7. Print and Send Out the Invitations
Okay, so now you have your budget, have your guest list, have decided on the venue, and have written down your guest list – that’s if you completed all the above steps for organizing a wedding anniversary party. Next thing to do is to print and send out the invitation cards to your guests.
When should you start sending out the invitation cards?
We advise that you give guests enough time to plan your party into their schedules, and six weeks to a month advance notice usually works best. Guests hate being invited at the last minute – it’s as if you didn’t respect their own schedules, and most people don’t show up because they will honour another engagement they had earlier planned for. Find more answers on party invitation card planning questions.
Invitation Options
These days, we are seeing married couples using different ways to invite their guests to their wedding anniversary party – beyond the traditional printed invitation cards.
What About Text Message Invitations?
You can use bulk SMS (text messages) if you’re planning an informal or intimate, private party, and know the phone numbers of everyone you plan to invite. We’ve been seeing text message (SMS) invites where the hosts end by saying something like “consider this text message your invitation” – and we think that’s so cool. We’ve even witnessed a few wedding anniversary parties where the ‘bouncers’ asked guests to show their text message sat the entrance – that’s also cool because we live in a community where ‘hearing about a party is considered an invitation to attend’.
What About Facebook Event Invites?
We’re also seeing many couples set up events on Facebook, to notify and invite selected friends to their weddings and wedding anniversary. We love social media and think those are cool too, as only the people you invite to your event will see the invite. So, feel free to use the latest popular technology to invite your guests – only if they are also using the desired medium – there’s no point inviting someone by Facebook if that person rarely uses Facebook.
Printed Invitation Cards
However, if you plan to have an OTT (Over-the-Top), big wedding anniversary party, consider sending guests a printed invitation card – there are two choices here:
- Buy ready-made invitation cards
- Find a good, local printer to print invitation cards for you
Consider Matching Your Invitation Card to the Traditional Anniversary Colour (optional):
- 1st-anniversary colour is Gold or Yellow
- 5th wedding anniversary colour is Blue or Turquoise
- 10th wedding anniversary colour is Silver or Blue
- 15th-anniversary colour is Ruby Red
- Twentieth wedding anniversary colour is Emerald Green or White
- 25th-anniversary colour is Silver
- 30th-anniversary colour is Green
- 35th wedding anniversary is coral
- 4oth anniversary colour is Ruby Red
- 45th anniversary is Sapphire Red
- 50th anniversary is Gold
Most milestone anniversary years have a colour, up to the 75th year wedding anniversary.
Must-Have Invitation Card Information
- Name of the guest
- The Date and time
- Names of the Hosts (husband and wife)
- What anniversary is being Celebrated (e.g. 5th wedding anniversary, 10th, 20th, etc)
- Name and address of the venue
- RSVP (contact person) – this is the name and contact (phone number, and email if you like) of the person guests can contact to confirm or decline their attendance, or even ask directions to the venue, or anything at all about the party.
- Clear directions to the party venue
- Dress code (if there’s one)
8. Making Plans for Food and Drinks
Plan in advance for the type of food and drinks to serve your guests. Avoid serving what most people are not used to – stick with the popular Nigerian party food and drinks (alcoholic and/ or non-alcoholic). Popular non-alcoholic drinks in Nigerian parties include malt, juice, and water. Wedding and anniversary food ideas include jollof rice, fried rice. You may also want to make side-dishes such as moin-moin and finger foods/ small chops such as doughnuts.
- Think of how the food will be served – will it be a buffet or sit-down meal served by servers? If you want your guests to be able to mingle with each other and converse during your party, a buffet-style meal will make that easy.
- Will you cook it or do you prefer to outsource the catering? If you plan to hire a catering (food) vendor to handle your wedding anniversary food, it is best to book them in advance – at least two months before the date of your event.
- Don’t forget to plan for your anniversary cake – book early. Ask the cake vendor to use a cake topper that tells something about you and your husband/ wife as a couple – either choose the cake topper in advance or buy it yourself.
9. Music and Entertainment for the Wedding Anniversary Party
If you’re having an informal party at your house, use your home sound system and play your favorite music during the party – there are lots of great Nigerian party music – the new ones and the oldies too. BUT If you’re going to throw a big anniversary party, then we highly recommend hiring a DJ and/ or a live music band to ensure that your guests enjoy themselves at your party.
Whether you decide to hire a DJ or play the music yourself, it is a good idea to plan your music in advance – write down a list of your favourite dancing music, plus a list of the popular music that you think guests would be thrilled to dance to. And, a warning here – if you’ll hire a DJ, you have to let them know examples of music/ songs that you absolutely hate so that they don’t accidentally play it at your party.
If you have a small budget, or just for fun: You can have a music-loving, gadget-loving family member DJ for you at your wedding anniversary party. This person can be your son if you have a grown boy. And, if you have time, ask them to make a playlist for the party and later run it by you, before the party day.
Other Party Entertainment Stuff to Plan in advance:
- Print or write the program of events (you don’t have to give this to every guest, but if you can afford to print many copies, that is okay);
- Hire an MC (Master of Ceremony) or ask a smooth-talking friend to be the MC. You need to tell or book this person at least 2 months in advance so that they can add your party to their schedule. Be sure to run through the program of events with your Master of Ceremony, a few days to the anniversary party – agree on the timings (what should happen when, and how long the event will last).
- Speeches: You’ll have to give a vote of thanks -so start preparing it. If you want an old friend, or one of your groomsmen or bridesmaid, to give a speech, tell them in advance so they can have it prepared.
