Elegant 50th Anniversary Centerpieces

Great 50th anniversary centerpieces should showcase the event, as well as the honored couple. Centerpieces should be so lovely they create a veritable feast for the eye, so much so that guests simply can't help but gaze at the beautiful display time and time again. In order to do all of this, a centerpiece must be thought through. Thrown-together centerpieces with common anniversary symbols simply don't do justice to this landmark occasion.

Types of Centerpieces
While centerpieces can be created with just about anything, there usually is a theme to a 50^th anniversary party that must be followed. You'll want the event to be as elegant as the honored couple, so don't skimp when it comes to the centerpiece.

• Flowers: It's always very special if you can mimic the flowers used at the original wedding. If you create centerpieces from your own flower garden, make sure you have at least two to three dozen more blossoms and filler stalks than you expect to use. Holes will develop in your bouquet that will require filler materials and flowers. Fresh flowers and filler should not be cut more than one day in advance. Once flowers have been cut, they'll require refrigeration to stay as fresh as they were when you first picked them, so make sure someone has a big refrigerator to donate to the cause. Don't freeze the flowers, or they'll wilt and lose their color. 
• Anniversary Cake: Recreate the original wedding cake as closely as possible. Save the top layer for the couple to freeze and eat on their anniversary the following year. If the anniversary cake is to be the centerpiece on the head table, arrange for a substitute centerpiece to be placed on the table after the cake has been cut. After the cake-cutting ceremony, distribute the cake and quickly remove the remaining crumbly mess from the table. 
• Wedding Photos: If you're using pictures as the centerpiece, do so tastefully. Use photos that compliment the couple. If the picture is of the couple running through the church amid a hailstorm of rice, use a simple black frame and sprinkle white rice around the base of the photo. If you're using round tables, some people will be facing the back of the photo, and those facing the sides will not be able to see the photo at all. If possible, get large, square, white pillar candles, and affix either the same photo or different photos on each side. You can also shrink photos with your computer and use prints to add a personal touch to floral arrangements.