I need some advice.

[petslover]

Okay, My parents 25th wedding anniversary will be approaching next summer. I want to have a gathering for them with our family & close family friends. I am a college student so right now money is tight. The gathering is going to be really casual.. as that what my family is.. no dressy dressy. or anything.. at gatherings our family just talks and gossips and what not. haha.. noone in my family really drink alcohol either.

I know for one I am going to get them a cake for a local cake service..maybe even some sort of wedding cake.. depends on how much it costs.

but for the food I'm stumped.. do I feed the guest a whole meal? or would finger foods work (sandwiches, chips, etc.. ) PS- I have never cooked a meal in my life so I don't think the party is a good place to start..lol.. so I would have to get it catered by a local restaurant.

I know I am going to decorate the place with silver balloons, table clothes, etc. I am also going to place some pictures out from their wedding.

I also want to get some sort of favors that the guest can take home with them and maybe treasure. i'm not sure what to get though.

I'm really stumped on how to begin this process..

any advice would be really appreciated.

[rg_girlca]

Hi Tia.

Since things are basically going to be casual, why don't you ask family members to make up certain dishes to bring. Like, macaroni salads, finger sandwiches, cheese & crackers, raw vegetables with dip, or their favorite types of dishes that they like to make. Stuff that is easy to do a buffet style with.

The cake doesn't necessarily have to be a wedding cake. We got our parents a cake decorated with flowers and just had written, Happy 25th anniversary on it. But we did add a little bride and groom to it.

That's all I can think of.

[Lizzie]

How many guests are you talking about? That will make a big difference in suggestions.

[Lobodeb]

Hi Tia!

I would suggest, first seeing if any of your other family members can pitch in to see what kind of a budget you have. Are you going to have it in a banquet hall, veterans' hall, house, etc.? From there, you can get together a guest list and try having people bring dishes like rg_girlca suggested. If not, depending on where you are, I'm sure pizza restaurants cater for decent prices. I also know a great cake designer (me ) so I can help you with pricing to see what's a deal for you or not.

Either way, you're on the right track by starting early. I used to be an event planner, so if you need anymore help, please let me know.

[Kfamr]

Easiest thing to do - supply hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, etc. and ask everyone to bring a dish to pass.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

In 2006 we had our parents 60th anniversary. I made all the invitations, the menu's, and a large mozaïk with pics from them. This was a huge success! It is NOT expensive, because you can make it yourself. The only thing I could not do, was make the large finished print.

This is the finished product


If this is to much work, you can also consider making what I made for our own 25th anniversary in 2004:


have fun, tia!!!

[emily_the_spoiled]

For my parents 40th wedding anniversary we gave the a chance to renew their wedding vows (they are Catholic). Then we had an afternoon tea at the church hall for all of the friends and family. For the immediate family, we then had a small sit down dinner in the evening.

For the tea, we had some of my mother's friends make all the goodies (and no sandwiches)

Good luck and I know that they will appreciate anything you do.

[carole]

what a lovely daughter you are to go to so much trouble to planning this special event, if i were you i would ask everyone to bring a plate of food, that is what we do in NZ, when money is tight, as they are family members no-one should mind, have a list of things, and tell each member what you would like them to bring so you don't double up on things,but finger food is the way to go i think if you want to keep to the budget.

I agree with the others, concentrate on getting a really yummy cake, that not only looks great but tastes divine.

[caseysmom]

What a nice gesture. If you have access to a sam's club they have excellent cake for very reasonable, they may even have wedding cakes.

I like the idea of everyone bringing a dish and like Kay said burgers and hot dogs can be provided. If you don't have access to a barbeque you could buy a bunch of chicken.

[jennielynn1970]

I like the ideas of having people bring a covered dish, side dish or what have you. We do that at family reunions, but anyone who travels a distance isn't expected to have to bring anything. The BBQ or picnic thing sounds great too. You can get family size packages of hamburgers or hotdogs at many of the supermarkets (around here we have Redner's and Giant that offer good deals). There are always family members that are known for their macaroni salad or baked beans, they might even feel honored that you asked them to make that certain dish for the occasion.

Do you have a friend who's mom or family member makes cakes? Is there a local shop near you that does cakes and baked goods? Some of the local bakeries in my area offer such nice cakes, and they aren't expensive at all.

If you can't get family members to help out with the cooking, could you get some college friends to help you out?? They might like to spend the day at your place, helping with food and all of that. You can make that punch with juice, ginger ale or 7 up and sherbet. That's always a something nice to have at picnics and get togethers where you don't want to serve alcohol. You could also get some bottles of sparkling cider, which tastes really good, and looks just as pretty and fizzy as champagne.

Hope it all works out for you! It's so nice of you to put it together!