Memory boards allow for photos of a couple throughout their 50-year history.
Watching your parents reach their 50th wedding anniversary should be an awe-inspiring event. Making it that long together with all of the things life can throw at a couple deserves proper recognition and celebration.Think about your parents, their personalities and what they love (or would love) to do. Incorporate that information so their 50th anniversary celebration is unforgettable.
Throw a Party
Anniversary celebrations typically include parties. If your parents are fun-loving, social butterflies, try throwing them a massive surprise party. Invite the entire family, all of their friends and co-workers. Even if it's not a surprise, you can still make the event memorable. Decorate using gold streamers, tulle, confetti, table runners and the paper goods.
Hire a DJ or make a CD to play music from the year of their marriage. Find out what song they had their first dance to, and have that played first to re-create that moment.
Display photos of their life together, from their dating days to the wedding to the past 50 years. Duplicate the flowers from their wedding centerpieces or bridal bouquets. Hire a bakery to re-create their original wedding cake. If they still have their wedding topper, use that.
Ask each child and grandchild to decorate a page with pictures and words describing how much your parents mean to them. Put these together in an album with their wedding picture on the cover. Engrave the cover with a message, such as, "Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad." Your parents are sure to appreciate all of the effort you (and your siblings) put into creating a magical 50th anniversary celebration.
Give a Vacation
Perhaps your parents have always talked about how special their honeymoon in Hawaii was, or maybe they've always wanted to go but never found the time or money. In either case, their 50th anniversary is the perfect time to gift them a vacation. You can go in with all of your siblings and present it to them together. If finances won't allow you to send them there or they aren't able to travel, bring it to them.
For instance, if they'd love Hawaii, use a backyard with a large pool, a community center or the beach. Decorate using a Hawaiian theme: flowers, leis, coconuts, grass skirts and whatever else you can think of. Hire a Hawaiian caterer or one with experience with Hawaiian cuisine. Have roasted pig and all of the trimmings you would typically find at a luau. Play Hawaiian music and ask guests to dress in island wear.
Time
You and your siblings may not get the chance to spend a lot of quality time with your parents anymore. Rent out a huge cabin or lodge where the entire family can spend a week (or a weekend) together, if it's physically possible for your parents. Your mom and dad, all of their kids and their kids' families should be present. If their parents are still alive, bring them along, too.
Staying in one large location means you can schedule family events so everyone can spend time with the guests of honor but still allows for private time for families to feel like they've gotten a vacation. Dinners should be a nightly family event in which everyone can share stories or memories. Create games for the kids. Have talent shows where everyone can put on a show for your parents. Above all, show them a good time with love, respect and attention.
Tags: your parents, their 50th, their wedding, time with, your siblings