I was doing a lot of planning for a 50th wedding anniversary party that was held on September 12.
I don't work so I've got a lot of time on my hands to kill, so I decided I would do some things myself. Honestly, after the caterer/location rental the budget has dwindled anyway so it's a good thing I'm crafty. I decided to stay away from the large bakeries for the cake so, I went to Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, since the caterer recommended them for the cake. I spoke to one of the cake decorators and found out a small 3-tiered wedding cake that will feed roughly 60 people will cost just over $300. Normally, I would say "great!" but after thinking about it, I can't image paying $300 for cake and buttercream is simple. I can bake and now with all the cake decorating stuff out there surely, I can do something simple and it won't cost $300. I can make a giant 4 tiered cake that will feed 200 people for $100. Trust me I can. I just know it. I'm creative. I'm artistic. I'm determined.
So the cake is project #1 for this party but I'm not done.
I asked my mother in law about gifts. They certainly don't need any and she agreed. So I suggested that instead of gifts, to consider giving a donation to Nationwide Children's Hospital here in Columbus. My MIL and her friends have all worked for decades raising money for NCH, so it seemed logical. A lot of people still brought them gift cards and I don't know how much if any, people donated to the hospital but that's okay.
Project #2 is to work on my quilling, which I think, I've pretty much got down. I decided to get them a keepsake item so I've ordered a custom photo mat and frame. It's a double mat (cream/metallic gold) and has 2 5x7" insets, an engraved gold plate at the top with their names and 50WA on it and one plate for the year they were married and one for 2015. It turned out much smaller than I originally planned but that's okay. I was originally going to use it as a sign in book type thing with people writing their names and saying something nice. But then I thought that most people's handwriting is ugly and if they write teeny tiny then there will be giant open spaces and well, you get the picture. So I made it smaller and decorated it with some pearl bead sticker type things, my quilled flowers/vines/leaves and some pretty paper. You can see how it turned out below.
Project 3 is to work on decorations. I made a few rosette paper banners that we used to decorate the head table and the cake table with. I attached them to a burlap and lace ribbon which we also put around the vases for the centerpieces. Since I still had a lot of paper left, I made little 4" rosettes and put a pin on the back and we used these for name tags. I had a bit of help on the paper rosettes. I went ahead and bought a Cameo Silhouette to help with all the cutting.
Another decoration I had printed is a menu for each table. That way people have an idea what's on the buffet table instead of trying to figure it out when they get there. It has a chalkboard look to it and little pink victorian roses.
This menu design is straight from Zazzle.com where I bought stamps, invitations, stickers and of course this menu design. I was really impressed with all the hundreds of different styles of invitations they had and how super easy it was to customize everything. I also love that its actually affordable. The only thing I didn't like was that the text came out super small. So overall, not a good idea when most of the guest are 65+ with vision problems. I'm no where near 65 and could barely read it.
I ordered peach roses to drown in a vase with a floating candle for centerpieces and then 3 smaller peach/white and gold arrangements for the head table. I wanted some fresh flowers but didn't go overboard.
I'd thought I'd get some gold/white balloons and weigh them down with something like a bag of candy, coffee or a box of lifesavers or whatever I find, and put a riddle or brain teaser on them or trivia from 1960's. I'll let people know that if they want the prize attached to the balloons they need to provide the answer. Well, turns out the location wouldn't let me have balloons due to the high ceilings. So that idea got nixed.
I also thought that having zoo animals come in for an hour would be awesome. The Columbus Zoo will bring in some really cool animals that you just don't see everyday let alone up close. I called in July and they were already booked for September. It would've been awesome but no...
I also thought that since both family and friends were going to attend, they may not know how my in-law's met. So I wrote a poem about how they met, when they got married, when they had kids and how life wasn't always a bed a roses. I wanted to let them know they are an inspiration to others and of course, to congratulate them on their 50 years of marriage. So here's the last few lines:
I had 3 victims (I mean volunteers) read the poem. I was going to have them pass threads along to each other then at the end, I was going to take the threads and attach them to the picture frame but my husband thought that was too sappy so I didn't do it. I think I had pushed him to his limit with the poem idea. And after giving me grief for a week, he finally said at the party, "Okay. The poem thing was good." Seriously, I about fell out of my chair!
