I recently threw a 50th anniversary party for my In-laws! It was a beautiful day celebrating Frank and Lisa. So many of their family and friends turned out to honor them on their big day. Lots of fun was had and it was a great day.
venue – our Local Country Club
We chose to host the party at our local Country Club. Picking that venue was the best decision we made. If you are throwing a party and expecting a large number of guests, I highly recommend finding a similar venue to host your party. There was no worrying about the menu and finding time to cook it. Tables and chairs were provided as well as a full bar available for all of the guests.
Inviting guests
After receiving a guest list from my mother-in-law, I immediately created an event on Facebook. I knew I would be sending out proper invites in the mail, but this day and age you can never send out too many reminders. Facebook sends out reminders close to the day of the event and you are also able to RSVP with a click of a button.
To-DO Checklist
Order Cake – Walmart made a great cake!
Order Invitations – Walmart Photo Department was so quick and easy. They were done in an hour!
Decide on Table coverings – Rent or Buy (It was cheaper buy tablecloths from Amazon. They were much thinner and not as good quality as renting, but they looked great and served their purpose!)
Find Reasonable Centerpieces – I wanted pretty centerpieces, but I know how quickly they can get expensive. I found these awesome balloon stands on Amazon! You can use these in many different ways. After a lot of deliberation, I settled on oversized white balloons to make a statement and little purple balloons for an accent. I loved that these stands are reusable, and balloons are so reasonable in price that the centerpieces ended up being a little over five dollars each. (Another plus to these stands are you can put the centerpieces together a day or two ahead of time and not worry about them deflating with helium.)
Look at Facebook Marketplace for used Wedding decorations – Frank and Lisa’s wedding colors were purple and yellow. I decided to turn to Facebook Marketplace for possible used wedding decor that would save time and money. I landed on a white trellis wrapped with Lavendar Wysteria faux garland. It was perfect and lightweight! The trellis was the perfect statement piece that would pull everything together. After adding a gold wedding banner and a cluster of purple balloons to one side it was the star of the show over the cake table.
Make a photo collage – My Brother-in-Law did a great job making photo collages for the party. He bought tri-fold cardboard displays and attached the pictures with tape. They stood up perfectly on the table without stands or being propped up against something.
Ask Frank and Lisa for wedding photo album – Their photo album was also a nice touch and a trip down memory lane for them and their friends. They also gave me their marriage license; that I put in one of my photo frames and displayed on the table.
Cake plates and napkins – Purple and yellow
packing tote ahead of time
I highly recommend packing a tote a day or two in advance. My tote included an electric balloon pump, loose decorations, tape, scissors, a knife for cutting cake and a cake server. By starting days in advance, it is easier to add to your tote as you think of it, so you are well prepared or the day of. I had premade the centerpieces and blew up our clusters of balloons for the arch the night before. When the day finally came, my only prep work I had was running the tablecloths threw the dryer and packing up the cars.
