Not every couple dreams of a formal, sit-down, catered affair for their wedding anniversary party. In fact, they may not even want a fancy social reception at all. If you’re looking for something a little different, here are eight unique anniversary party ideas to consider. 1. Luau or Tropical Flair – Did they go to Hawaii or the Caribbean on their honeymoon? Do they love to vacation in the islands? Or do they dream of going one day? Create a celebration with an island atmosphere. Tiki torches, seashells, and fake palm trees add to the decor. Play music from the tropics. Serve up coconut based drinks. Don’t forget the flower leis for the celebrating couple. 2. Big Family Barbecue – You can fire up the grill and do this in your backyard. Or, you can go all out, rent a big tent, hire professional grill-masters and a country music band. Whether your party is low-key or over the top, it will be casual fun that friends and relatives of all ages will enjoy. 3. Romantic Dinner Cruise – If you live near a river, lake, ocean or just about any body of water, there is bound to be boats available for your celebration. They usually include a meal, music and dancing. It has all the trappings of a typical anniversary party, but with a seaworthy twist. 4. Year We Got Married – Did the happy couple get married in the 1950′s? Then plan a doo-wop sock hop. If their marriage took place in the 60′s, load up on tie-dye, peace signs, lava lamps and rock and roll. If they took the plunge in the 70′s, then go all out disco. Build the party around the decade of their wedding, including music, fashion, headlines, even popular foods. 5. Fiesta – If you’re planning a wedding anniversary party for a couple that still has a lot of spice in their relationship, then how about a fiery south of the border theme? Hire a mariachi band, serve spicy food and decorate with pinatas. 6. Hollywood Love Story – Roll out the red carpet (literally!) for your own version of Tracy and Hepburn. Decorate with life-size cardboard cutouts of movie stars, clapboards, awards, stars and twinkle lights. Select invitations featuring tickets. Play soundtracks from blockbuster films. 7. Interesting Location – If the couple is still wild about each other after all these years, consider throwing their anniversary party in your local zoological park. Most zoos have facilities you can rent, even after hours, and your guests can enjoy some of the animal exhibits. How about having your celebration at the botanical gardens? Can you imagine a more beautiful location? You might also want to investigate to see if the restaurant the couple went to on their first date is still open and have the party there. What other location might be of particular sentimental value to the them? Find out if it’s available for parties. 8. Destination Anniversary – Choose several close friends and family members and plan a weekend trip to an exotic location to celebrate the couple’s milestone. Destination weddings are all the rage, so why not adapt this trend to your celebration? This may sound extravagant, but it can be cheaper than planning a elegant formal dinner for a hundred people. The guests are usually only responsible for paying their air fare or other transportation costs. That means that you’ll be picking up the tab for hotel and meals. But think of the memories! Traditional celebrations can be wonderful. But if you’re planning a wedding anniversary party for a unique couple who would enjoy something a little different, don’t settle for an ordinary event. You don’t need to be limited to conventional ideas. Just use your imagination, maybe borrow one of these suggestions, and you’ll create an anniversary to remember.
1st Birthday Party Invitations for First Birthday of Baby
1st Birthday Party Invitations for Baby 1st Birthday Party Celebration!
Although your child won’t remember much, you’ll probably always have fond memories of your child’s first birthday party and those all-important 1st Birthday Party Invitations. There’s simply something special about the first time you buy that cake and watch your little one shove icing all over his or her face. However, you don’t want to ruin those memories by making bad planning decisions. Here are some tips that will help as you start getting ready for those 1st birthday invitations.
1st Birthday Party Invitation: The Guest List
Many parents make a big mistake by having a huge guest list and sending out tons of Kid Birthday Invitations for the event. You really want to keep the guest list to a minimum. Remember this is a time for your family to get together and watch one of the most precious milestones in your child’s development. You don’t want to ruin that by having to cater to dozens of guests and their children when you should be watching these moments. Keep the number of children birthday party invitation cards you send to a minimum. Only invite family members and close friends. If you do want to invite children, keep the number to a minimum and have planned activities to keep them entertained, such as DVD or coloring books.
1st Birthday Greeting Cards: The Location
If you read many birthday-planning forums, you’ll inevitably find some parent who wants to throw a huge party when sending out 1st Birthday Party Invitations. Locations, such as Chuck E. Cheese, are rented to celebrate the big event. Again, that’s not a good idea. Renting those places is a wonderful choice when you’re celebrating the birthdays of older children, especially school age kids who have tons of friends to invite. With this party, you’re going to be focused on a 1 year old who won’t be able to enjoy the games or even the food. The best location to write on each first birthday party invitation is your home, a party room near your home, or possibly a park. There’s no reason to book an expensive location when your child won’t even remember this event. Keep it small and intimate then save the big celebrations for a few years later.
1st Birthday Party: Gifts
Even though your child is only a year old, you’ll probably get people asking you what the child would want as a present. There’s no reason to set a gift registry or anything but you should have a few ideas in mind of presents from a wide-range of prices that you can tell guests when asked. Do not include this information in the 1st birthday party invitations or Kid Birthday Invitation. That’s just bad manners. Just have the list ready in case someone asks. You may also want to ask guests to let you know what they are purchasing so there won’t be any duplicate gifts.
How to Plan the Perfect Surprise Party For Your Husband
A small child might be unaware of what’s going on, but your husband is quite a different matter.
If you want to make the day special and have a chance of keeping the party a secret, you need to hold the festivities somewhere besides your own home. If you think you can get him out of the house for an extended time while you make all the arrangements and do any decorating, you are probably mistaken. It is much easier to have a different location where you will be afforded the time to handle all the details without worrying about him showing up during the process.
Where to hold the event is always a good question. Based on the number of friends your husband has and how many family members will attend, you may get by with the home of one of those friends or family members, or you might need to rent a space. It is always cozier to hold the party in a home if your husband is settled down and more comfortable with quiet settings. If he is the type who wants to be in crowds and at large events, the rented space is probably the best way to go.
If you have been married for some length of time, the food planning should be a snap. Depending on the amount of time you have for preparations, you may want to have the food catered. Make that decision as to what serves you best.
If the party site is in a location where your husband doesn’t go regularly, you should only have one big concern. That concern is the loose tongues of the people who will attend. No amount of cloak and dagger planning is going to help if one person simply cannot refrain from telling him. The best you can do is to put off telling anyone about the party until the latest possible date. This may create a drop in attendance, and it will mean planning food without being sure who is coming. You must weigh one situation against the other.
Be sure everyone knows what you expect him or her to bring, whether or not gifts are desired, how long the party will last, and any other important things they should know. Most of the time, you do this with an invitation, but keeping a secret might be difficult with invitations lying around waiting to be mailed. Almost everyone has email, which makes communications more expeditious, and if you have your list set up, it takes very little time to contact many people.
Your husband is very important to you, and there’s a good chance you and he will be together for a long and wonderful time. Surprise party planning should not be a pressure situation for you. The day is special and should be relaxing for him, you, and your guests.
Darlene Wade is a party planning enthusiast and author. She spends her time teaching others how to plan great parties of any size and type. She frequently holds gatherings for her large extended family in her home. Her latest book, “Plan your Party Perfectly” is available at http://www.planyourpartyperfect.com.