Budget 50th Anniversary Party Ideas Needed

[3boymthr]

My parents just had their 49th anniversary and they've been together for 56 years! Yay, Mom & Dad!

Now, it may seem early to start planning since it's a year until their 50th anniversary, but actually they can't celebrate in October; they are self employed and it's their busy season and they work pretty much non-stop for the entire month of October and into the first week of November then they go on vacation for two weeks and then it's the holidays so I'm going to do something earlier in the year when their business is slow (probably July, maybe April).

While I have a couple of ideas I also need a lot of fresh ideas as my Aunt and Uncle just had their 50th last year and I don't want to have the party be a total knock-off of their party. I'm looking for budget ideas for food and in particular suggestions for decorations and mementos that I can put together gradually over time. I'll pretty much be doing this on my own. I do have a brother but he's NOT the party planning type and neither is his wife though I'm sure he will kick in 50% of the cost.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ah1126]

When we celebrated my parents 25th Anniversary, I found pages at Hallmark where people could write things about my parents like how they met, special memories and there was even a place for a picture. I mailed them to friends and family. Some people mailed them back and some just brought them to the party. I got a binder that had a clear sleeve on the front, put in a nice picture of them, and placed all the pages inside. Everyone enjoys pulling it out now and then to look at the pages.

I have also seen quilts made that people personalize a square, then they are all put together and given as a gift.

Have you had a big celebration for any of their anniversaries? We had a cake made to look like their wedding cake. You could also serve food that was served at their wedding.

Good luck on the planning!

 

[dyna]

I found it much much easier to find budget things for 50th than 60th anniversary.

Where are you going to have the celebration? I always used a church hall 50th it was at my aunts church an she volunteered to give the church a donation as my parents gift. Even tho I had requested NO GIFTS.

1 way to keep the budget in check is to only serve cake an punch/ maybe coffee and or tea. I have also used the fancy pretty tiered fake cakes with just the top layer real so my parents could cut the cake. Then had sheet cakes to actually serve.

I don't know about your parents but my parents did not want a bunch of money spent on the event....other than a guest book an cards an some pictures my parents did not want mementos, dust collectors etc to have to find a place for. I found their fancy champange glasses at the GOODWILL with 50th anniversary on them MY PARENTS WAS HAPPY THAT I'D BUDGETED MY MONEY RATHER THAN SPEND 20.00 OR MORE ON SOMETHING THEY DID NOT WANT OR NEED TO KEEP!

After Christmas sales is a good time to find most any kind of gold ribbon wide 2 or 3inch ran down the middle of a white table cloth maybe add a couple of bows made from ribbon or tissue flowers (more later) tied with narrow gold or whte ribbon can be very elegant.

I made tissue flowers from white tissue paper (if you do not know how do an online search) floral wire stems, tissue paper, sissors, ruler, pencil, an a can of gold glitter spray paint an you be ready to go. I only sprayed my flowers very lightly just enough to give them a touch of glitter...did the painting outside just before dusk when it was not windy. (Note) It was a time that I had more time than money but the flowers turned out very very elegant my parents was thrilled with the decor an so was the guests.

In doing my search for tissue paper flowers I also found that their are peeps who make them an sell them an they sell for as much if not more than real flowers. They last much much longer.

I did not send invitations put announcement in newspapers instead with their picture an called a few ppl from out of town an let them know about the celebration knowing they could not attend but might like to send a card.

 

[mommyjam]

When we celebrated my parents 25th Anniversary, I found pages at Hallmark where people could write things about my parents like how they met, special memories and there was even a place for a picture. I mailed them to friends and family. Some people mailed them back and some just brought them to the party. I got a binder that had a clear sleeve on the front, put in a nice picture of them, and placed all the pages inside. Everyone enjoys pulling it out now and then to look at the pages.

I have also seen quilts made that people personalize a square, then they are all put together and given as a gift.

Have you had a big celebration for any of their anniversaries? We had a cake made to look like their wedding cake. You could also serve food that was served at their wedding.

Good luck on the planning!

We did the quilt for my grandparents 50th. It turned out beautiful, they used it on their bed so it was not just collecting dust. My aunt did all the quilting and after my grandparents died the quilt went to her, but she has since passed on and the quilt has gone to my mom. I still like to get it down and look at it. We even sent squares away to their favorite celebrities and had them autograph them and then embroidered over the name.

 

[crjack]

For my in-laws 50th celebration, an aunt who was in the wedding still had a copy of their invitation. I was able to find a very close match and had their 50th party invitation printed up using the same font, layout, etc. Then we had them framed together and it came out very nice.

I agree that personal notes and memories are really special to have and mean the most. My in-laws were downsizing and didnt need anything but having family and friends there with them to celebrate meant the world to them.

Oriental Trading is a great website/catalog for party supplies at a good price.

