The party went so smoothly. We had MORE than enough food. The weather was PERFECT. And my parents were surrounded by so many people from so many parts of their lives who came to celebrate with them their 50-year wedding anniversary.

We had signs leading up the driveway: "all because"…"two people"…"fell in love." And at the top of the driveway this chalkboard sign let everyone know they were at the right party.

Thank goodness for the fabulous weather! (It would've been pretty cramped fitting 88 people inside.) My six "classroom" tables & chairs and our patio table set filled the back yard.

Gold-framed photos of my parents at various times of their marriage were placed randomly around the livingroom.

My sister, Renee organized and prepped the food and took most of the photos. And I was in charge of the inviting, decorating and hosting.

I used my Stampin' Up! products (of course!) to make the "50 Years" banner for the piano and the "cards" banner for the card box. (Check out the close ups and the supply list at the bottom of this post.) Thank goodness for Pinterest, Goodwill, the Dollar Tree store, and 50% off coupons at JoAnn's, too! A ton of the decorations would have cost me at least twice as much otherwise.

The food was fabulous! (Thanks, Renee!)…grilled chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, kale salad, ceasar salad, iceberg & veggie salad, pickles, watermelon, grapes, olives, chocolate chip cookies, rice krispy bars, suckers, cake, kool-aid, lemonade, sodas (or "pop" which what we call it here in Minnesota), water, beer, candy, and toasted almonds. We even had Nadia's GF cupcakes for those of us who had to avoid the delicious Costco cakes.

88 people! Childhood friends, brothers, sisters, cousins, 2nd cousins, in-laws, neices, nephews, children, grand children, work buddies, former neighbors,…

Even our youngest family member, Yvette blessed the party with her presence.

She was a hit!

My mom and dad drove home the next day feeling very blessed.

Here are close-ups of the banners I made using our Stampin' Up! products and a little help from the Cricut.

Product List

Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	Early Espresso 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	White Vellum 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	Gold Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper	Gold Glimmer Paper
Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad	Antique Brads	Stampin' Pierce Mat	Paper-Piercing Tool	Venetian Crochet Trim	Gold Baker's Twine
Stamping Sponges	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Perfect Print Alphabet Bigz Die	Floral Frames Framelits Dies	Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Embossing Folders	Lovely Lace Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Stampin' Dimensionals	Mini Glue Dots	2-Way Glue Pen	Transfer Adhesive Sheets	Elegant Butterfly Punch	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack