It’s your 50th and you are planning a big ole party!  Ripped from the pages of a party planner’s playbook are ideas to help you every step of the way. First it is vital to understand that the key to any successful party is… ORGANIZATION. The more organized you are the better your outcome and fewer mishaps and surprises are likely to arise.  Your theme and style will determine what you will need. I will assume you are planning an elaborate party with all the bells and whistles. You can choose to ignore the items that you will not need.

Here are the considerations for a great party:

  • Select a date
  • Party theme
  • Venue/location
  • Invitations
  • Guest list, table seating
  • Decorations
  • Floral arrangements
  • Rentals, tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, flatware, serving dishes, catering supplies
  • Table clothes, napkins
  • Entertainment, DJ, live music
  • Lighting, electrical equipment
  • Photographer, videographer
  • Food
  • Bar
  • Dessert
  • Attire
  • Transportation
  • Party favors

50th Birthday

Congrats on your milestone bday, whether it’s for you or someone else it’s a big deal!

Date of the party should be as close to the actual birthday as possible.

Color representing 50 year anniversary is Gold, so perhaps you can work around that color, maybe black and gold or gold and brown or gold and white with a splash of red, makes a statement.

Venue, you may want to check with your local chamber of commerce for any out of the ordinary locations for rent. You may also want to check with a local realtor for an Estate that may be for sale that the owner would consider renting. This could work especially if the house is empty and therefore you can order rentals and design it however you like.  Airbnb might have a unconventional site as well. Museums, firehouses, VFW’s, and other historic properties are nice and flexible sites. You may opt to rent out a room in a lounge or hotel but keep in mind, places like these offer less flexibility for outside food and drinks. Once you have a date and a location, you can begin a

Guest list and,  whether you decide to send actual

Invitations sent in the mail or the use of  evite you will give you an idea who will attend and who won’t. Remember 5-10% of the guest that say they will attend don’t, couple this with a caterer that usually prepares for 10% over your quoted numbered and you could be over paying. The last thing you want to do is pay for food that goes uneaten. Talk this over with your caterer. 

Style should reflect the occasion and budget, a sit down dinner with assigned seating is usually more expensive and  less relaxed than a buffet with random seating.

Rentals,  tables and chairs, plates, glasses and flatware, are needed to brought in if you are renting a hall, house etc…

Decorations since it a 50th it should look fabulous, a party supply store should have lots of 50 year decorations, balloons, disposable tableware and such. Table centerpieces are another consideration, perhaps instead of using floral arrangements you can do something different like floating candles, fish in a bowl, a picture collage of your 50 years. You might also want to consider having a few large pictures on easels of you throughout the years of your life placed around the room.

Flowers give the space an extra umph, style and class, whether you do flowers on tables, at the buffet tables and bar they should reflect the occasion.

Entertainment DJ or live music will carry the event. Since you were born in the 60’s you may want to incorporate music from all eras. Don’t ignore the lighting, if you could change up the color of the bulbs to reflect your colors that could set a nice vibe.

MC or Event coordinator would be helpful to move along the evening and help so that you can enjoy your celebration.

Photographer and videographer will capture all the great new memories and should not be overlooked, you will wish you did it later.

Food and beverages are important areas of your event. People will like the flowers and decorations but they will remember the food and drinks! Give them something to talk about, perhaps a jamaican menu with all the specialty foods from that culture and a signature drink that describes you.

Dessert what about a candy table with all the candy back in the day, how about a chocolate fondue and fruit  or a make your own sundae station?

Party Favor is always a  nice take home but not must do.  After a long night of dancing and celebrating it would be a nice touch to hand your departing guests a bag of something sweet to say thanks for celebrating your special day.

Lodging if family and friends will be traveling to your party it would be nice to suggest a central place to stay over. This is especially nice for folks that may have celebrated a little too hard!