Community Chat

[bonnielu]

Our anniversary party... 50th was a surprise. Or I should say a surprise until I had to provide the list of people who were to be invited.  They insisted that  I give them everyone I wanted to invite. LOL.  What they did not know was I hate to leave anyone out.... So  I handed it over, all 300 names.  Yep, we are square dancers and yes, that was the list which also included neighbors and relatives.  Big party not quite 300 but danciing, with three square dance callers, ten squares, tables for dessert, and a catered main course. Speeches, tributes and my hubby giving the keynote address that brought the house down.  I had to swipe him with my present... a broom .... to get him off stage. 

And yes, it was well worth it.  All kinds of pictures and great memories.  And because we needed little in the way of gifts, we designated a charity for donations, one that fed underprivileged families. 

[PamfromCT]

@CANDLEQUEEN, Thank you for your kindness.  Believe me, it is very much appreciated.  

[Financialgrl]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

have never heard of putting an anniversary in the newspaper?

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I often see this in the paper - but pretty much only for a 50th or 75th.

[Sooner]

We are the only two alive who would remember ours, so no worries about a surprise here! 

[Lipstickdiva]

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@chickenbutt wrote:

While I think that others should do what they want to do, it's just not for me.   

I always felt that a wedding anniversary is between those two people, not the whole world.   Maybe celebrating with your kids - sure.  That seems nice.

But one thing that comes to mind for me, and was mentioned by a recent poster, is that even if you were to put 'please, no gifts' on the invitation, there will always be those disrespectful neanderthals who must make it all about them and bring gifts.   That would anger me and it would make some of the other guests, who WERE respectful of our wishes, feel badly.

Needless to say, for me - no party.    I'll never make it to a 50 anyway, but we will be married for 20 years in July.     PS:  no party. 

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This literally just made me laugh out loud. 

[Lipstickdiva]

I'm not a party for myself type of a person and luckily, neither is my husband.  I found out well after the fact that my sister had been planning on having a surprise 25th anniversary party for us.  We ended up having a family issue that put a halt to the party.  While I was sorry about the family issue, I was glad there was no party.  I have told her a million times, I detest surprise parties.

[chrystaltree]

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@RollTide2008 wrote:
I’m at the age where my circle of friends’ parents are celebrating milestone anniversaries. I like the idea of a party. I’m starting to feel like the only time our extended family gathers together is for funerals.

That's the way my friend's parents see it.  I got the "save the date" card for a big anniversary party she is giving them.  It's their 60th anniversary and they are in their early 80's.  She said the idea for the party came up over Thanksgiving when her dad that he'd had a wonderful reunion with old friends at the funeral of a friend.  He whistfully said that he wished they could all get together at something that was fun and not another funeral.  My friend had to so some wangling, it's hard getting a group of people in their 70's and 80's together and younger family members who have children.   but she did it.  It's not a surprise party because she had to get contact information from both her parents but even that worked out because they like the idea of helping with the plans.   

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[Lipstickdiva]

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@manhattan1950 wrote:

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@sfnative wrote:

We have a big anniversary coming up and I'm calling the shots on this one: we are having a big party because I want one.  All of my other milestones have been ignored by my husband, not just birthdays, so this will be more my party than his, really.  Yes, ego-driven for sure, but heck, it only happens once.  I think the kids attending will have the best time because they already know we're getting out our chocolate fountain. LOL!

(Thank you Navy for providing me with military honors at my retirement.  That was one momentous ceremony, folded flag and all.)

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Sounds GREAT!!! My brothers and I had a BIG party for our parents 50th. LOTS of friends and family where there. We had the party at their house. It was during the summer, so we had it outdoors. My parent's home was VERY large with a huge outdoor space. We rented tables, chairs, linens, plates , glasses, etc. The food was fabulous. It was catered by a 5 star restaurant, had an open bar, 2 types of wine on each table, several bartenders, a wait staff, a dance floor, and a DJ that mostly played my parents' favorite music. It was a BLAST, and EVERYONE had a GREAT time!!!

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Well of course.  Based on your posts, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. 

[suzyQ3]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

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@manhattan1950 wrote:

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@sfnative wrote:

We have a big anniversary coming up and I'm calling the shots on this one: we are having a big party because I want one.  All of my other milestones have been ignored by my husband, not just birthdays, so this will be more my party than his, really.  Yes, ego-driven for sure, but heck, it only happens once.  I think the kids attending will have the best time because they already know we're getting out our chocolate fountain. LOL!

(Thank you Navy for providing me with military honors at my retirement.  That was one momentous ceremony, folded flag and all.)

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Sounds GREAT!!! My brothers and I had a BIG party for our parents 50th. LOTS of friends and family where there. We had the party at their house. It was during the summer, so we had it outdoors. My parent's home was VERY large with a huge outdoor space. We rented tables, chairs, linens, plates , glasses, etc. The food was fabulous. It was catered by a 5 star restaurant, had an open bar, 2 types of wine on each table, several bartenders, a wait staff, a dance floor, and a DJ that mostly played my parents' favorite music. It was a BLAST, and EVERYONE had a GREAT time!!!

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Well of course.  Based on your posts, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. 

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I think I love you, @Lipstickdiva. Sometimes you just gotta laugh a little.

To the topic: We had our 50th last year. We had decided to go to Vancouver for a few days. But then we both realized that we were doing that just because we felt we supposed to do something grand for such a date.

We canceled and had a wonderful dinner at home. (Our family was traveling at the time).

[jeanlake]

It's an individual thing. No right or wrong answers. We gave my in-laws the 50th anniversary party MIL wanted 16 years ago. She wanted fancy invitations, big wedding cake, rented venue, new, semi-formal dress, catered afternoon food, photographer, a trip to the salon and photograph boards displayed. There was a 'head' table decorated for in-laws and their siblings. She didn't turn down gifts. Three siblings, with families, split the cost. The cost was getting out of hand and then we all realized, this was the wedding celebration MIL never had. Quick marriage ceremony at the courthouse then her husband was shipped off to Korea. 

Today is my 40th wedding anniversary. We've got a family trip planned to Breckenridge this summer with three children, their partners and 4 grandsons. I opted for that instead of a public celebration -- but again -- it's individual preferences. I like to keep things low key.