Planning a 50th Birthday Party

Time to throw a fiftieth birthday party? Follow these steps for putting on the perfect bash to celebrate the big 5-0.

Invitations: These provide guests with the first hint as to the theme of your party. Will you be serious and elegant or have more of a playful, teasing theme? Finestationery.com has a number of sophisticated designs in many colors. Black cards with silver writing are particularly popular, and provide beautiful colors for the party decorations. Fun “Over the Hill” invitations are also available at vistaprint.com as are photo invitations for a truly unique option.

Decorations: For the simpler party, consider silver and gold balloons with silver and black streamers. You can place Happy 50th Birthday party signs at the door, or in the yard if guests need to park at the party. You can also place gold 50 centerpiece spray in the middle of each table, available at amazon.com/Century-Novelty-50-Centerpiece-Spray. For the playful party, consider ordering inflatable canes and walkers, as well as Senior Moment caution signs or cones. All of the items are available at Party City, whether you choose to search the store or look online.

Food: Whether you are serving a meal or just light refreshments, include some of the celebrant’s favorites. Desserts are always a show stopper – a decorated sheet cake, or several decorated layer cakes, will look beautiful. Cupcakes are also very popular. Make them special with either personalized cupcake toppers putting photos on the frosting. Order edible images from icingimages.com.

Favors: There are many unique favors you can order to help guests remember your special celebration. Edible favors include birthday oreos, decorated especially for you, or birthday fortune favors, which are dipped in chocolate. Other fun ideas include personalized playing cards, complete with the date and celebrant’s name on the box, or grippy socks in colors that match your decorations. These two choices can be used by guests repeatedly.