Its very nice of you to have party. Good luck with the planning.

 

[It'sOffToDisneyWeGo]

When we celebrated my parents 25th Anniversary, I found pages at Hallmark where people could write things about my parents like how they met, special memories and there was even a place for a picture. I mailed them to friends and family. Some people mailed them back and some just brought them to the party. I got a binder that had a clear sleeve on the front, put in a nice picture of them, and placed all the pages inside. Everyone enjoys pulling it out now and then to look at the pages.

I have also seen quilts made that people personalize a square, then they are all put together and given as a gift.

Have you had a big celebration for any of their anniversaries? We had a cake made to look like their wedding cake. You could also serve food that was served at their wedding.

Good luck on the planning!

We did a quilt for my in laws 50th anniversary. Each square was designed by family and friends and then put together in the quilt. My in laws use the quilt in their spare bedroom.

 

[marthachick]

I haven't read all the previous replies but here's mine. First off - find out what THEY want. Do they want a huge big-blowout party? Or are they more go-out-with-the-family people? My in-laws just wanted dinner with immediate family only. Friends of ours did a surprise party at an old mansion with catered dinner & it fit her parents perfectly. Mom & dad have theirs this coming December. We're going to do a reception at our church fellowship hall. Mom was really upset thinking we were expecting them to renew their vows. Umm no, hadn't even thought of that. I think that's something the couple should decide to do, not something someone else plans for you.

ANYWAY!!! Their anniversary is December 23 so we'll have some Christmas theme things to go with theirs, but since MOST 50th anniversary parties feature gold, you can do what I did. Search the after-Christmas sales. I got gold chargers that I plan to use for serving trays for practically nothing. Look for: gold ribbon, gold candles, gold runners or table cloths may be available then also. Another friend's parents had theirs a few years ago & they used large gold-framed mirrors for serving things like the veggies & fruit. She said they cleaned the mirrors first really good with vinegar & water so no chemicals & just laid the items straight on the mirror or they put a large mirror under some of the serving pieces. It looked really nice & we're borrowing that idea. My sister has items she has bought for weddings that we can use so check with others to see if they have things you can reuse - Candle holders, tulle, serving pieces. Cream colored candles or bows can be mixed with gold to have a nice effect.

Also, I found invitations at the Walmart clearance section for $7 for 50. We're not doing engraving just printing. Can't beat that price anywhere. My mom was worried that we're going to spend too much doing their party, but we're really going to do it cheaply for decorations, etc. but have good food & plenty of it.

AND this Saturday, we're getting the whole family together for a family portrait! We're doing this on Mom & Pop's front porch. Mom was born in the house & it's "HOME". This is a really big deal for our family as we usually can't all get together for various reasons - usually work, but I have threatened excommunication from the family if everyone's not there. I have a guy from work that is a great photographer coming to do those. He's not just a guy with a camera. He's had numerous photography classes and has a degree in graphic arts. So, yeah, he knows what he's doing. I'll get the portrait framed nicely & this will be our gift to our parents even though they know about it too.


ETA: Years ago when we were kids, a friend of the family gave Mom some etched goblets that are rimmed in gold. We are taking 2 of those for Mom & Pops to use for their "toast" to each other. It's a nice way to use items they already have & incorporate something that brings back memories of an old friend.

 

[ENSOCK]

A friend took her mother's wedding dress, sprayed a dress form gold, then displayed her dress as part of the decorations. I thought that was a beautiful idea.

 

[stephbillalec]

A few of my favorite ideas that we did for my inlaws' 50th:

1. Hershey bar favors with candy wrappers with their original wedding photo on it...everyone loved these! Totally not expensive...look on ebay for someone who does them and then buy the candy bars when they are on sale!

2. I took each person's (or couple's) picture and then had them give a few words of congrats/wisdom/etc to the anniversary couple which I wrote down. I then compiled the pics along with other pics of the party in a photobook from Shutterfly. It came out beautifully and my MIL cried bc she loved it so much! I had a free shipping code and another discount and it really wasn't that expensive.

3. We made a big picture board with a Happy 50th Anniversary saying and then pics of their life together and their family over the years. People really enjoyed looking at this. Free!

4. Quite a few people gave toasts to the bride and groom...very sweet! And we kept clinking our glasses so they would kiss, lol. Free!

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

For my parents party I purchased silver trays at the dollar tree, and gold picture frames. I made copies of several pictures from my parents wedding album (black and white of course ). My sister-in-law sewed a gold runner for each table and I placed the siver tray in the center with a gold framed picture on it, and filled each tray with gold wrapped chocolates
(hershey nuggets and kisses).

For food I made several salads and had a few sandwich trays from my parent's favorite restaurant.

I made a playlist of love songs from some of their favorite artist on my Ipod and played it through the stereo.

