the monorail), lots of restaurants and a swimming pool, gift shops and be with lots of people having fun :-)
And, hey, you're not far from Disneyland so you wouldn't even have to book a flight ;-)
Where was your first honeymoon? Could you go there again?
My grandparents never had a first honeymoon; when they had their 40th anniversary, my grandfather took Nana to Niagara Falls--where she'd dreamed of going but they never had gone--for one reason or another, with day-to-day life getting in the way until then.
He wasn't the romantic type,and this really floored her. Is there someplace your hubby has always wanted to go ( that you could live with for this special anniversary?) Congratulations on your 50th--quite an accomplishment!
You don't say if money is an object, so let's just assume you don't want to spend too much. Are you still in touch with the couple who knew you when..? If so, invite them to join you for dinner. You pick up the tab. If you aren't close to them perhaps you can invite other couples who have been married for 5, 10, 20, etc. years and they can join you for dinner. It will make for interesting conversation for sure. Ask people to recall when they first met, bring photo, etc.
We are having an anniversary party at a buffet. We will not be paying for the meals. We have the room so we can all be together. What is the best way to word this on the invitation?
By Yvonne Shaffer
My husband and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage next December 18, 2016, and we are considering renewing our vows. We are both retired and on a fixed income. Would it be possible in today's economy to do everything for $300? We'd like to keep it simple; we are both avid hunters and would like a camouflage theme.
I'd love to find a camouflage semi-formal maybe. And my husband could wear a camouflage vest and tie. Maybe with boots! I have 2 grown granddaughters. One is a culinary arts graduate and the other is a very creative and talented homemaker; both have agreed to help. They just need some ideas on food and decor on a "shoe string" budget! Any suggestions?
I am planning a 50th anniversary party at a church, in the afternoon. We will be serving appetizers. Should we have punch, or tea, coffee, and lemonade.
By Bobbie from Belleville, IL
We are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. We would like to give our 150 guests a gift. We need some ideas.
By Leo C.
My cousin and I (the granddaughters) were chosen to help plan the party. It is going to be a surprise. We are 13 years old. What should we do?
By Laurel D.
Help plan or help with? You are both too young to decide much because you probably have not been to many of these parties. First you can find out the couple's favorite colors and food. Then you can see what they might need in the way of presents. All this must be done very secretively. Let the older people decide the part that requires budgeting.
Plan an exotic wedding anniversary party by honoring a different culture's traditions. Here, a traditional Tahitian wedding is recreated, including colorful dancers.
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My parents will be celebrating their 50th anniversary on 7/2/2005. I am planning on having a 2pm-5pm "event", with finger foods, cake, and punch.
My parents 50th wedding anniversary is coming very quickly and I am struggling for ideas. We are not having a party because we had a huge 70th birthday party for both of them last year.
My parents are getting ready to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in a few short months. While my siblings and I would like to have a party for them, we're all strapped for cash.
