Food to Serve for a 50th Anniversary Party

The Year That Was

If the happy couple has been married for fifty years then they were married in 1957. 1957 was a banner year for memorable events. It was the year that the Frisbee was first tossed around and the year that Elvis rocked the house in Jail House Rock. It was the year that the Russians launched Sputnik and Ford launched the Edsel. The Pina Colada was invented that year as well, which is a great drink to serve at a fiftieth anniversary party.

A Little Research Goes a long way

Before we start building a menu around what was typically served in the year that the couple was married, lets take a look at what was served at the couples wedding. A copy of the wedding's menu would give you a big clue as to the food to serve for a 50th anniversary party. Heavy foods with heavy sauces were very popular in the fifties and I would not be surprised to find Beef Wellington on their wedding menu.

If you are throwing a large party you may want to bear in mind that a lot of the foods served in the 1950’s really don’t translate well to a catered event. But with a little forethought, a lot of the typical fifties food could be worked into a the menu you serve at a fiftieth anniversary party.

The fifties were a time of casseroles and could be served to a large group if baked off in individual serving ramekins. Cornflake crusted fried chicken was popular and could be offered as one of the entrees. You might even be able to get meatloaf onto the menu.

For smaller parties it might help to remember that the fifties was the time that grilling became popular. So a barbecue party for the happy couple would be a timely idea.

For appetizers Chex mix was first introduced then and is popular now. Fruit cocktails and shrimp or seafood cocktails were also popular in the 50’s.

As for vegetables the fifties was a time of butter and lots of it. Heavy cream sauces were poured over vegetables with abandon. And if the heavy cream sauce wasn’t available, the vegetables were covered with some canned cream of something or other soup and some fried onions to top it off. However, you may want to go a bit less authentic when preparing the vegetables and serve them in the more modern steamed and lightly seasoned manner.

The Golden Year

The fiftieth anniversary is the gold anniversary. Dessert is a great time to get the gold into the meal. Personally, I would go with either a Sacher cake with gold flake garnish, which is not a traditional garnish for this cake but a stunning contrast nonetheless. Another choice is an opera cake which is traditionally garnished with gold flakes. For a larger party, a wedding cake covered with gold fondant and decorated close to the couples original cake and garnished with small icons of the year would be appropriate. For the cake topper, a replica of a Cadillac with big fins, or even the couple’s first car if it was something funny like a Nash rambler, would be a fantastic idea to complete the cake.

Food to Serve for a 50th Anniversary Party

You can go the traditional route and offer your guests the standard comfort foods of the fifties. Or for a less formal more fun party you may want to go with cheeseburgers, fries and malts. Just keep the Pina Coladas flowing and everything will work out fine.

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