Updated on: Oct 05, 2024
First of all, Happy Anniversary! Being married for twenty-five years is a big accomplishment so let us help you plan a wonderful party to celebrate. We can help you find a venue and a caterer for your big day as well as 25th anniversary party ideas for decorations, favors, food, activities, supplies, and invitations.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Decorations
1. Photo Decorations
Do you have photos from your wedding? You can display these on a table with any wedding memorabilia you might have. Items might include your invitation, cake topper, or favors. Matching silver frames will make the display look extra special. You could also ask your wedding guests if they have photos from your wedding they would share with you. Seeing how much everyone has changed will be part of the fun!
2. Wedding Dress and Suit
If you still have your wedding dress or any other wedding clothes then use them as decorations at your anniversary party. A dress mannequin can do the job. Ask around to your friends and family to see if anyone already owns one you can borrow or buy one for less than you might expect. Wedding dress fashions change all the time so seeing what was fashionable twenty-five years ago will be fun for the younger generation to see.
3. Silver Balloons
The color and symbol for a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary is silver. You can use this in touches around the venue or lean in hard and go all silver. Silver balloons could be used all by themselves or you could mix in your wedding colors to bring back some nostalgia. Balloon stands or columns will make the venue look festive.
4. Lights
Christmas or fairy lights can instantly make any space look good. By using removable clips you can hang them anywhere and not damage the walls.
5. Iris Flowers
If you’re trying to stick to a traditional 25th wedding anniversary theme, we recommend using the iris. The iris is the traditional flower used to represent twenty-five years of marriage. It is a deep purple flower that can bring any party space to life. Place silver vases full of irises around the room or place a single iris next to each place setting. Check your local florist for quotes on arrangements! Alternatively, you can purchase artificial irises.
6. Landmark Centerpieces
Decorate each table according to a specific landmark moment, such as when you bought your first house or had your first child. Put photos of each key point on silver photo stands and use them as centerpieces. You can then decorate the table with objects related to that theme and sprinkle some silver confetti around.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Favors
7. Wine Stoppers
Custom party favors are definitely something you should consider! Get wine stoppers engraved with your anniversary date and names to give out to your guest. They will remember this special day the next time they need to cork their wine.
8. Candles
Candles are always a great party favor. Choose from countless scents online and get a custom label saying "Thanks for coming" with your names and anniversary year or date.
9. Hand Sanitizer
In the age of COVID-19 and generally just wanting to stay away from germs, everybody always needs hand sanitizer. Get customized bottles for your guests to bring home with them and use daily.
10. Candy or Mints
Candy or mints are simple yet fun favors. You can make goodie bags for your guests with assorted candy. You can even order custom chocolate in the shape of 25. Mint wrappers can be customized to write a message thanking your guests for coming.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Food Ideas
11. Wine or Champagne from Wedding Day
Did you have a particular wine or champagne served at your wedding? If you did, and you could get some more, then this would be a perfect day to enjoy some again. If not, then these wine labels would remind everyone that your love and marriage is still going strong. Some of these labels would be especially appropriate if you were renewing your vows.
12. Served on a Silver Tray
If you are planning to do your food buffet style then some silver trays will make your food look lovely. You can vary the shape of the trays to add interest to the buffet. Most of these are just silver in color but if you have real silver then this is the perfect time to use it.
13. Silver Punch Bowl
It's always good to serve a non-alcoholic drink for those who choose not to drink or those younger than 21. A silver punch bowl would look festive with any kind of drink in it.
14. Wedding Cake 2.0
For a trip down memory lane have your bakery make your wedding cake look alike. You could have them make it exactly like your wedding cake or just have it look like your wedding cake with a different flavor inside. A custom cake topper will look great on top of whatever kind of cake you have.
15. Mini Favorite Desserts
Since this party is about you then have your favorite things to eat, including desserts. Mini versions of your favorite desserts would look pretty on some silver tea trays. You could include signs indicating which dessert is which spouse's favorite or if you both like it.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Games/Activities
16. Musical Chairs
For this classic and fun anniversary party idea have your guests play with a playlist of songs played at your wedding! Put your chairs in a circle for set up. For larger groups, you can split into teams and hold different brackets until you get to a “finals round” between 2 people. The winner could get some silver-wrapped candy.
