A golden celebration: 50th anniversary party ideas
Half a century of marriage calls for a real celebration. Whether it’s a big bash or a family get-together, here are some tips for planning a 50th anniversary party. (Although a couple’s children often arrange this event, you and your spouse can absolutely throw a party for yourselves.)
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.
Set the date
Several months in advance, set a date. If important guests have unavoidable conflicts on or close to the actual anniversary, the couple may be willing to move the festivities to a different week or month if it allows everyone to be there. On the other hand, family members should make every effort to rearrange schedules for an occasion like this.
Secure a venue
If you need to reserve a place, do it sooner than later. Here are some options. (Doing a search for local wedding venues may give you more ideas.)
- Someone’s house.
- Favorite restaurant. If it’s more than a small group, a reserved private room is best.
- Church hall.
- Reserved shelter at a park. Look for one with adjacent parking and a restroom nearby.
- Hotel ballroom. If you have several guests coming in from out of town, ask about discounted room rates.
- Country club banquet room.
- VFW hall.
Reminder: if your gathering includes alcohol, find a venue where that’s allowed, and if any of your guests use a wheelchair or have limited mobility, find a place that’s universally accessible.
Send invitations
For a large party, send out formal invitations. Indicate whether children are welcome. Out-of-town guests may need invitations several months in advance. Most people will need prompting to remember to RSVP, so designate someone to badger people—er, follow up.
Plan food and drinks
If your shindig isn’t at a restaurant, you can either hire a caterer or enjoy home cooking. If you choose the latter, pick a theme and assign dishes so everything goes great together. Themed menu ideas include a casual barbecue, laid-back brunch, south-of-the border fiesta or a swanky cocktail hour.
For many, the celebration won’t feel complete without a specially decorated cake. If you order one from a bakery, arrange to pick it up early in the day. That way, if something isn’t right with your order, there’s time to get it corrected.
Choose decorations
Pick a color scheme for the decorations. The couple may provide inspiration: You could choose the colors of the hockey team they love to cheer for, or go overboard with her favorite color.
The season can also suggest a scheme: jewel tones in winter, for example, or lots of green in the spring. Black and white with an accent color, such as red, sets a striking backdrop. All white with gold accents is a classic combination for a 50th wedding anniversary.
You can order or buy flowers or plants that complement your scheme. Here are some choices.
White: Roses, carnations, tulips, Shasta daisies, calla lilies, baby’s breath
Red: Roses (of course!), carnations, tulips, gerbera daisies, gladiola, poinsettia
Blue/purple: Tulips, hydrangeas, irises, statice, lavender, delphinium, lilac
Yellow: Tulips, roses, sunflowers, daffodils, chrysanthemums
Orange: Tiger lilies, chrysanthemums
Pink: Roses, carnations, tulips, pink oriental lilies
Green: Ferns, ivy, bamboo plants
Other decorative elements you might want to consider include: balloons, streamers, banners, tablecloths, paper plates/cups/napkins, candles and various framed photos of the couple from over the years.
Don’t forget to decorate outdoors, too. Luminaria can line a walkway, clear white lights can twinkle in trees, or a big sign in the yard can let everyone know it’s a big day. Give younger kids sidewalk chalk to create hearts, and “happy anniversary” and “we love you” messages.
And remember, you can rent just about anything, from table linens and silverware to speaker systems and extra chairs.
Don’t forget the gifts
The 50th is the “gold” anniversary. While yellow gold jewelry is the most traditional gift, some people choose white gold—or even rose gold, which is more unique. You can go easy on the environment by giving jewelry made from recycled gold. And you can go easy on your wallet by treating gold as the theme for your gift rather than as the material from which it has to be made—present your gift in gold wrapping paper or a gold gift bag, and adorn it with gold ribbon.
Homemade and personalized gifts mean a lot. Specially made quilts can feature blocks with messages written in permanent fabric pens or photos on transfer paper. Items like etched champagne glasses or engraved photo frames can serve as lasting mementos of the occasion.
If the couple enjoys traveling, group gifts toward a “second honeymoon” are a great idea. Give a gift card to an airline or hotel chain, or give a gift certificate to a B&B. Need more ideas? Get inspired with these creative 50th wedding anniversary gift ideas.
At a large party, designate a table where people can leave gifts to be opened later, and include a basket for greeting cards. At a small family gathering, opening presents can be part of the fun.
Toasts and tributes
Arrange in advance for at least one person to deliver an anniversary toast. Be sure to have a nonalcoholic option for toasting, such as sparkling cider.