10. Venue Decoration
Your party size and venue will determine whether you need to decorate the venue for your wedding anniversary party.
- A small, informal or intimate anniversary party at home may not require any or elaborate venue decoration. If at all, you may just put up a few balloons, hang banners with the event name and a picture of you and your husband/ wife, or pictures from your wedding, and other small décor items – again, this is optional.
- If your anniversary party venue will be outdoors, such as in a garden or park, you may want to do some decoration – either yourself with a few friends or hire an event planner that does decoration to help you out.
- If your party venue will be a restaurant or hotel, most of such places already are beautiful and decorate the tables centerpieces with fine tablecloth and flowers – usually, they don’t need additional décor. Besides, they won’t allow you to bring your own décor – so, if you’ll be renting a venue, choose one that has a beautiful, non-cluttered surrounding.
In any case, if you plan to have your party venue decorated, consider incorporating a dash of the traditional colours for your wedding anniversary year:
Venue Decor Colour Scheme Guide for Wedding Anniversary Celebration (optional):
- 1st-anniversary colour is Gold or Yellow
- 5th wedding anniversary colour is Blue or Turquoise
- 10th wedding anniversary colour is Silver or Blue
- 15th-anniversary colour is Ruby Red
- Twentieth wedding anniversary colour is Emerald Green or White
- 25th-anniversary colour is Silver
- 30th-anniversary colour is Green
- 35th wedding anniversary is coral
- 4oth anniversary colour is Ruby Red
- 45th anniversary is Sapphire Red
- 50th anniversary is Gold
Angie says
Hi Stella,
This has been quite helpful and inspirational, as my parents are intent on celebrating their anniversary by December. Didn’t mention anything about photography though. Thanks
Stella Anokam says
Hello Angie. Thanks for reading, and feedback, dear.
You’re right – photography is a big part of wedding vow renewal/ anniversary party planning. Now that you pointed it out, we’ll find time to include that in post update.
Congratulations to your parents, from us. And, if you’d like – you could update us with how you planned it for them, plus photos of the day.
Hello Stella,
The anniversary celebration has just been concluded….. Indeed, it was awesome. I will send some of the pics this week and contact the photographer for the rest.
Hey Angel:
I’m so happy to hear from you again. Glad that your wedding anniversary party was a fabulous one – I had no doubt about that. That’s so nice of you to want to send me the pics. I can’t wait to see them. Have a merry Christmas, and may the new year be your best year ever! Hope to see more of you on our blog:)
Thanx so much, ma….. This has really been helpful though we have done most of the preparations but this will help us to correct some of our mistakes.
But please ma, I have a question. Do I need a bouquet as we will renew our marriage vows before the party?
You’re welcome, Angel. Thanks for the feedback.
About flower bouquet: It’s perfectly okay to carry a bouquet on your vow renewal ceremony – I’ve seen a couple of women do this. To add some fun to it, your husband could pin a matching flower-buttonhole (aka boutoniere) on his suit.
What to wear: Wearing white may appear somehow to your guests, even if the outfit looks great. As a Nigerian, you have the option of wearing a traditional wear and a long gown/ dress. If you choose to wear a long dressy-gown, any style or colour would do. Some stylish women choose to wear a long wedding-gown-like, dinner-gown-like dress that is NOT WHITE. The men don’t have problems with a choice of vow renewal outfit, your husband can wear a suit or a Nigerian traditional menswear.
Don’t forget the Rings: Many couples choose to exchange new rings (anniversary bands) every year they renew their vows. While that is optional, most couples also use that time to upgrade their original wedding rings (especially if the original one has become tighter or was just a management-ring).
Hope those tips will help. Feel free to ask me any questions. I planned to do these types of articles next year, but I’m happy that you’ve made me to write it now. My name is Stella – feel free to call me that:) What date is your vow renewal?
Thanx so much, Stella.
I’m very delighted to read from you.
Our date is 21st December. We have already bought new rings and the dresses. Our colours are white, blue and silver. As for the bouquet, what colour combination will it comprise of? Secondly, my little girl of 6 years will be the chief bridesmaid, is it also necessary for her to carry a small bouquet too?
Hi Angel. Awesome – your vow renewal date is awesome (will kick into Christmas:). A simple, white bouquet would do, or you may want to work in your chief bridesmaid’s (daughter) dress colour into the bouquet. It’s not necessary for your bridesmaid to carry a bouquet since it’s not a wedding – but then, who says you can’t? If you’d like that, you can let her carry one.
I’m happy to know that you’re on top of the planning side, and you’re working with your traditional wedding anniversary colour. I’d like to see the pictures after the event – ensure to get a very good photographer and videographer.
Thanx so much, Stella.
Reading from u has been a good source of inspiration. Thanx for being there for me. I have a very good photographer and I will definitely send the pics to you.
About making a speech on that day, how do I go about it?
Hi Angel. You’re so welcome – thanks for the awesome feedback. We can’t wait to see the pictures.
About the speech – here are some ideas:
-To have one or some of your long-time friends (of you and your husband) narrate the love story of the celebrants (you and your husband). This should be someone that has known both of you for almost as long as you’d been married. A fun thing could be to invite your original bestman and/ or chief bridesmaid to give a speech or the ceremonial toast. You could also have a few of your immediate family members give speech too.
-Other typical types of speeches you may want to include in your wedding anniversary program include: inspirational message from a friend and/ or a few selected guests. The last speech should be a ‘thank you message’ by the celebrants (both of you).
-By the way, if they allow you to write your own vows (the renewal), that would be fun. If not, you may want to do so during the after-church reception party.