- Put a notice in the newspapers at least two weeks before the 50th anniversary party. This will give the couple something to clip and save in a scrapbook, and it will also let people know about the occasion in case they want to send cards or gifts.
- Choose invitations that have gold leafing and elegant fonts. For a formal affair, these should be professionally printed on fine card stock. There should be a folded announcement of the occasion as well as an RSVP card and envelope. Enclosing a small wedding photo or professional studio shot of the couple as a keepsake is also a nice gesture. The print on your invitations should be black or gold, in keeping with the theme of a 50th wedding anniversary.
- Hire a caterer if you plan on having more than 10 guests at the anniversary party. Unless you want to spend the entire occasion waiting on tables and preparing food, it is well worth the expense to bring in professionals to handle the dirty work. Make sure the caterers know that they will be catering a formal 50th wedding anniversary party, and oversee any decorating and color-scheme planning to make sure they stick to the gold anniversary theme.
- The 50th wedding anniversary cake should be reminiscent of the couple's original wedding cake, if possible. If you have photos of the wedding cake, bring a copy to a baker a couple of weeks in advance of the party to commission a replica. When you place the cake in the party room, put a gold-framed photograph of the original cake on the table beside it. The guests will be impressed, but your anniversary couple will be thrilled that you went through the trouble to re-create their wedding cake for the occasion.
- Many catering halls are booked months in advance, so you'll want to get on the phone and start calling early. If you can't get a hall for the occasion, or if your guest list is small, try contacting the church where your guests of honor were married, to see about renting its fellowship hall for the occasion. Any church hall, restaurant banquet room or community center will do, but you should call as early as possible to reserve the space. Also, if you are unfamiliar with the location, take a trip there to check it out or have someone you know who lives there take a look. After all, it is a formal affair, so broken linoleum and simulated wood-grain paneling may not be the ambiance you have in mind. Try to find a place that is elegant and understated, if possible.
- Frame lots of old photographs of the anniversary couple, and place them all over the room where people can see them. Use copies of the old prints instead of the originals. (You don't want anything to happen to them!) If you can find a way to incorporate the couple's original wedding photograph into your party favors, guests will love receiving a one-of-a-kind memento of the occasion. If you have the budget, a commemorative champagne glass with gold leafing around the top and the couple's wedding photo embossed into the side, along with the dates of their wedding and their 50th anniversary, is a nice touch. Guests can use their special glass to toast the couple's longevity.
- Be sure to coordinate your thank-you notes to correspond with the 50th wedding anniversary invitations. It's best to purchase them all at the same time from the printer. That way, you can order just as many as you need and be assured that the design and paper and ink quality will match that of the invitations. When you send out the thank-yous, include a photo of the anniversary couple.
