Did you know the average U.S. marriage that ends in divorce only lasts for about 8 years? People in this country are, unfortunately, not staying married for as long as they used to.
With this in mind, you should really go all out every time you and your spouse celebrate an anniversary. Whether you’re celebrating a 5th anniversary or a 50th anniversary, it would be worth planning a party to honor the occasion.
There are lots of different anniversary party ideas that you can put to the test when you do it. It’ll be up to you to decide which ideas you would like to move forward with as you plan an anniversary party.
We’ve created a list of do’s and don’ts for those couples trying to come up with anniversary party ideas. Take a look at them below.
Do: Start Planning in Advance
If your anniversary is still, say, 3 months away, you might be under the impression that you have plenty of time to brainstorm anniversary party ideas and put plans in place. And you’re right! You do have lots of time to spare.
That doesn’t mean you can’t start planning an anniversary party in advance, though. It’s always better to try to get a headstart on these types of things. It’ll make the planning process so much less stressful than it would be otherwise.
Don’t: Wait Too Long to Book a Venue
If nothing else, you should begin looking at anniversary venues and try to book one as soon as you can when you know you’re going to be having an anniversary party. If you don’t do this, you may run the risk of missing out on the chance to have your party at the place you want.
This will be especially true if you have a very specific date in mind. You’ll want to reserve your preferred venue as far in advance as you can to stop someone else from swooping in and reserving it before you do.
Do: Plan to Serve Your Favorite Foods
Is there a certain restaurant that you and your significant other love to eat at all the time? If so, that restaurant might be the perfect venue for your anniversary party.
But even if you don’t hold it there, you might be able to get the restaurant to cater your anniversary party so that you can serve all your favorite foods at it. It’ll add an extra special touch to your anniversary party, particularly if you’re celebrating a milestone anniversary.
Don’t: Forget the Champagne (and Beer and Wine!)
In addition to ordering food for your anniversary party, you’ll also need to prepare to pick up plenty of beverages for it. This will include soft drinks as well as alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, and, of course, champagne.
At some point during your anniversary party, you’ll most likely want to have a toast. It’ll help to have a bunch of bottles of champagne nearby.
Do: Create Custom Decorations
Decorations will be an absolute must for an anniversary party. And if you’re able to swing it, you might want to customize these decorations to make them unique to your party.
An anniversary party will provide you with the perfect excuse to throw together collages of you and your spouse over the years. You might also want to blow up one or two of your wedding photos and hang them up at your party.
You can also sprinkle in some more generic anniversary party decorations to set the right mood. But you should try to make most of your decorations custom by leaving yourself enough time to make them.
Don’t: Send People Home Empty-Handed
When people left your wedding reception back when you got married, you and your significant other likely sent them home with wedding favors. So why not do something similar for your anniversary party?
You’re more than welcome to provide people with favors from your anniversary party. In fact, you might even want to go as far as to tie these favors to your original wedding favors in some way so that there is a connection between them.
But even if you don’t go that far, it would still be a good idea to give people something to commemorate your anniversary. They’ll appreciate being able to bring it home.
Do: Consider Skipping a Party and Taking a Trip
Not every anniversary is going to call for you and your partner to hold a party. If, for instance, you’re celebrating your 22nd anniversary, you might not want to plan a whole party.
In this case, you might want to skip the anniversary party ideas and consider taking an anniversary trip instead. On this trip, you might also want to have a date night each night at some of the most perfect date venues in town.
Chicago is a fantastic city to visit to celebrate an anniversary. Here are some fun date ideas for those couples who choose to head to The Windy City to celebrate their anniversaries. It’ll help with the date-planning process.
Use These Anniversary Party Ideas to Celebrate Soon
It doesn’t matter how long you and your spouse have been married. An anniversary will always be a cause for celebration.
If you’re going to throw a party for the occasion, utilize all of the anniversary party ideas listed here to make it a complete success. It’ll help you and your spouse show your love for one another while surrounding you with so many great family members and friends.
Get more party planning tips and tricks by reading through some of the other articles on our blog.