27 Sweetest 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas to Celebrate Your Milestone

Whether you’re planning for yourself or your parents, it’s always a fun occasion to celebrate love, but searching for the perfect 50th wedding anniversary idea can seem daunting. After all, half of a century together is a major accomplishment and deserves a worthy celebration.

You want the occasion to be special, but also to represent the couple and their style and interests as well. This list of thoughtful celebrations covers all styles from grand gestures to low-key 50th wedding anniversary ideas so you can plan the perfect night or weekend to honor your love or that of a couple you admire. 

Before you get into planning, you’re likely to be filled with some questions about the process. It’s not every day that you set out to find 50th wedding anniversary ideas to perfectly honor an incredible relationship.

You may wonder “who should host a 50th wedding anniversary party?” or “what’s the traditional gift for a 50th wedding anniversary?” You may be celebrating a golden milestone, but you don’t need to stress yourself out when you’ve got a solid list to inspire and guide you. Check out our article on wedding anniversary gifts by year to find out what to give. 

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• Creative 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas
• Foodie 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas
• Unique 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas
• Low-key 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas
• DIY 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

Creative 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

1. Get Artsy Together

Photographs are always great to have around the house for remembering occasions, but so are handmade art pieces that remind you of something or someone special.

Signing up for a paint and sip near you is a creative and fun 50th wedding anniversary idea that will give you something tangible to remember the milestone.

Try paint and sip in Chicago, paint and sip in Denver, or paint and sip in NYC and spend a day or an evening creating beautiful art with the person you love. Be sure to sign and date your piece so you remember when and why you created it!

2. Make Something With Your Hands

You’re probably familiar with the concept of bringing home a souvenir from trips taken, like the classic coffee mug from each city visited. So, why not have a collectible item from an occasion you’d like to fondly remember? And the best part is, you get to make it yourselves!

From pottery classes in Boston to pottery classes in Houston and all the way out to pottery classes in Los Angeles, you can craft something spectacular from clay like mugs, plates, platters or planters with your sweetie.

Wherever you live, there are pottery classes near you that make for an interactive 50th wedding anniversary idea that will leave you with a physical reminder of a day well spent and an incredible life accomplishment. 

3. Dance the Night Away

Many couples take dance classes leading up to their wedding, but for most people that is pretty much the only time they dance together.

Rekindle those feelings and remember a special time in your lives by signing up for dance classes in Las Vegas, dance classes in NYC or dance classes in the Bay Area. Practice some classic dances or learn some new ones! It makes for a super fun bonding experience that’s great as a 50th wedding anniversary idea to do something special together.  

4. Renew Your Vows

Host the (second) wedding of your dreams for a fun 50th wedding anniversary idea that will flood you with the excitement of planning your wedding all over again. Don't forget to include all the nostalgic wedding favors for guests to make it extra memorable. 

Plan a vow renewal and make the party as big or as small as you want it to be. Always wanted to be married on the beach but got married in a church? Renew your vows in the sand this time around!

5. Plan an Incredible Trip

Half a century of marriage is definitely not easy and deserves to be celebrated for more than one night. Whether it’s your occasion or you’re planning for your parents, a trip is a wonderful 50th wedding anniversary idea to commemorate the milestone and make it feel extra special.

Ocean views, spectacular spas or one of the wonders of the world would make for the perfect destination in the U.S. or abroad. Fifty years calls for the trip of a lifetime!

6. Create a Time Capsule

Especially if there is going to be a big party with any kind of crowd, creating a time capsule that guests can admire and enjoy is a creative 50th wedding anniversary idea that pays tribute to the couple’s early relationship.

Items like the bride’s wedding dress, preserved flowers, photos from special trips and so on can stir up some truly amazing memories for the couple. Plus, it’s a great way to see a physical representation of 50 years. This also makes a cute anniversary gift for parents from kids. 

Foodie 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

7. Create an Amazing Meal 

It’s never too late to learn a new skill or find a hidden talent. Even if your partner is already a phenomenal cook, there are always new styles of cuisine or techniques that you can learn together.

Experiences are available from coast to coast, including cooking classes in Portland, cooking classes in Houston and cooking classes in Tucson. Wherever you live, there are cooking classes near you that are a wonderful and personal 50th wedding anniversary idea for celebrating just the two of you.

