The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Sharon at Mom of 6.
A few weekends ago I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and I happened to catch a “Congratulations and Happy 50th Anniversary” post from a friend of our family….directed to my in-laws! Umm….. YIKES! I knew that their anniversary had been on Friday- but I had NO IDEA that it was a milestone year! I quickly ran downstairs to find my husband and asked him if he was aware that is was HIS PARENTS 50th wedding anniversary…. and that it had passed and we didn’t even send a card to acknowledge the day! Needless to say, he felt as awful as I did, and quickly phoned his brother to put together a celebration plan. Fortunately we already had plans to make the 12-hour trip out to Michigan the following weekend for a family wedding…. so we decided to host a small anniversary dinner celebration as well!
Steve’s brother Mike and his wife Jill jumped right in and took on the task of locating a restaurant with great food and a small private room so that we could make speeches and offer toasts and exchange gifts without the worry of disturbing other patrons. My husband and I took on the task of pulling together decorations to make the evening special. After searching Pinterest for some inspiration, and some additional help from Mike in scanning in old family photos and emailing them to us so that we could incorporate them into the celebration, we pulled this event together in a matter of days. And I think it turned out beautifully.
Organizing an Inexpensive Anniversary Party
Glass Jar Centerpieces
Since a 50th wedding anniversary is also known as the golden anniversary, we wanted the party to have a gold-theme. The table decor was adorned with gold ribbons, the gifts were wrapped in gold paper, and the gifts themselves were each gold-themed. We created eight centerpieces that we placed on the tables- each one consisting of three glass jars. The largest jars were actually pasta sauce jars (we dumped the sauce into freezer ziptop bags and froze them!) that were cleaned and the labels and lids removed. We placed two black and white 4×6 wedding photos inside each jar so that you could view a photo from either side of the jar. Then in the middle of the jar we placed an LED tea light. We tied a triple strand of gold raffia around the neck of the jar.
The other two jars are Ball “quilted” jelly jars which we had on hand at home. One was filled with water and a floating candle, the other was filled with gold M&Ms. We tied gold ribbons around each of the them and placed all three jars on a gold placemat that we purchased at a party supply store for $1.99.
In between the glass jar centerpieces we placed additional gold votive holders with tea lights and more small jars of gold M&Ms. We sprinkled the table with 50th anniversary confetti (purchased from the party store), and additional black and white photos of the family taken over the years.
Family Photo Collage
We all spent a few days pouring over family photos, converting them to digital files, editing them to print in black and white and in a “Polaroid” style, and printing them at Target so that we could create two family collages.
We purchased heavy weight foam board at an office supply store in black and white, and my husband cut out the two sets of “50”s from the white boards, and mounted them onto the black ones. I then arranged the photos chronologically, and then taped them down using scrapbook adhesive.
While this project was a bit time consuming (we ended up selecting nearly 200 photos!) what we found to be the most challenging was staying on task and not getting caught up in reminiscing and sharing stories from the past! And of course, nothing beats getting the chance to see old photos of your husband as a toddler and those awesome outfits from the 60s and 70s that my in-laws modeled!
Speeches and Gifts
Each of the children and grandchildren wrote a speech and shared either a funny story or something they love about Neil and Suzi. Everyone’s speech was written or printed on a 4×6 index card which we gathered together into a small album as a keepsake of this special evening. And as I mentioned earlier- the gifts were all gold-themed… from gold sparkly nail polish to a gold deck of cards to a gold magnifying glass!
We all had such a great evening together that we will cherish as a family for many years to come. And we were able to pull together such lovely decorations very quickly and inexpensively that helped to make the celebration feel that much more special!
If you get a chance, I hope you’ll stop by to see me at Momof6 – a place where I write about organizing your home, using a family calendar, creating household routines, hosting at-home birthday parties, and holding a DIY summer camp! You can also find me over on GreatFamilyRoadTrips– where I share ideas and itineraries to inspire you to hit the road!
Related posts:
Organizing a Fun & Simple Fondue Party
Organizing an Ugly Dress Party
Hilda @ From Overwhelmed To Organized says
I love these ideas! My parents’ 50th anniversary is in 2 years but there’s no chance of us forgetting because they’ve been counting down to their 50th since their 40th party 🙂 I like how simple but elegant and special these decorations and gifts are. Great job pulling that all together so quickly Sharon. I hope they don’t read this blog or else the cat’s out of the bag that you all forgot!
Sharon at Momof6 says
I already confessed to our forgetfulness! I figured it was better to come clean, but of course I waited until after the party!
Damaris says
That’s ok. Household chores will wait for you. You had your priorities in order. That’s what is most important! Lucky parents!
SusanDR says
How beautiful – your decorations and your family. I am so impressed at how you pulled this all together so quickly and beautifully. Thanks for sharing and showing me that so much can be done so quickly!
Sharon at Momof6 says
Thanks Susan! I do have to admit that a whole bunch of other things did not get done at my house while we worked on the party…. like cleaning and laundry!
Karin Dorsey says
Thank you for posting these elegantly simple yet beautiful ideas. What a fun and memorable night you all created for your in-laws! I had fun reading all about it too! 🙂
Sharon at Momof6 says
Thanks Karin- it was such a memorable night…. and I will forever be grateful that I did see that Facebook post that clued me in that it was their 50th! Can you imagine if I never saw it?
Becky L says
What fun and it doesn’t have to cost alot to have a party. On our 25th anniversary, 12 years ago, we had a party at our church. We had treats made, including tea, served by our British friend…who knew how to make it the correct way…we were married in England since we served in the USAF there. Potted dahlias on the table, most in the pink/white color that decorated church on our wedding day. Fun times, good memories of family and friends on a memorable anniversary celebration…..good thoughts and thanks for sharing!
Sharon at Momof6 says
That sounds so beautiful Becky! And I love that your friend served tea in the traditional manner! What a great way to celebrate your marriage!
Lori Karn says
I am beyond impressed. I loved the photos done in the numbers 50. Wow, you even forgot, who cares, you by far made up for it. I can only hope my children would pull off something like this for us one day. 50 yrs sure deserves it. I am loving that you let go of the laundry and cleaning for a moment like that with your parents.
Natalie says
Thank you! Such great ideas, I love it!
Lori says
I LOVE that other people forget important events! My parent’s 60th is a month away. I reserved the venue awhile back but the scramble to get everything ready is on! I love this post so much!