Ways To Celebrate Your Parents’ Wedding Anniversary

Anniversaries are a major milestone, whether they're celebrating the 5th, 25th, or 50th year of a couple's life together. While it's custom to celebrate your own anniversary, there's one other couple whose marriage you might want to celebrate—your parents'! The loving guidance of your parents is, in part, what made you who you are today. It's only appropriate to celebrate the major events in their life. Finding ways to celebrate your parents' anniversary isn't always easy. Thankfully, you can turn to our guide of ways to celebrate your parents’ wedding anniversary for some ideas.

Throw Them a Party

Throwing a party is the traditional way to celebrate. It's big, it's showy, and it's fun. Given the pandemic, you might not feel safe enough to celebrate in person. Don't worry! Technology is here to save the day. You can host a virtual meeting on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangouts instead. If you're hosting your celebration online, the way you plan it is bound to be different. You won't need the fancy, physical decorations, an all-out buffet, or a pile of cards and board games. That doesn't mean you can't have fun, though.

One way to start your virtual party is to go down the guest list and have everyone voice their well-wishes for your parents. You can end this section with a toast, or head straight into opening the gifts. You might wonder—gifts? How does that work? If you or any of the other guests have presents for your parents, you can mail them directly to their address or drop them off at their doorstep. Ask your parents to wait until the day of the party to open their presents.

Later in the party, you'll probably want to play some games. There's a huge variety of online games that you, your parents, and the other guests can try out, like Scrabble, Quiplash, or Skribbl. You can even play fill-in-the blank games over a chat room. Quiz the guests on some trivia knowledge about your parents. How did they meet? What year were they married? Where did they go for their honeymoon? If you're willing, you can even give the winner a small prize.

Give Them a Personalized Gift

It might be fine to give a generic, de-personalized gift to a total stranger, but you've known your parents for pretty much your entire life. What's the best thing to get them, though? There's more than one option for personalized gifts. You can get your parents some embroidered cloth. Think blankets, a towel set, or even a huge, customized quilt. You can have their names written out with yarn, or, for a dramatic flair, sequins or beads. What about wooden decor? You can give them a customized sign to hang on their walls, or a small, decorative object, like coasters or a wooden picture frame. You can even commission an artist to paint your parents a custom-made portrait. A plaque is another great way to commemorate your parent's anniversary, especially if they've been married for a long time. They make the perfect 50th wedding anniversary gift for parents, and can be proudly displayed in their home. Whatever you choose, your parents are sure to love it.

Send Them on a Trip

Another way to celebrate your parents’ wedding anniversary is to send them on a trip. It's not easy to travel right now, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Sending your parents on an all-expenses paid vacation is a great way to celebrate their anniversary. There's a long list of safe, socially distant trips they can take. They probably shouldn't be flying, but what about traveling by car? The roads are clearer than ever, making it the perfect time to take a long, scenic road trip. Your parents don't have to travel to an area that's packed with tourists to have fun. They can explore the wilderness or areas that are completely rural. Booking a socially distant hotel stay or a private vacation home can help them stay safe without compromising on luxury.

Ask Them What They Want

If you're struggling to come up with ideas for anniversary gifts for your parents, the solution is simple—ask your parents what they'd like for their wedding anniversary. If they're dead set on one specific thing, asking might take away some of the surprise. But in most cases, your parents will provide you with a list of things they'd like. Maybe they'd like something simple, like breakfast in bed or a day-long celebration with friends and family. They might need a new coffee machine for their kitchen or want a nice, warm blanket for winter. You don't have to get everything on their list, or even something from their list at all, but having something to reference when you're out shopping can help tremendously.

Donate To a Charity

Sometimes your parents won't want anything. It can feel strange to do nothing for their special day, so as an alternative, why not donate to a charity on their behalf? This way, you're not spending money on them, but you’re still doing something thoughtful to celebrate their anniversary. Ask your parents about the type of charities they support, and if they have a specific one they'd prefer you make your donation to.

Make a Slideshow

Preparing a slideshow or video is a great way to ramp up the nostalgia. You can add pictures or footage from their first date, wedding, past anniversaries, and other moments from their life together. Including moments from your childhood and mentioning the reasons why you love your parents is a sweet, touching way to show them how much you care. Other people in your parents’ lives, like close relatives and friends, can include their own thoughtful remarks. This can be in either a video- or text-based format. You can send the slideshow or video to them over e-mail, or, if you're hosting a virtual party, play it for everyone to see.

Crystal Central carries beautiful, crystal plaques that are perfect for commemorating special occasions. Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for a graduation, retirement, or to celebrate your parents wedding anniversary, we're sure to have something that suits your needs.