Learn to make things like traditional East Indian dishes or hand-roll your own sushi for a delicious and unforgettable meal. Online cooking classes are always an option as well, so no commute is necessary. 

8. Go Back to Where It All Began

The food may or may not be incredible at the location of your first date, but that’s not the point. Going back to the location of your first date is a really special and sentimental 50th wedding anniversary idea that will remind you just how far you’ve come.

Take creative liberties as needed with this idea, as the original restaurant may no longer be around, you can dine at whatever has taken its place or simply pick your favorite date spot from back in the day and enjoy an evening there. 

9. Charcuterie Boards

50th wedding anniversary ideas don’t have to be big and expensive to be worthwhile. Sometimes the simplest foods are the best, so offer up a large charcuterie board or grazing table to your guests so everyone can nibble on what they like throughout the evening.

Not only are the boards beautiful and filled to the brim with delicious components to mix and match, they help to keep the evening feeling lighthearted and fun because, after all, it’s like finger food for adults.

10. Savor a Tasting Menu

Whether or not you or your spouse are self-proclaimed foodies, it can be really exciting to try new foods, especially dishes that double as works of art.

Tasting menus are incredible multi-hour experiences that are a really fun 50th wedding anniversary idea to enjoy a delectable and extended meal with your lover. Depending on where you live, there may be phenomenal restaurants local to you or you can pick one and make it the destination of a trip. 

11. Get Custom Cookies

Customized cookies are both a delicious and thoughtful 50th wedding anniversary idea for either a party favor or a gift. There are tons of local artists and businesses that can create some truly gorgeous cookies commemorating 50 years together. Pick your flavors, color scheme and even a theme and let the bakery get to work on these adorable and tasty little tokens. 

12. Homemade Favorite Meals

A delicious dinner consisting of your (or your parents) favorite foods is a tasty 50th wedding anniversary idea that you can make happen on any budget.

Hire a private chef if you’d like, or you can plan and craft the meal featuring the couples’ favorite foods to help celebrate this achievement. The perfect at-home way to recognize a special occasion that’s thoughtful and a little extra special. 

Unique 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

13. Have a Game Night

After a big night of partying with your closest friends and family, you may want to do something fun that doesn’t require so much time and energy. Host a game night at home as a 50th wedding anniversary idea that focuses on fun and quality time.

Everything from virtual escape rooms, online trivia nights and virtual scavenger hunts are at your fingertips. Whatever your preference, there’s an engaging virtual game night for you and your honey. 

14. Serve Personalized Champagne

All parties big and small call for champagne, especially when you’re celebrating a milestone. Add personalized champagne bottles to the list of fun 50th wedding anniversary ideas for party favors that you and your guests will love.

You can opt for mini bottles, personalized with a message from the couple or a photo, and you can customize a big bottle to keep at home in your wine fridge for the next time you want to celebrate something with a glass of bubbly. 

15. Engraved Wine Glasses

Similar to customizing a bottle of wine or champagne, getting wine glasses (or cocktail glasses!) engraved with the couples names and the year is a really sentimental and useful 50th wedding anniversary gift.

Each time they have a glass of wine at home, they will be reminded of the accomplishment and the special night they shared with loved ones to celebrate their love. 

16. Make a Movie

Photo albums are lovely, but there’s something extra special about a movie or slideshow that you can watch over and over again. This thoughtful 50th wedding anniversary idea is a great gift to give to showcase the various memories and peaks and valleys of 50 years of marriage.

A slideshow with old clips and photos put together over music is great, or if someone is gifted in cinematography, it’s fun to interview longtime friends and family members of the couple and have them recall their favorite moments on film. 

17. Recreate the Original Wedding

If you’re planning a special party for the couple, ask to borrow their wedding album and try to recreate their special day all these years later. This is a cute way to honor their original ceremony and remind them of what it felt like when their love story just began. 

Get the same flowers and same flavor cake, or combine this with another 50th wedding anniversary idea detailed below and ask the guests to dress up in the style of the year of their original wedding.

Low-key 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

18. Mix and Match Flowers

If you’ve made it 50+ years together, chances are good you’ve bought flowers for your spouse on more than one occasion. Make the next bouquet you give them even more special by making it yourself.

No need to feel intimidated when there are virtual flower arranging classes to teach you all you need to know about choosing blooms, arranging them beautifully and, of course, getting them to last.