 

[Skye23]

My husband and I threw a 40th party for my parents a couple of years ago. I'm adopted and they were um, less young (mom would kill me) then most of the parents of kids my age so I decided that we'd throw them a 40th party because who knew what 10 years would bring. They'll be in their mid-80's by then. I'm broke, and hubby was barely working at the time but I'd gotten a small settlement check from a car accident and we managed to cobble together a really nice party. We invited about 25 or so of their good friends, and in the invitations we asked them to email or send me photos of my parents from back in the day so I could make copies and return the originals. We also asked people to bring a memory or story to tell and not to worry about gifts. A few brought gifts anyway, what can you do.

We held the party at my Aunt's house, because she was both willing and able, and her house will seat 25+ for dinner, and does every Thanksgiving/Christmas. We then asked a few family friends to help out as waiters for the evening, and we got a friend of a friend to video tape the party for my parents. They did shots of the cake, food, people and in particular taped the part where the guests told stories and toasted them.

For food, I did a lot of it by shopping at Trader Joe's, Costco, BJ's Wholesale club and TJ Maxx/Marshalls. We had cheese and fruit platters, dips and spreads, smoked salmon and crackers and my mom's favorite shrimp. We also had pass-by platters of some hot appetizers like mini quiches, pigs in a blanket, and some other stuff thats completely left my mind at the moment. One of the big hits were huge crystal bowls filled with strawberries, those went over really well. We had buffet set up with grilled pork chops or chicken breasts, small baked potatoes with a toppings bar, several types of veggies, salad and rolls with butter. I splurged on a bakery cake, 2 tier wedding style with lemon cake and raspberry filling. It was totally worth the money. My mom's wedding cake was this little sheet cake thingy with silver leaves on it. And if I remember right their reception was tea sandwiches cake and punch. She swears this party was better then her own reception. I went to Trader Joe's and TJ Maxx/Marshals and bought gourmet cookies and we had plates of those to pass around the tables during the sharing time and before we cut the cake.

For favors I got little favor boxes from the Dollar Tree and filled them with Hershey's Hugs & Kisses, Lindt Truffles, and some other assorted small candies and individually wrapped cookes (amaretti?) that I got at TJ Maxx/Marshalls. The Christmas Tree shop also had nice decorations and we got a lot of the paperware there. I also bought these cute red votive glass holders at the Dollar Tree that had rhinestones on them and we used them to decorate the areas we held the party in and lit one at each place. At the very end after we'd had the cake and toasting etc I asked each guest to think of one wish for my parents and then blow their candle out. By the time everyone got done chatting they were cool enough for them to take home.

We made a variation on Rudolph's punch for the punch bowl (cranberry-raspberry juice with ginger ale and a bit of non-alcoholic ginger beer to make it spicy, float ice with oranges and lemons in it), we had sparkling french lemonade for the non-alcoholic drink and I bought a rather cheap sparkling wine for those who wanted to drink alcohol at the toast. It was something sweet and pink, people liked it, more importantly my mom did.

 

[doodle&june]

My husband and sister in law are doing this right now. Parents are celebrating 50 years in about 10 days. SIL is doing most of the planning. She got pork tenderloins on sale and is planning to cook them (smoking?) and shred for pork sandwiches. We will do a cake and fruit/veggie/cheese trays. I'm sure she has something else planned too. It is an afternoon drop in reception at the community center in their neighborhood. SIL got invites at a craft store on clearance and printed them at home. When she ran out because MIL gave her a few more names she got cheaper invites and sent them to people who wouldn't have a chance of comparing them. My favorite thing is what my DH is doing. He has gone through all his mother's photo albums (we call her the family historian because she's so organized), our photos, and his sister has sent photos. He scanned pictures of his parents as children, teens, their wedding, when he and his sister came along, the family growing and growing up, his graduation, his sister's graduation, their weddings, the grandchildren, etc. He's put it into a video slide show set to music from the 60's (they married in 61). At the end he repeats their wedding picture and it fades into a recent picture of them together. The last frames are a scrolling thank you from him, his sister, BIL, me, and each grandchild. The final frame is a picture of the entire family taken at Thanksgiving 2 years ago. Someone is going to cry when they see it.

 

[cajunbaby1]

A few yrs back I helped my friend plan her folks 50th anniv. party. They didn't want a big expensive party. So they used a small hall I think belonged to the vfw or such. We bought a lot of the serving platters (the clear plastic type) at the Dollar tree for sandwiches, cheeses,etc. Great place to get napkins,forks, etc. We have a place here called to Paper Shack and they seem to always have the 25th and 50th decorations on sale throughout the year. Watch for those sales to get those things. Check out your local resale stores and you might can pick up a set of "fancy wine" glasses for a toast at the party.

Good luck in your planning