A Golden Anniversary Celebration

This post was started in July, when I first started preparing for the big day. This October 14th, my parents will be married 50 years. It’s such a big milestone. I really want to make it as special as I can for them.  They know they are having a party and I spoke to them about what they wanted, but they won’t know any of the details. So I’m going to add a little to this post as I make my preparations . I want the party to be something so special for them.

I have the banquet room booked and the first thing I’m doing are the favors. I decided to give potted aloe plants (because I have an overabundance of aloe in my home!). I wanted to get them started so that the aloe pups have some time to grow. Trying to be thrifty, I ordered 50 white plastic 3″ pots and set to work decorating them with a gold sharpie.

I worked on them as time allowed and then potted them one day. I added gravel to the bottom of the pots to help weigh them down and for drainage and then planted them with cacti soil.

 

 

Here is a picture of them from the party:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next: the invites.  I recently had a session for my parents.They had wanted a 50th photo picture. I picked one of my favorites and found a candid and created this on Adoramapix:

I was very happy with the way they turned out.

Next: table decor. I want it to look great, but don’t want to spend a lot. One of my favorite things to decorate with are things from nature. They are beautiful and free! I actually came up with the centerpiece early in the summer and have started saving branches that fall off of the white birch trees in my front yard since then.. I’ve been collecting them  before we mow and keeping them in a bucket on our porch. As my hydrangea bloom, I’ve been cutting them and drying them in my home.

Connor and I went to the wine store a few months ago and picked out a bottle with a wide neck (Corbet Canyon) and I’ve been working on collecting these bottles this summer (Oh- the sacrifices I make for those I love!).

 

The branches and dried flowers will be spray painted gold and arranged in and around the bottles. I’m going to rent the tablecloths, but buy the overlays on efavormart. They were very inexpensive and I’m sure I can find a use for them in the future.

 

 

 

 

And here is what they looked like on the table that day. I ended up last minute picking up some small white pumpkins and painted the stems and seams with gold paint. I found the paper chargers at Marshall’s and had extra pumpkins to place around the room.

 

 

I was hoping to take pictures before the party started, but was too busy, so I just got a few   snapshots during the party.

 

Post two will show how I decorated the bottle vases.