My parents 50th wedding anniversary is in June, any suggestions as to how we can make it extra special? We have already put a deposit down on a hall and their priest reserved the date to renew their vows. I think we should let them in on what we are doing and my siblings think we should make it a "surprise party" but I am afraid that we will forget to invite someone important. Any advice or suggestions are very welcome. Thanks
2007-09-09 12:44:33 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
oh boyboyboy am i glad you asked!!!!!!
TELL your parents about this event. you and your sibs have them over for dinner very very soon, before the end of this week, and, with grand flourish, hand your mother a bouquet, your father a cigar and all of you say, congrats on your upcoming 50th anniversary!!!
then you let them in on the fabulous news that your priest has graciously agreed to let them renew their vows ( some parishes wont do it anymore because there are now so many 50ths!!) and !!! that after the ceremony you all are giving them a gala reception in their honor. make this announcement a big deal.
you MUST do this for 2 reasons. 1. when people are older, dear, they dont go into the closet and pull out an outfit and throw it on and go to a once in a lifetime dinner. at their age they have clothing issues and health issues. if they have 6 plus months notice that this event is coming they have ample time to pick out just the right outfit and feel that they look their very best on the big day.
how would you feel if you went out with your parents to dinner and they said to you, oh, guess what, this is your wedding day and you are going to be married, a once in a lifetime event,, in the ordinary dress you are wearing right now, and, we have not given you one minute to prepare or think about this. not fun is it?
surprise parties are nice if you are 21 but they are horrible for 50ths. you are denying your parents the extreme pleasure of anticipating this, thinking about it, giving you names of guests, being able to talk endlessly to the bridge club girls about it, just like you would if it was your wedding.
and 2. i dont know if you know this but every single older person i have ever known is veryveryvery aware their 50th is coming up. if they go this whole year thinking no one is doing anything for their 50th, well, far from being a year of delighted anticipation, it will be a year of silent wonder and worry for them. it is almost cruel. DONT do this to them.
we gave my parents 2 years notice of the gala cruise we ( their 10 children and our families) were giving for them. my mother had time to find a gorgeous white suit and my dad looked very handsome in his suit. the ship crowned my parents king and queen of the ship. we had a private party during the cruise and we gave them a trip to montreal that they wanted, from all of us.
we had made a book of photos for them and many people have a professional company do a film to music of photos. i am sure you have seen them.
you may have time to petition the Pope for a special blessing for them, if you look into it quickly. if they are devout it would mean the world. now, THAT would be a glorious surprise for them.
let them know this week. it wont !!!! be too soon.
2007-09-09 15:29:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would let them know. They will want to invite people you dont know and also, they may have plans and you wouldn't want that to conflick. I would tell them so that they could have the option of saying their own vows. After 50 years I'm sure that they will have something personal they would like to say "vow-wise" to eachother.
Extra special touch:
Each of the kids from this couple should stand up and say something toast-like to the couple. It will definitly touch them.
Have the wedding dress or a collage of images from their orginal wedding at the cake cutting site. It will make it memorable and the guests will enjoy looking at how young they looked. (plus I'm sure the style of dress will be interesting also)
Have the couple play a game of "newlyweds style" questions about eachother.
Play their song for the first dance
Good luck!
2007-09-09 13:03:31 · answer #2 · answered by enriquelomasa 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do you know for a fact that your parents want to renew their vows? Many people don't want to do that no matter the length of time they've been married.
I think the surprise party is excellent and I wouldn't worry about if you forgot someone--there are ways that you can find out who's been invited and who hasn't to rectify if someone was missed.
2007-09-09 13:07:16 · answer #3 · answered by Mignon F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kind of.. Not enought to make ppl laugh out loud tho. It's not offensive or anything, it's just a long road to an anti-climax..!
2016-05-20 22:07:40 · answer #4 · answered by bettye 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really need to clue them in. They will suspect something is up anyway. And they may have old friends to contact, or special touches that they'd like to arrange. So, definitely, let them know and get their input.
2007-09-09 13:30:35 · answer #5 · answered by Ara57 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