25th Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas

On November 29th, 2007, my husband Warren & I celebrated our 25th Anniversary. Unfortunately for us, his mother is at the end-stage of terminal lung disease. We were unable to do anything exotic, such as the Caribbean Cruise I coveted. Even one of those receptions, where you invite all your friends was out of the question. We did have an enjoyable weekend celebration, and it got me thinking of some of the best ideas for gifts to those "Baby Boomer" couples now entering the elite status of 25 years of marriage. My gift suggestions might not appeal to everyone; hopefully, the relatively "wild" generation of hippies and wanna-be hippes who grew up might get an idea of more unusual options.

Despite our extremely limited options, two sets of friends suprised us with memorable gifts. Our friend Steve has a romantic nature and sometimes a limited budget. A half year prior to our special day, he'd been shopping around and found an exceptional deal on a beautiful silver coffee set: urn, sugar and creamer bowls, and an exquisite tray. Because the item was badly tarnished, he was able to obtain the items at a rock-bottom deal. The challenge of this gift was the many, many hours he spent polishing the items. He took the time to find some beautiful maroon wrapping paper, and an exquisite silver ribbon and silver bow adorned the large box. It was such a surprise to see the wonderful items, things we could never afford with our "quickie marriage" back when I was in college. They hold a place of honor in our living room, and we will always remember Steve's generosity and hard work in future celebrations! If you take the time to plan ahead, and shop at flea markets, estate sales, auctions, and resale shops, there are extremely valuable silver pieces that often go for less than 10 percent of their value. Often, elderly parents pass on, and the children have no use for the items. Sometimes, people are trying to raise a few dollars and "clean house" of items they don't use. Even regular shops have clearance sales with silver items that have tarnished while on display. Don't automatically pooh-pooh this idea, because you'll find a lot of second marriages and even "young" marriages involved an austere wedding setting with very little in the way of "fancy gifts." If your friends are coffee or tea drinkers and value this sort of thing, it might be the perfect gift for you. Be forewarned...there's a lot of work with polishing up a badly tarnished item, so prepare early! This sort of gift can be had for as little as $25-$50 with a little bit of luck, a sale, and some good timing!

Other friends of ours drove all the way from Detroit, a good 6 hours away, in the middle of a challenging snow storm. Their solution to our medical dilemma was to get a room at the nearby casino and have us over for swimming and a nice dinner. Because of their thoughtfulness and consideration, we were able to leave our teenaged son in charge for an evening, while we enjoyed our first restaurant dinner together in many months! Mary and Jim also brought along a huge silver wedding anniversary bag, in which we found an exceptional latern-like candle holder from Party Lite company. You don't even have to attend or give a party these days. Many Party Lite salesmen/women are offering the products on e-Bay and other venues. Delightful options in candle holders are as reasonable as $29.95 and up. If your friends can't burn candles in their home, there's also a wonderful array of infusers available, with prices as low as $15.00. I use both candles and infusers, and they often help set a romantic mood in the home for events AFTER the anniversary party! Remember: your friends are simply happy to have you share their special event. At this stage in our lives, we don't need any household gifts at all! The expression "no gifts" is often highlighted in many open houses and anniversary events.

Another gift we received was a beautiful silver frame. This particular item was one of my own favorites, and I immediately dug out a photo from the early years of our marriage and had my husband work with our computer and printer to get a copy to the right size for the frame. That photo sits right in the kitchen, where I can see it every day and remember the many good years of marriage we've enjoyed. If you have an early photo of your friends, or can snag one from their family, try this gift option. For under $20 you can do the reprint and purchase a fairly elaborate frame. Silver commemerates the 25th anniversary, but just be sure to find a frame that goes with your friends' taste. You can always ask the husband for the photo, but try to keep it a surprise for the wife. In our family, I've never seen my husband as interested in photos as I am. WE put the photo in ourselves, but with a little ingenuity, you might be able to actually include an old photo from the early 80's, when your friends were newlyweds! Target, Walmart, Hallmark and other places all offer many options of frames at various prices. Many of the big stores like Walmart will also print copies for you while you wait!