It makes for a truly thoughtful 50th wedding anniversary idea to gift your spouse that evening at dinner, or first thing in the morning to start their day right. It’s also a great anniversary gift for parents if you’re not the one celebrating 50 years. 

19. Stir Up a Cocktail

After a night of champagne, you might be in the mood for something a little stronger or more flavorful. While a nice gin and tonic is refreshing, how about taking an online mixology class to master some new skills behind the bar?

Serve your sweetheart a perfectly balanced cocktail that you’ve crafted yourself as part of a fun 50th wedding anniversary idea that lends itself to a nightcap or a small party you could host.

Or, stay home and savor a virtual wine tasting, so you can picture yourselves in Napa Valley while in reality you’re snuggled up on the couch. 

20. Old Newspaper Clippings

A bit of scouring the internet can help you come up with newspapers from just about any day in history, dating back a pretty long time. Print out important newspapers from the couples’ wedding day 50 years ago, or even print top stories from that day for the last 50 years for guests to enjoy.

This is a creative 50th wedding anniversary that gives people something physical to hold in their hands and it helps them to picture what the world was like on this day 50 years ago. 

21. Name That Tune

A lot changes in a few years, so over 50 you’re likely to have seen countless trends come and go whether it’s clothing, cars or music. Whether you’re spending the night having a casual dinner with immediate family or partying the night away at an event, name that tune is a fun game to let the memories come flooding back.

Include your favorite songs from 30 or 40 years ago for a low-key but memorable 50th wedding anniversary idea to spice up the night. 

22. Make a Photo Booth

Whether at a special venue or just at your home, set up a photo wall or photo booth for guests to take pictures. Including props, like hats or glasses that were fashionable 50 years ago, is a cute 50th wedding anniversary idea to tie that time in with the present. You can make little signs to go on sticks for guests to hold up during photos that announce the couple's 50-year anniversary. 

DIY 50th Wedding Anniversary Ideas

23. Make Something Special

It’s usually the handmade gifts that mean the most, but not everyone feels blessed with innate creativity. Sign up for glass blowing classes, woodworking classes or even sewing classes with your spouse and gain the skills you need to create an incredible 50th wedding anniversary idea for a gift.

Either way, it’s fun and good for your relationship to learn new things together, and if you’re not used to working with your hands, it’s nice to switch things up. 

24. Celebrate the Differences

Oftentimes what makes a relationship work is that both people are sort of opposite one another. Sure, shared interests are great,  but when it comes to 50th wedding anniversary ideas, take a different path and celebrate the differences.

For example, in a day or over the weekend you can play golf together before having afternoon tea. Start the morning with a yoga class then go cycling. It’s always fun to include your lover in your favorite activities or hobbies. 

25. Build a Photo Wall

Pictures can be really effective ways to spark memories and bring us right back to the moment they were taken. With 50 years together, that’s got to be a lot of memories you’d like to hold onto!

For a unique DIY 50th wedding anniversary idea, take a few days or weeks and compile a photo wall with your favorite memories together over the last half of a century. If you set it up in your house, you can enjoy it for weeks or months after the anniversary has passed. 

26. Host a Decades Themed Party

Along with the invitation, encourage your guests to dress up in classic styles from the decade of choice. Perhaps the decade the couple was married in? Or you can have a mix of years including when the bride or groom was born. This is a fun 50th wedding anniversary idea to make the party feel like their original wedding or their youth. 

27. Go Gold

When considering 50th wedding anniversary ideas and how to best celebrate this incredible milestone, it’s important to remember that it’s a golden anniversary!

Why not host (or attend) an all-gold evening with friends and family? Gold tablecloths, napkins, plates and more can make for a cool, mono-chromatic night dedicated to 50 years of love. 

While 50 years has no doubt included plenty of mountains and valleys, it’s an incredible achievement to witness and be part of. Whether the happy couple loves a big, extravagant occasion or a lowkey night at home, it’s important to recognize their milestone in a way that they enjoy but that respects the accomplishment.

Every opportunity to connect with your partner is building the strength and resilience of your relationship, per CNBC. Take every chance, big and small, to celebrate things that ought to be celebrated, especially 50 years together. 

Not many couples get the chance to celebrate a milestone like half a century together, so use this list of 50th wedding anniversary ideas to throw an amazing party, plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip or even just commemorate the occasion with some small but sentimental tokens.

For even more fun party ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!