We also used a prop from their wedding 50 years ago. They still had in the their closet an unopened bottle of pink champagne in its original box! You can see it in the picture below. We thought they could drink it but after some research, we didn't open it but instead got a new bottle of champagne so they could drink that for a toast. The contents are more likely to be champagne vinegar by now.
I also asked my mother in law's sister to make a card box of some kind and she found a wrought iron bird cage to decorate. We also put a slide show of old pictures on a computer and let people watch it if they wanted to.
The other thing we decorated was the cake board. This was a very heavy cake and we put a masonite board under it. Well, the only covers I've seen is pretty much foil. Well, foil is boring. So I asked another sister to make something to cover the board. Its a large white square with a black dresden plate on it with pearl beads sewn on it. I was going to put some gold cake lace in the corners but I barely got the cake together let alone worry about the corners. Its slightly tilted but it didn't seem to matter much. It held up and it was delicious. Each tier has 2 different filings and most people ate more than once piece, the guests took cake home, the catering staff complimented me on the cake and they had plenty to take home as well. I also had several 6" rounds of cake in my freezer and I used the remaining fillings I had left and made more cake that I gave away. Believe me, we had plenty of cake. In just the cake (mixes, fillings, buttercream icing), it cost me around $175. It was a lot of work and it took my entire refrigerator to handle. I had to make sure we ate everything we could and not buy more stuff for the refrigerator for several weeks before hand. But it got done!
Everything was very pretty and coordinated well. I got a lot of compliments on the cake, our caterer was awesome and easy to work with and the building was nice too. It turned out to be a very nice party for a very nice couple.
I started planning this in June since my in-law's 50WA is September 11, which as you all know is now a perfectly depressing day here the U.S. Location? Done. Caterer? Done. Save the Date postcards? Done and done.
I don't work so I've got a lot of time on my hands to kill, so I decided I would do some things myself. Honestly, after the caterer/location rental the budget has dwindled anyway so it's a good thing I'm crafty. I decided to stay away from the large bakeries for the cake so, I went to Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, since the caterer recommended them for the cake. I spoke to one of the cake decorators and found out a small 3-tiered wedding cake that will feed roughly 60 people will cost just over $300. Normally, I would say "great!" but after thinking about it, I can't image paying $300 for cake and buttercream is simple. I can bake and now with all the cake decorating stuff out there surely, I can do something simple and it won't cost $300. I can make a giant 4 tiered cake that will feed 200 people for $100. Trust me I can. I just know it. I'm creative. I'm artistic. I'm determined.
I bought a test cake mix from Global Sugar Art, which was great, so I'm going to go with that. I've got two blog posts dedicated to the cake and the cake lace.
So the cake is project #1 for this party but I'm not done.
I asked my mother in law about gifts. They certainly don't need any and she agreed. So I suggested that instead of gifts, to consider giving a donation to Nationwide Children's Hospital here in Columbus. My MIL and her friends have all worked for decades raising money for NCH, so it seemed logical. A lot of people still brought them gift cards and I don't know how much if any, people donated to the hospital but that's okay.
Project #2 is to work on my quilling, which I think, I've pretty much got down. I decided to get them a keepsake item so I've ordered a custom photo mat and frame. It's a double mat (cream/metallic gold) and has 2 5x7" insets, an engraved gold plate at the top with their names and 50WA on it and one plate for the year they were married and one for 2015. It turned out much smaller than I originally planned but that's okay. I was originally going to use it as a sign in book type thing with people writing their names and saying something nice. But then I thought that most people's handwriting is ugly and if they write teeny tiny then there will be giant open spaces and well, you get the picture. So I made it smaller and decorated it with some pearl bead sticker type things, my quilled flowers/vines/leaves and some pretty paper. You can see how it turned out below.
