Got an anniversary coming up? Hitting a big milestone? Want to celebrate with friends and family? Then why not host an anniversary party? (Any excuse to get dressed up and have a good time, right?) Here’s our top 10 anniversary party ideas to make it extra special.
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Top 10 Anniversary Party Ideas
So let’s jump straight in and let the party planning officially begin! Here’s our top 10 anniversary party ideas for a well-thought-out and massively successful night to remember. You ready? Alright then…
1) Make It Themed
So first up, we’ve got to throw out the idea of making your anniversary party themed. See, we happen to think that adding a fun, quirky theme to an anniversary party is always a great idea!
- For example, whilst you’re going for the topic of love, why not make it fancy dress – inviting friends and family to dress up as their favourite power-couple?! They may not be as strong as you 😉 but it’s a great way to get guests involved and make it all the more memorable. It’s also good fun trying to guess who each couple is!
Thinking that this anniversary party theme is a little bit too out there? Then perhaps consider:
- Party Colours: Did you know every anniversary (particularly wedding anniversaries) have an anniversary colour? For example, 1 year is yellow, 5 years is turquoise, 10 years is silver, 20 years is emerald green or white, and so on, so forth. Match up your anniversary colour and transform the room to suit the occasion!
- Favourite Place: Or perhaps the two of you have a favourite place? A special spot? How about recreating it for your themed anniversary party? For instance, if you got engaged in Italy, you may recreate a charming Italian theme with wine, “vineyards” and pizza!
- Favourite Gathering: You could even make it unrelated to your anniversary, but themed in its own right. Like having a backyard BBQ party with “BYO booze” – it totally depends on you and what you’re looking for.
2) Add Some Masks
Talking of fancy dress, another of our favourite anniversary party ideas is to order some of these personalised face masks, posting them to friends and family before they arrive and surprising your partner when all the men and women become versions of you two! It makes a great group picture and certainly adds some giggles!
3) Get Busy Decorating
An absolute must when it comes to your anniversary party, is to get in some cute decorations. So you want:
- “Happy Anniversary” Banners
- Alternative: Personalised Bunting
- Gold Confetti Helium Balloons
- Alternative: LED Helium Balloons
- String Light Hanging Photos
- LED Alphabet Letters
- Gold Heart Decorations
- Floral Petals for Tables
- BONUS: Party Props
- OPTIONAL: Selfie Frame
Decorations are a must when it comes to anniversary party planning.
Whether you go all out with them or not, it turns your family / friend gathering into a really special celebration and feels like far more of an occasion.
4) Put Up Photos
Talking of decorations, it’s also a great anniversary party idea to fill the room with photos of the two of you – the places you’ve been, the things you’ve done, the adventures you’ve had. Hang them on the walls, pop them on the tables. They become great talking points.
5) Get Some Nice Nibbles
If you want to throw a proper anniversary party, don’t scrimp on food and drink. It doesn’t have to be a full-on feast and alcohol can be predominantly “bring your own”, but a nice glass of something on arrival and a quirky selection of food (display is key!) makes all the difference.
For instance, you can add cute quirky extras with character like this donut stand (our personal favourite!) – commonly used at weddings. Or you may like to create your very own mini pick-and-mix! Don’t also forget about canapé stands, condiment bowls and hosting boards – there’s some great things you can find.
6) Have a Guest Book
You have one on your wedding day so why not have one at your anniversary party? Ask guests to write a message – whether that’s something they want you to read now, or something they want you to read in five years time.
You could also make it more specific like:
- Write three things you love about us!
- And… write one thing you think we need to work on!
- Write one piece of advice you’d give when it comes to making a relationship last.
- Or write one memory you’ve had with us (let’s throw it back!)
Pointers like this, whether you go for one in particular and make it themed or just leave them as suggestions, help to guide the guest book and make it more meaningful.
BONUS: Capture The Moment
We have party props in our decorations list above because you want to encourage guests to take pictures and capture the moment.
You’ll also have your guest book, with handwritten notes, and can buy a Fujifilm Instax Camera if you’d like to take photos on the night and be able to stick them straight into the book along with the messages. (These cameras are actually very reasonably priced and they work great – giving you cute photos, printed right in the moment!)
The alternative is to take photos on your camera, then print them out after the event and stick them back in your guest book.
If you’re doing this, I highly recommend this phone tripod. This is the one that I have so I can personally vouch for it. It comes with a bluetooth remote and allows you to take group photos with pure ease – no missed heads or awkward arms in the shots!
Recommended Read: 21+ (Super Special) Anniversary Date Ideas
7) Tie It Into Your Wedding (Where Possible)
If your anniversary party is to celebrate a wedding, consider food options, with mini canopies that featured of your wedding menu.
Not yet married, but engaged and planning to be? Perhaps use this as an opportunity to test the kind of things you fancy!
Any links when it comes to the two of you and “throwing it back”, or forward, make great anniversary party ideas.
8) Play Couples Games
Another great idea when it comes to planning your anniversary party is deciding beforehand on some fun couples party games.
Whether that’s something simple – like a DIY “Who Is Most Likely” game, or something more advanced, like “Soulmate Showdown“, “Who Knows The Couple Best?” or – depending on the group of attendees and whether it’s more a boozy friends or civilised family affair, you may even like to bring out something like “Do Or Drink.“
You can link it as closely or loosely as you like to your anniversary. The key is to just have a light plan for entertainment and how you’ll make it extra special and fun.
9) Consider Your Playlist
Whilst on the topic of entertainment, you also want to consider the music when it comes to your anniversary party plans. What sort of vibe are you going for? What sort of atmosphere do you want to create?
Another one of our favourite anniversary party ideas is to create a playlist of special songs that take the two of you back to different times in your relationship! You could also ask guests for any requests, filling the room with their memorable throwbacks too!
10) Focus On Fun!
Last but not least, when it comes to your anniversary party planning, I want you to take a step back and HAVE FUN! If you’ve got to the stage where you can be planning anniversary parties, that’s an amazing thing in itself.
Enjoy the process, enjoy the planning, enjoy the event and enjoy simply being in such good company – celebrating what you have with your partner and everyone else that you love. Because that’s the most important thing.
Wishing you many more happy years together!
All the best,
Ell_xx
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