A slideshow of photos of the couple over the years gives guests something to talk about and celebrates the history they share. Alternately, hang a photo collage in an entryway or on a wall.
Buy a blank journal and write on the first page, “50 Wonderful Things About (Name) and (Name).” Number the pages from 1 to 50, and encourage guests to write in what they love about the couple.
Set the mood
Make a playlist of songs that were popular the year the couple got married and/or of all the couple’s favorite songs from over the decades.
For a large party, you can hire a string quartet or a pianist to set an elegant mood or a DJ to get guests dancing.
Capture the moment
There’s usually at least one shutterbug in every family. Tell him or her to snap away. An anniversary get-together also offers the perfect opportunity to get a group picture of the family. Choose the best pictures of the event and create a commemorative album to give later.
Relax and enjoy the party
Remember, no matter how carefully you plan an event, not everything will go exactly as expected, and that’s fine. That’s how marriage is, too—ask the couple if you don’t believe us! Once the party’s started, don’t sweat every little thing. Just enjoy the opportunity to be together with the people you love.
Shop 50th Anniversary
See allYou may also like
See more-
Gifting The Office gifts and decor make WFH way more fun
From 9-5, our favorite show is The (Home) Office. 💼 📄 Add some fun to WFH with products and decor from The Office, av...
-
Summer Vegetable stamping: How to make simple, modern prints with produce
There are so many reasons to try fruit and vegetable stamping: It's surprisingly creative. It's easy. It uses stuff y...
-
Baby 40+ baby photoshoot ideas, tips and tricks from Hallmark photographers
You have the cutest baby in the world. There’s no contest. It’s not even a question. But what you might not have are ...
-
Christmas Step right up and see the Seaside Carnival Keepsake Ornament
Get ready for all the sights and sounds of Santa’s Seaside Carnival! Santa and Mrs. Claus are ready to greet visitors...
-
Friends Friendship messages: What to write in a friendship card
Whether it’s your friend’s birthday or just any old day, sending a card is a great way to bring a smile and nurture ...
-
Card Ideas 17 ideas for saving your favorite cards and letters
If you’ve got a shoe box full of old cards and letters, you’re definitely not alone. People have been stashing away m...
-
Birthday Free birthday coloring pages to add more fun to the celebration
The best birthdays are the ones filled with lots of little treats and fun activities, from sunup to sundown. If you’r...
-
Family Tips and ideas for preserving and displaying family recipes
Family recipes are a special kind of priceless heirloom—the kind that transport us back to our favorite times with ou...
-
Mother's Day Meaningful, personal Mother's Day gift ideas for every mom you know
It can be tough to come up with gift ideas for Mom. Most of us want to give her something meaningful: a gift that sho...
-
Father's Day Celebrating two dads on Father's Day: Tips and ideas inspired by real families
As a dad, I appreciate Father’s Day. Even though my family has never made a really big deal out of it, it’s always so...
-
Thank You 100+ teacher appreciation gift ideas to say “thanks for all you do!”
In 6th grade, my homeroom teacher made us illustrated, laminated bookmarks—each one a custom collage of our interests...
-
Christmas Dr. Finkelstein’s Lab Tree Topper
Fans of Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, we have a frightfully fun new addition for your tree! Kee...
-
Graduation Graduation gift ideas for every level of education
My little brother starts kindergarten this year, and I’m already bracing myself for the tears—mine, not his. I know t...
-
Lifestyle Free printable When Calls the Heart Bingo card to celebrate the Season 11 premiere!
Who's ready for a Heartie Party? You know we are! So much so, we created a bingo card to add a whole extra layer of f...
-
Christmas Star Wars: A New Hope™️ Collection
You don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to experience an epic adventure! Each stocking holder performs sce...
-
Christmas Wreath of Memories Keepsake Ornament
Get a special behind-the-scenes look at how Keepsake Artists Gregor Benedetti and Rob Stanphill collaborated on the d...
-
Christmas Howliday Helpers First in Series Keepsake Ornament
Do you want the inside scoop on an im-paws-ibly cute new series? We’ll throw you a bone—Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker...
-
Christmas Keepsake Ornaments ShowToppers Mini Collection
We’re so excited to introduce our new ShowToppers collection. Featuring three unique designs, each tree topper is int...
-
Christmas Keepsake Ornaments North Pole Village Table Decoration
Keepsake Artist Sharon Visker is here with a special delivery of Christmas magic! Hear how she brought this bustling ...
-
Christmas Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™️ Storytellers Collection
Ready for a little magic? Featuring light, sound and real dialogue from the movie, Harry, Dobby, Ron, Hermione and th...