A 50th anniversary celebration is a special time to look back on half a century of marriage and help the happy couple celebrate with family and friends. Creative ideas for the celebration can make the day that much more special and memorable for the couple as well as their guests.

Starting with their wedding photo, create a pictorial history of the couple's 50 years together by putting up a photo from every year of their marriage on poster boards hung on a wall. Use as many sheets of poster board is necessary to fit all the photos. Choose photos that show the couple as well as friends, family members and activities they enjoyed. On another sheet or two of poster board, put up a collage of random photos.

Set up a trivia game for the guests, both family and friends. Have the anniversary couple sit in chairs on the stage or in front of seated guests. Read aloud trivia questions about the couple (cast a wide net for questions by asking many relatives and friends of the couple for trivia about them; look for fun or sweet anecdotes). Ask at least 20 questions and give prizes to the top three guessers.

Celebrate the golden wedding anniversary with a golden theme, including 50 gold helium balloons. Have the cake decorated in gold, including the couple's name and a large "50" with wedding bells around it. String gold paper wedding bells from the ceiling. Place a gold-colored centerpiece on each table and sprinkle gold stars on the tablecloths. Give the anniversary couple a set of two wine glasses, personalized with gold etching, to toast the occasion. Give party favors of chocolates tucked into gold foil bags.

If creative people are among the couple's friends and family members, put on a program featuring funny but heart-warming skits, music, short comedy acts and dance numbers that are in some way relevant to the couple. For example, someone could perform a song that is meaningful to them or do a comedy act that pokes fun at amusing anecdotes from the past 50 years. A skit could feature two guests portraying the couple in a humorous way.