17. Famous Couples
Give each person playing a post-it with one half of a famous couple written on it and put it on their back. No one should know who is taped to their back. To complete the game, the person must find out who they are. Other guests can hint at who they are without saying the celebrity’s name. Once a guest thinks they have figured out who they are, they have to find their partner.
Examples of pairs that can be used are Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Sonny and Cher, Romeo and Juliet, Adam and Eve, and even Barbie and Ken. Once everyone thinks they’ve found their partner, be sure to double-check the results for accuracy.
18. Never Have I Ever
Someone will make up a list of questions of common things that may have occurred to the guests and the couple. For example, you can ask if you ever ran out of gas, flew in an airplane, got kicked out of a restaurant, etc. Have people line up at the starting line. When a question is asked and a person is guilty of the thing asked, they take a step forward. See who can make it across the finish line first. These games make everyone feel young again! Washi tape would make a good line for starting and finishing because it should not damage the floor and comes in so many colors and designs.
19. 25th Anniversary Picture Symbols
Have a list of the anniversary symbols, a dry erase board, and markers handy. Each person will pick a symbol to draw on the board for the others to guess. You can’t write any words, only draw pictures. The person who guesses correctly gets the next turn.
20. 25 Questions
Instead of 20 questions let everyone have 25! The topic should be events in the couple's life. Reward your guests with custom M&M's in a drawstring bag.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Party Supplies
21. Plates
Have your plates match your theme. Silver rimmed plates look classy but you don't have to worry about them breaking.
22. Napkins
Just like plates, you can contribute to your theme with napkins. Custom napkins are even an option. Add your names and anniversary date to the napkins.
23. Utensils
Utensils cannot be forgotten about. Purchase silver plastic utensils to keep the theme going.
24. Custom Cups
Custom cups can be used at the party and even be taken home as an extra party favor. Get these personalized and your guests will love them!
25. Party Straws
These party straws will make any drink fun to sip! Or you can add a paper decoration to jazz them up.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Invitations
26. Custom Printable Invitation
A custom printable invitation looks great without spending a great amount of money. The seller has templates set up and you add your information and then print on whatever paper you want. You can also have them printed at an office supply store or at a photo printing place.
27. Photo Invitations
Memorable invitations make for the best invitations for your 25th wedding anniversary! These are like the custom printable invitations but these also have a photo option. Some can just have one picture but if you chose one that has at least two pictures you could include a wedding picture and a current one.
28. Fill in Invitations
Paper fill-in invitations are fairly easy to do and let you write out the information yourself.
29. Digital Invitations
Digital invitations are quick and easy. The creator does all the work for you after you give them the details and then gives you a link to email out or share on social media. Your guests can rsvp right back to you on the same email chain.
30. Magnet Invitations
Magnet invitations are definitely unique and memorable. If you are having your party at a destination or if most of your guests will need to travel then this option will remind them to make plans. Put a picture from your wedding day or no picture at all and add the date and time of the party on the magnet. This way your guests can put it on their fridge and have a little reminder of the upcoming party each time they go into the kitchen.
25th Anniversary Party Ideas: Conclusion
Creating a party that is fun, celebratory, and unique can be a difficult task. However, having a 25th wedding anniversary party that is both memorable and commemorative to your relationship can be easy if you follow these steps. We hope our ideas help you create a party that will impress each and every guest.
We hope that some of these anniversary party ideas will be of help to you! One key takeaway for you to remember is that it's the little things that count! You don't always have to make an anniversary party a lavish event. It can be a smaller party that was planned with a lot of forethought about what your partner likes!
Now that you are ready to plan your party, let us help by using our anniversary party budget sheet and a checklist!
Looking for the perfect gift for an anniversary, check out this article on anniversary gifts by year.
Want more help planning anniversary parties? Click here for more ideas, tools, and more.
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Written by Matvei Mozhaev; Contributors: Amy Chiang, Jamie Murtha and Leslie Nall