Project 3 is to work on decorations. I made a few rosette paper banners that we used to decorate the head table and the cake table with. I attached them to a burlap and lace ribbon which we also put around the vases for the centerpieces. Since I still had a lot of paper left, I made little 4" rosettes and put a pin on the back and we used these for name tags. I had a bit of help on the paper rosettes. I went ahead and bought a Cameo Silhouette to help with all the cutting.
Another decoration I had printed is a menu for each table. That way people have an idea what's on the buffet table instead of trying to figure it out when they get there. It has a chalkboard look to it and little pink victorian roses.
I ordered peach roses to drown in a vase with a floating candle for centerpieces and then 3 smaller peach/white and gold arrangements for the head table. I wanted some fresh flowers but didn't go overboard.
I'd thought I'd get some gold/white balloons and weigh them down with something like a bag of candy, coffee or a box of lifesavers or whatever I find, and put a riddle or brain teaser on them or trivia from 1960's. I'll let people know that if they want the prize attached to the balloons they need to provide the answer. Well, turns out the location wouldn't let me have balloons due to the high ceilings. So that idea got nixed.
I also thought that having zoo animals come in for an hour would be awesome. The Columbus Zoo will bring in some really cool animals that you just don't see everyday let alone up close. I called in July and they were already booked for September. It would've been awesome but no...
I also thought that since both family and friends were going to attend, they may not know how my in-law's met. So I wrote a poem about how they met, when they got married, when they had kids and how life wasn't always a bed a roses. I wanted to let them know they are an inspiration to others and of course, to congratulate them on their 50 years of marriage. So here's the last few lines:
The last 50 years, your marriage has seen joys and endured difficult times
yet it remains a shining example of courage and love
you’re an inspiration to friends, family, your children and grandchildren
You’ve set the bar high for future generations
There’s a long road behind you and your story’s not over
In hard times look to the threads you have woven and remember this day
your story, your life
take comfort in knowing your threads are strong, still bound, still twisted and still tied
May they give you strength, joy and a great sense of pride.
So here we sit before you all family and friends on this day
to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday
and the hopes of tomorrow and if we may say
Congratulations to you both on your marriage and astounding success
We wish you love, joy and may your future be blessed.
I had 3 victims (I mean volunteers) read the poem. I was going to have them pass threads along to each other then at the end, I was going to take the threads and attach them to the picture frame but my husband thought that was too sappy so I didn't do it. I think I had pushed him to his limit with the poem idea. And after giving me grief for a week, he finally said at the party, "Okay. The poem thing was good." Seriously, I about fell out of my chair!
We also used a prop from their wedding 50 years ago. They still had in the their closet an unopened bottle of pink champagne in its original box! You can see it in the picture below. We thought they could drink it but after some research, we didn't open it but instead got a new bottle of champagne so they could drink that for a toast. The contents are more likely to be champagne vinegar by now.
I also asked my mother in law's sister to make a card box of some kind and she found a wrought iron bird cage to decorate. We also put a slide show of old pictures on a computer and let people watch it if they wanted to.
The other thing we decorated was the cake board. This was a very heavy cake and we put a masonite board under it. Well, the only covers I've seen is pretty much foil. Well, foil is boring. So I asked another sister to make something to cover the board. Its a large white square with a black dresden plate on it with pearl beads sewn on it. I was going to put some gold cake lace in the corners but I barely got the cake together let alone worry about the corners. Its slightly tilted but it didn't seem to matter much. It held up and it was delicious. Each tier has 2 different filings and most people ate more than once piece, the guests took cake home, the catering staff complimented me on the cake and they had plenty to take home as well. I also had several 6" rounds of cake in my freezer and I used the remaining fillings I had left and made more cake that I gave away. Believe me, we had plenty of cake. In just the cake (mixes, fillings, buttercream icing), it cost me around $175. It was a lot of work and it took my entire refrigerator to handle. I had to make sure we ate everything we could and not buy more stuff for the refrigerator for several weeks before hand. But it got done!
Everything was very pretty and coordinated well. I got a lot of compliments on the cake, our caterer was awesome and easy to work with and the building was nice too. It turned out to be a very nice party for a very nice couple.
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