Parents' 50th Anniversary - help!

[Vermontcat]

Debbie, I hope I can help you since my parents just celebrated their 50th Anniversary this year.
If you can't get the whole wedding album then try to get a couple of framed photos of their wedding day to display. I also framed a recent photo of my parents together to put on display.
I also went to a party store and got a guest book that said 50th Anniversary on it and had everyone at the party sign it and write brief messages for them to look over later. Also at the party store we got a couple of bunches of gold balloons (for their golden anniversary) and a couple of mylar balloons that said Happy 50th Anniversary on them. After the party I let the grandkids each get a balloon to keep. I also found a banner that said Congratulations on it so I think that the banner idea is great, even better with balloons.
Also take lots of photos or bring a couple of those disposable cameras for people to use.
I would check with the local bakery/grocery store about the cake, they should be able to come up with something sugar-free for a diabetic or maybe do a tray full of sugar-free cookies/brownies or something else instead.

You should also search for Lut's thread about her parent's recent Anniversary, I think she made a nice photo collage as a gift to her parents and she posted photos of it too.
Good luck and have fun!

[Dorothy39]

Debbie, I hope I can help you since my parents just celebrated their 50th Anniversary this year.
If you can't get the whole wedding album then try to get a couple of framed photos of their wedding day to display. I also framed a recent photo of my parents together to put on display.
I also went to a party store and got a guest book that said 50th Anniversary on it and had everyone at the party sign it and write brief messages for them to look over later. Also at the party store we got a couple of bunches of gold balloons (for their golden anniversary) and a couple of mylar balloons that said Happy 50th Anniversary on them. After the party I let the grandkids each get a balloon to keep. I also found a banner that said Congratulations on it so I think that the banner idea is great, even better with balloons.
Also take lots of photos or bring a couple of those disposable cameras for people to use.
I would check with the local bakery/grocery store about the cake, they should be able to come up with something sugar-free for a diabetic or maybe do a tray full of sugar-free cookies/brownies or something else instead.

You should also search for Lut's thread about her parent's recent Anniversary, I think she made a nice photo collage as a gift to her parents and she posted photos of it too.
Good luck and have fun!

Your ideas are wonderful!!!!!! I did this very thing for my parents as well as for my in laws!!!! I also feel that caseysmom offered a wonderful suggestion, I would melt inside if my children did this on my 50th!!!

[emily_the_spoiled]

We did my parents 45th wedding anniversary a few years ago (my mother is quite ill and we aren't sure if she will make it to the 50th). We had my parents re-new their wedding vows and there was a mass to go with it (they are Catholic). After that we had a little afternoon tea for their friends and then a dinner with the immediate family (brothers and sisters).

Everyone seemed to enjoy it and we heard good things back from the relatives.

[Catsnclay]

Is there any way you can inform all the people who will be attending this weekends picnic, and ask them to dig out an old picture of your parents & them, then write up a little story about that picture/time?

If they don't have a picture, maybe they can write a short story about something they remember about your parents, funny stories, birhts, new houses, etc. Any little antidote about them.

I also would go with decorations and a table & book of all the people that attend (just like a wedding book). Take plenty of pictures and make them up a new album.

Congratulations to your parents for making it to 50 years in this day & age!!


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Just a little side note from me. A few years back my parents were aproaching their 50th anniversary and both my sister & I dread the idea of a party for them. They fought constantly throughout their marriage, but when they were in public, their plastic faces (as my sister & I refered to them) came out and the world thought they were the "perfect" couple.

To make a very long story short, my mother finally made the decision to leave my father with our help, but she kept waiting by the phone for that "please come back" phone call. Turns out my father didn't want her back and they are now divorced, after 48 1/2 years of marriage (they were always told, once you got married you have to stay married - strict Catholic upbringing )

Well, that solved our "problem" of a party that no one really wanted to attend - I know this sounds rather odd and bitter. But it is 2 years later and BOTH of my parents are doing SO much better now that they are single. What a shame they both waited so long because they "had" to stay married.

Sorry Debbie for this story on your thread................

[Catty1]

I have just scanned the replies quickly, so maybe someone said this already...

But if you have access to some neat photos - and of you and your brother growing up - why not get LASER COPIES and make a scrapbook out of them?

Doesn't have to be big!

Also - you could put the laser copies on regular paper (anyone remember the MESSY style of "cut and paste"? ), and them put the pages into plastic sheet protectors - and put THOSE into a 3 ring binder or pretty folder.

HUGS

Sounds like it'll be great, whatever you do!

Catty1

[gini]

Debbie,

I think that if you can get pictures of your parents through the years you can do a slide show, banners, cards, signs, even have their image on cakes and cookies nowdays.

Um, maybe play "their wedding song" and of course have a toast for them - even if its just soda/water/juice...

You could have family members talk on their behalf...kind of like a speech of what/how your parents touched them/mean to them.

It would be really neat to get a picture of them together, have it matted and have people sign the matting, like they do at weddings. Then have it framed for them to commemorate their amazing milestone.

Get 50th Anniversary decorations at a party store...instant 50th Anniversary Party!

Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll be wonderful!! Have fun!!

Love, Kelly (NoahsMommy)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Unfortunately the slide show is going to be impossible because I just won't have time. We won't get there until after 10:00 am Saturday morning, and as soon as we get there we're all headed off to the reunion. I know where my mom keeps her photo album, and I know where she has a favorite picture of the two of them, so I'll try and grab these two things.

I really like the idea of balloons and the banner. I'll check out a party store and see what other decorations they might have. Does anybody know if regular latex balloons will stay blown up overnight? I'm thinking I'll have to pick everything up Friday night because we'll be leaving early Saturday morning to drive up there. I now the mylar balloons will last, but what about the regular ones.

I was thinking it would be neat to have everyone stand up and say a few things about what they remember about my parents, whether from the "old days" or from more recent times.

Can't do too much since I don't want to make my mom mad after such explicit instructions on not to do anything, but I think you've all given me some great ideas to make it a low key celebration that they'll appreciate. Thanks!!!

PS - I'll let you know how it goes.

[Prairie Purrs]

My sister and I just went through this--our parents absolutely insisted that they didn't want us to throw them a 50th anniversary party and threatened not to show up if we did. However, we knew that we had to do something because we didn't do anything special for their 25th anniversary, and we've been hearing about that for 25 years!

So we had an informal party at my sister's house. We rented a tent for the backyard and decorated the tables with lots and lots of gold Mardi Gras beads (some in plastic champagne glasses). Besides being festive, the beads were lots of fun--everyone ended up wearing some!




My sister put together some wonderful slide shows, but since there's no time for you to do that, here are a couple of collages we put together with printouts of photos my sister had on her computer:




We had your basic picnic-buffet food. Much to our relief, the folks had a great time--they got to visit with some old friends they hadn't seen in years, the relatives didn't get into any fights, and the weather was perfect!