Another romantic idea might be a dinner out for the happy couple. In our case, this idea was limited to the casino restuarant just one mile from our home. Dinner preferences vary by person and location; however, just the idea of a nice evening out is very appealing to most couples. Another possibility (if you're dealing with a homebody like MY husband) is to prepare a dinner for your friends at your home or theirs. It's always fun to taste someone else's cooking, and you can even provide a big basket and pick up the dishes later. If you are close friends, they would probably enjoy it if you stayed for the celebrations, but try to abscond with the dirty dishes and take them home. We had some good friends and I made a simple 3 course pasta dinner, with a nice salad and dessert. Once the main meal was served, I left the dessert, grabbed my dishes and let them enjoy their time as a family. You could even offer a nice "couples" movie for them to enjoy afterwards. Once again, shop according to your budget, but this gift could go for about $50, with a really fine menu and movie! Remember though, you're going to have to invest some thought and time into your menu and meal preparation. My friends seemed just thrilled with the dinner option, and even included their college aged daughter, who was visiting for the event.

Since it's the 25th, you might think about a set of silver goblets or crystal etched with silver, that recognize the particular year of this important milestone. A current e-bay auction offered a beautiful set for only about $35 with shipping. This is the sort of thing that people don't buy for themselves, but appreciate owning. Include a bottle of their favorite wine or champagne to help round off the gift. You're still under the $50 range unless you go crazy with the wine!

Some of my best friends are sports fanatics. Even the wives have grown to look forward to the sports events. Other of our friends enjoy comedy and music. Often, you just see or think of younger folks at music concerts, but even Tom Petty is still riding high and performs in the 2008 Superbowl. It's a little bit more expensive than my other suggestions, but if you have the means, consider getting your special couple two tickets to a game, concert, or comedy club, depending on their personality. Once again, this is the type of thing many people avoid buying for themselves, but would greatly appreciate as a gift. Consider a college level game or minor league baseball if the pro tickets are out of range. In pricing tickets for my son to attend a Chicago Bears game, I was shocked to see most good seats sold for over $300!! He might not be happy, but he's probably going to be watching Michigan State play football before I can afford a Bears game anymore. Similarly, many concert tickets these days cost $50-$80, but it certainly would be a special gift if your friends enjoy that sort of event.

Now that we're getting into the more pricey offerings, you might consider a romantic getaway weekend package. It doesn't have to be booked on the actual DAY of the anniversary. In this case, I would suggest meeting with the couple beforehand, and agreeing on a location and date. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with casinos, some mighty fine rooms can be had for under $100. We booked one set of friends into the local casino and a two day package was just over $150. They also received sets of free tokens and ended up winning nearly $100 their second day at the casino. They were absolutely thrilled with the hotel, pool, and chance to get away from the big city. In my area alone, there are six or seven major casinos within about 2 hours driving distance. All offer romantic getaway packages and we even upgraded to the whirlpool suite. Check out my links for a few options at Kewadin Casinos, and an Odawa Casino located in Petoskey, Michigan. For places in your area, try a Google Search.

The last suggestion I have is probably the most challenging. Many folks don't even have anyone who thinks to shower them with a party. This can be much more involved, but even meeting with the children and offering your help is a start. I have several sets of friends who never had children, or their "kids" are too young (or away at college) to take on the project. I would save this option for your most valued friends, because it's probably going to involve some measure of expense, a lot of planning, and a great deal of effort. Moose Lodges, VFWs, churches and community centers may be a good location for the event. You might possibly have the sort of home (or yard in the good weather months) in order to hold the party on your own property. I've seen tents rented to shield the sun or provide a place for inclement weather if your event is outdoors. Catering is expensive, but one less thing to worry about. Otherwise, consider a barbeque and ask the guest to bring side dishes to share. I've coordinated similar events when I was stationed in the military, but obviously the cost could vary greatly by the venue chosen. One big piece of advice is to start early. You can "surprise" the individuals involved, but consider planning it with them to get the best results.

You don't always have to spend a ton of money in order to make someone happy on their 25th anniversary. One of our friends brought over a beautiful card with a wonderful inscription. We used it with the silver frame in order to always have the card to look back on. Good luck, have fun, and I hope you and your friends enjoy their 25th Anniversary as much as Warren and I enjoyed ours. The last week in November will be remembered even more fondly than our actual wedding day, thanks to the special efforts of a few good friends.