These backyard anniversary party ideas are a great way to celebrate, reflect on fond memories, and spend quality time with close friends!
Whether it’s a small gathering or a large celebration, hosting an anniversary party in the backyard can be a fun way to celebrate a couple’s life together. That’s because the backyard is the perfect place for an intimate gathering with friends!
And with the right decorations, food, and activities, a backyard anniversary party could be the perfect way to create the special day for your favorite couple.
You don’t need an event planner to host a successful party. With our help, family members or close friends can plan a great event celebrating the happy couple!
Backyard Anniversary Party Themes
Finding the perfect theme for your backyard party is a great place to start planning your event. And when it comes to picking a theme, the possibilities are endless!
Why not create a theme that reflects the couple’s interests or hobbies? Or add a nostalgic and personal touch with mementos and photos of the couple’s life together.
These fun party themes are a great option for hosting an anniversary party in your backyard.
1. Tropical Luau
Turn your backyard into a tropical paradise for your anniversary party!
For a backyard party with a tropical theme, consider using bright, festive colors, tropical flowers, paper lanterns and string lights to dress up the space.
To add to the tropical theme, don’t forget the tropical drinks and island inspired cuisine for your party’s menu!
2. Rustic Garden Party
A rustic theme for a backyard anniversary party can create a cozy and intimate atmosphere.
Use natural materials, such as wood and burlap, to decorate the space.
Then accent the natural elements with plenty of rustic floral arrangements made up of wildflowers and greenery.
3. Family Reunion
Get the entire family together for your anniversary celebration by hosting a family reunion for your backyard event.
4. Boho
Give your backyard anniversary party a laid-back atmosphere with a boho theme.
Use bright colors and mix and match fabric patterns to create an eclectic look.
Dreamcatchers and macrame are more fun ways to decorate the space with a boho vibe, along with brightly colored flowers and succulents as centerpieces.
5. Picnic Party
Take your anniversary celebration to the grass by setting up a picnic party in your yard.
Provide your guests with easy-to-eat foods and let them relax on comfortable blankets and pillows on the ground.
6. Pool Party
We love the idea of doing a pool party or White Party at the pool — where guests were white. You could also have fun drinks and grill your favorite foods!
6. Vow Renewal
Transform your backyard into a beautiful wedding for your guests to enjoy with a vow renewal ceremony at your anniversary party.
Create an aisle, add some floral arrangements, and share your special day with your friends and family from the comfort of your yard.
7. Outdoor Games
Is the special couple a fan of games? Host an outdoor game night for their anniversary party.
You can set up a cornhole or horseshoe tournament, play a round of bocce ball, or have fun with oversized lawn games like Yard Yahtzee.
You may also like our 25 Best Fun BBQ Party Games Ideas for Adults.
8. Decade Party
Use the couple’s history together as the theme of your event by using the year the couple met (or got married) as the theme of your event.
Use decorations, music, and popular food from that decade to help the couple take a trip down memory lane.
We love the idea of a 1920s / Great Gatsby party!
9. Traditional Dinner Party
If you’re looking for classy backyard anniversary party ideas you can’t go wrong with a traditional dinner party with friends. You could put up globe string lights over the picnic area, incorporate fresh flowers into the center pieces, light candles, and serve an elegant dinner.
All of these ideas will help make the night a special occasion with your closest friends.
Anniversary Party Food and Drink Ideas
When it comes to food and drinks, there are so many fun ways to celebrate! In addition to using your party’s theme as a guide to creating your party menu, you can also make the food the star of the show!
Consider these ideas for creating the perfect anniversary party menu for your backyard get together.
1. Backyard BBQ
Hosting a BBQ in your backyard is a classic way to celebrate any occasion!
Use your grill or smoker to create a variety of delicious meats to serve your party guests, then top off the menu with classic BBQ side dishes like potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw.
You can also grab our best BBQ menu ideas on a budget or our best pulled pork sides for some great ideas!
2. Brunch
Create a beautiful brunch buffet for your outdoor event to celebrate an anniversary in style. Serve a variety of breakfast foods to your guests and let them pick what they put on their plate.
We also love to serve strawberry mimosas for a fun twist on the original orange juice and champagne brunch drink.
3. Wine Tasting
If the couple is a fan of wine, why not host a wine tasting in the backyard? Serve a variety of wines to your guests, along with simple snacks to clear the palette between tastings.
We even have a guide help you create easy wine pairings with appetizers. You can also grab 4 bottles of wine for $29.95 with Winc!
4. Dessert Buffet
Skip dinner and go straight for the sweets at your backyard party. Set up a dessert buffet or chocolate fountain for your guests to enjoy instead of serving a full meal.
5. Appetizers and Finger Foods
Make it easy for your guests to mingle while they celebrate the big day by serving easy-to-eat menu items like appetizers and finger foods.
In addition to providing a simple meal for your guests to enjoy, this option is also perfect for small yards because it doesn’t require full table set-ups for your guests to sit at.
6. Signature Cocktails
There’s no reason to serve boring drinks at your anniversary party when you can create your own signature cocktail for the event! We personally love this Easy Rosé Sangria with Vodka!
Practice your bartending skills by creating your own drink inspired by the couple’s life together.
7. Bourbon Tasting
A bourbon tasting can be a lot of fun, and it may be new to many of your guests compared to a wine tasting! Many bourbons also pair really well with burgers too — so it makes for a fun cookout!
Grab our guide to hosting your own bourbon tasting at home!
Anniversary Party Decorations
When it comes to throwing an anniversary party in the backyard, decorations can make all the difference in creating a festive atmosphere for your event. Use these decorating ideas to turn your boring backyard into a beautiful celebration.
1. Anniversary Colors
Milestone anniversaries often come with a color palette, which means using the couple’s anniversary date is a great way to influence your décor. For a 25th anniversary party, for example, add silver décor throughout the event to bring the milestone tradition into the event’s decorations.
2. Lighting
Lighting can set the mood for the entire party. String lights, lanterns, and candles are all great options for creating a warm and inviting atmosphere in the backyard. For a more dramatic effect, consider using uplighting to highlight trees or other backyard features.
3. Flowers
Flowers can add a pop of color and elegance to any backyard party. And the floral elements of your party are another fun way to bring the milestone anniversary into your décor. Use daffodils throughout a 10th anniversary celebration or add lilies to the centerpieces at a 30th anniversary party.
4. Shelter
Hosting an outdoor event can be unpredictable. If you’re worried that the weather won’t go your way, it’s a good idea to have an outdoor space that has a cover for your event.
A large tent or canopy is also a great option for keeping your guests covered while still providing them with access to the yard.
5. Personal Items
Give your anniversary party a personal touch by bringing elements from the couple’s life into the décor. Sprinkle photos throughout the event or use the couple’s lives as inspiration for the décor or menu to make the celebration more intimate.
Now that you have some backyard anniversary party ideas to pick from, there are a few things you’ll also want to remember!
Whether you’re hosting a formal party or a cookout with hot dogs, you’ll want to have:
- a guest list or an idea of how many people are coming
- places for guests to sit
- playlist of songs or a disc jockey
- plenty of food
- ice cubes for drinks
You may also want to consider portable toilets if you’re hosting a large crowd, as well as, a party favor, or professional photographer.
We hope your backyard wedding anniversary party is a hit!
We also have a few more ideas that may help:
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