1950s-Themed Anniversary Invitations

Set the tone for a 1950s-themed anniversary celebration with a creative invitation.

Anniversary parties with a 1950s theme provide planners and guests with a plethora of options for the celebration. The first aspect of planning is to set the party's tone; to get everyone in the spirit, design creative invitations. Themed invitations let your guests know what to expect, how they should dress and what they should bring.

Shape of the Card

Your invitation can be as simple as a post card-style invitation featuring the recipient's address on one side and the party information on the other; the opposite side of the card can be decorated with 1950s images, such as a turntable or a girl in a poodle skirt. You can also get a bit more creative by cutting your card stock into a shape symbolic of the 1950s era, such as a blue suede shoe, a saddle shoe, or a 45 rpm record with the song title "Rockin' 'Round the Clock to Celebrate."

Information to Include

Note if guests are invited to dress in 1950s styles or as popular characters.

Make sure you spell out all of the details for your guests so they know what to expect. The party's time, date and place must be included. Who the anniversary party is being held for and being given by should also be included, as well as RSVP information. If guests are not encouraged to bring gifts, this should also be noted. If you wish for guests to dress in 1950s styles, let them know and perhaps offer suggestions, such as "Poodle skirts, pegged pants, bobby socks and loafers are encouraged!" You can also announce a "best costume" contest. If a meal is included or if it is BYOB, advise them of this as well.

Card Theme Ideas

Conduct some research on the 1950s. Cull theme ideas from popular music, movies and television shows from the time period to get your guests excited about the celebration. As an example, use "Jean and Mark have rocked around the clock and the calendar too; join them for a celebration of 50 rockin' years together." To celebrate continuity in modern times, use phrasing such as "Since the 1950s, divorce rates have doubled. Bob and Nancy have continued to sing the '50s hit, 'That's Amore' together and buck the trends. Help them celebrate at a '50s sock hop," or "Inventions of the 1950s: The computer modem, the credit card, the lunar probe, the robot, the satellite, the transistor radio - but the most important invention of all was the founding of our marriage. Help us celebrate more than half a century of love with a '50s themed party."

When to Mail

With the busy lifestyles and schedules of people today, make sure you have your invitations out to guests well in advance of the date; six weeks would be sufficient. This will allow you to receive RSVPs to plan your event and also provide guests enough time to pull ideas together for any costumes they might want to wear. Allow yourself enough time to design your invitations. These can be made at home on a computer with a printer or through a commercial printing service. If desired, you can also include preprinted and stamped RSVP cards.

References

• The Fifties Web: Families of the Fifties
• The People History: 1950s