what can I do for my parents' 25th anniversary?

October 7, 2007 12:29 AM

my parents have their 25th wedding anniversary this year. What can I do for them that is special yet inexpensive (I'm a graduate student)?
posted by esolo to Human Relations (6 answers total)

for my parents' 25th, I was also a student at the time. I dug around photo albums for a photo of the two of them on their wedding day standing in an easily replicable pose. Without telling them why, I got them to dress nicely and stand in the same pose and took a photo. I then made a copy of the old photo, printed the new one, and put them both in silver frames, with the years engraved on the bottom of each frame. The cost was well under $100 if I recall (it really depends on how much you want to spend on the frames), but they absolutely loved it.
posted by modernnomad at 12:57 AM on October 7, 2007

Put together a photo album for them of the last 25 years and add your own recollections of the events in the photos. If you have siblings, get them to help out too.
posted by happyturtle at 2:35 AM on October 7, 2007

Curiously, the most memorable family gift I ever gave was a cheap throwaway sticking-stuffer. I took a bunch of family photos down to Kinkos back when they used to make custom calendars. That was several years back, I'm sure if I did it now I could find better resources online.

Don't underestimate the simple things.
posted by RavinDave at 3:03 AM on October 7, 2007

If you've never sent them flowers before, the first time is special.
posted by Martin E. at 3:50 AM on October 7, 2007

Are they having a party? Scan a huge heap of photos, and then line them up (powerpoint sucks, but if it's all you've got, work with it), with appropriate background music and have it show in the biggest screen on the room. I've been asked to do these for birthdays and funerals and they are a surprising hit. Also, they take up no space, which after 25 years of being married, your parents might not have much of. It might be (dependent on their age/skills) something neither of them could do or would think of doing.

Otherwise (or as well), a letter, just for them, write it and rewrite it a dozen times before you finally write in your own handwriting about how much their being together has informed your own view on the world, special memories that they made together for you, and a great big thank you.
posted by b33j at 4:47 AM on October 7, 2007

Do you have any siblings? You could talk to them and write down some of your most memorable family vacations/experiences/comedies/tragedies in the past 25 years. Even if you're an only child, you could still do something along these lines. Make a CD of songs that were popular when they were dating, and either print your stream-of-consciousness thoughts out on nice paper and include it in a card with the CD, or play the CD at their party/dinner, whatever, and read your list out loud.

My folks are in their late 70s/early 80s, and whenever we kids get together with them, the talk inevitably turns to "remember that trip to X, when Dad almost drove the car into the lake but insisted he wasn't lost?" and it always brings laughter and smiles all around, and inspires further conversation. Hopefully your gift will do the same.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:38 AM on October 7, 2007