The golden anniversary is such a special one. It’s bigger than a birthday. Finding the perfect 50th wedding anniversary ideas for parents may take more thought than other occasions, but sure as they’re still together, the ideas are there to find. A 50th wedding anniversary for parents is a show of appreciation from the family to your parents for all that they’ve done for you over the years, directly and indirectly.
Thus, the place to start is why their enduring union is so precious to you. Have they been great role models? If they have, what roles have they modeled? Have they always been there for you emotionally? Have they imparted particular wisdom? Take a few minutes (or a few days) and really think about this. It’s where all your good ideas will come from.
Why is your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary worth celebrating, to you?
Celebrating the Big 5-0
Whatever you do, there will probably be some kind of party or get-together. That can look like a second wedding reception at a big venue, a dinner at home with the family, or anything in between. The important thing is to carve out a specific time and place and coordinate with all the people that you want to be there.
It will probably be at the celebration event, whatever form it takes, that you give the gift(s) that you will have decided on. Once you’ve really identified and tapped into where the gifts are coming from (like we discussed above), you can start imagining how you’d like to present those gifts. Are your parents the kinds of people who would appreciate a big, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you…” or something more subtle?
Our Favorite 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas for Parents
Of course, most 50th wedding anniversary ideas for parents have to do with gold. Feel free to explore the traditional “golden” theme and incorporate it however you like, but don’t feel pressured to base your whole celebration on it. After all, this is one of those times in a family when the thought really is what counts; if you find better ideas than carrying on our cultural tradition of buying something gold, go ahead and run with your ideas.
It should be noted, however, that there are certainly ways to make traditional gifts of golden things special. If you do go with something gold, consider a custom gold gift. The engraving or unique shape of the item that you pick will show that you really thought about this and put time and love into your selection.
Another option with material items is something decorative that sports meaningfully custom text. “On Marriage” by Kahlil Gibran may be the greatest poem ever written about marriage and it’s full of highlights to pull out and engrave or embroider on something. It’s also short enough that it can be incorporated in its entirety into a photo album or collage.
The English poet William Morris said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” A 50th wedding anniversary gift can be useful, but this is a time particularly for beautiful things.
Make an Impression with the Gift of Song!
Now, Khalil Gibran wrote his poem quite nearly 100 years ago because he was a poet; not because he knew and loved your parents. You may find that it or parts of it feel perfect for your parents, but you also may not.
We give custom-made gifts to show our appreciation for our loved ones in special, unique ways. While a ring with someone’s name or the number 50 engraved in it is certainly special, it can still leave so much unsaid. You’ll probably have to deliver a speech or something to the family or your parents before you present it, to make sure everyone (especially the happy couple) understands all the things you mean to say by your gift. Surely, more of us would be writing poems and songs like Gibran for those we love if we thought we could.
If only those of us who aren’t poets or lyricists could pour our hearts out and tell someone about all the things we love about our parents, and have them arrange our thoughts like puzzle pieces into something whole, something beautiful.
As it turns out, we can do that, as of fairly recently. Tall Tribute is a new little company in Oregon, and our business is to make the people in your life feel honored. We do this by talking with our clients about their loved one(s), asking the deep questions, and getting to really know their stories. Then, we write and record a brand-new song based on these conversations. We can even package it in a custom CD jacket like it’s a regular radio single. Then, if you like, the songwriter himself can come perform it at your celebration!
There are all kinds of options with this. If you decide to go with the big venue party, the performer can travel to your event and emcee it. He can even play a whole 10-song set if you’d like.
Once you start working with the songwriter, you can even tap him for more extra-special 50th wedding anniversary ideas for parents. The company is a passion project that was born out of our founder’s own decades-long experiences of family, life and love; this is no Silicon Valley startup meant to make a fortune–it’s honest people just helping others love each other.
If a custom song sounds like something that might work for your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, you can contact Tall Tribute and even request a sample song, so you’re not going in blind!