<p>Our 25th wedding anniversary is this spring and I’d like to do something. Being married that long, I know that if I want something to happen I will have to plan it myself. I do know that if he just hands me a card we may not make it to 26!</p>
<p>I’d be up for a long weekend (even with the kids), jewelry or even one amazing night out. It just has to be something. </p>
<p>Suggestions? (BTW, for trip suggestions, we are in the NorthEast)</p>
<p>How north are you? How about a short trip to Montreal or Quebec City? </p>
<p>We’re coming up to our 40th soon, so I hear ya!</p>
<p>We had our 25th anniversary in December. I’m not generally a jewelry person, but my husband got me one of those add a bead necklaces. With the necklace and the initial charms, it ended up a substantial chunk of change, but I love it madly and he has been adding to it. We went out to dinner every night that week, some fancier places than others, but we made a big deal of it over the course of an entire week.</p>
<p>Our 25th is coming up this spring as well, and I too am the planner in the family. I tabled my first idea - a river cruise on the Rhine - because of the money (turns out I’m just cheaper than I thought!) Now I’m thinking about a trip to Acadia/ Bar Harbor in the fall, sort of a delayed trip (I hear the flies may be bad in the spring…)</p>
<p>I’ll be reading this thread with interest.</p>
<p>I like zm’s idea of eating out every night for a week! That’s a GREAT suggestion, and I’m stealing it for my own anniversary.</p>
<p>We had our 25th in October and I really wanted to do something different and special but knew husband wasn’t up for a long trip. I found a food and wine festival at the Koehler Resort in Wisconsin but we only were going to go if the weather was nice enough to spend some time outside. So what happened - predicted cold and rainy the entire time so we didn’t book. Instead we got HotTix for Billy Elliott in downtown Chicago and had dinner first. Nice but nothing different really. And my husband didn’t think it was really that big a deal but was willing to humor me. I’m still bummed and feel like I lost out on something special that could have been and now never will. Plus we put the anniversary in the dinner reservation but no one said or did anything! (Although I did love Billy Elliott.)</p>
<p>We took a short trip into a city within driving distance. We had a great time, got a great price on our hotel (upscale), and had some wonderful meals out, and found inexpensive entertainment. It was done on a budget, but allowing enough money for us to still feel pampered. We had a great time!</p>
<p>My husband surprised me for our 25th wedding anniversary by “kidnapping” me from work and taking us straight to the airport where we took off for New Orleans for a long weekend. He had packed my clothes, shoes, makeup, jewelry, etc. He arranged for someone to take care of the dog, had reservations for us at a B&B and to several different restaurants as well as a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. I didn’t have to do a single thing to prepare for the trip nor did I have to share in any of the decision-making when we go there … everything was already planned. It was probably the most relaxing trip I’ve ever taken from beginning to end. When he showed up at my work and told me to get my purse and coat because we were leaving, I was dumbfounded. I told him I couldn’t leave work in the middle of the day. My principal and co-workers were in on it and they shoved me out the door and told me not to worry about a thing. That was 14 months ago. I’m going to go home and lay a big one him today just for the memories it brings me!</p>
<p>SplashMom–I think that I will print out your post and stick it with hubby’s mail for the week…</p>
<p>One of the things my H did for our 25th was a silver charm bracelet that had charms representing our life together. One end has a microscope (we met in a lab), the state, a bride and groom, then progresses through all the states where we’ve lived and births of our children. It includes pets and hobbies and special trips and ends with a 25th anniversary charm. It shows a lot of thought went into it and I love it.</p>
<p>SplashMom - what a wonderfully thoughtful husband you have. Can he pass along some ideas to my husband!!!</p>
<p>oh, splash, zoey - are you TRYING to make me feel bad? I love my husband to death, but he’d never plan a secret trip or make me a charm bracelet of our life together. I’ll be happy with a card and a trip that I plan myself!</p>
<p>Oh, and a week of eating out.</p>
<p>My husband and I went back to the same places we went on our Honeymoon. It was so much fun to revisit everything 25 years later! And very romantic as well. ;)</p>
<p>My husband started one of the gold slide bracelets for our 20th anniversary and put charms for our anniversary and one for each child. By the 25th, he had filled it with charms by buying them for birthdays and other holidays. It is quite nice, but I still think I am printing out the trip idea for him. ;-)</p>
<p>For our 25th, I had a fantasy about taking DH to Las Vegas and having an Elvis wedding. I had a wonderful time planning it and planning the entire weekend. He was great about the idea, too.</p>
<p>However, when it came down to it, the recession was beginning, our business was hemorrhaging money, and we went out to a nice but quiet dinner. </p>
<p>I may yet use the idea 
Maybe for the 30th.</p>
<p>A cruise is not that expensive…either to the Caribbean or up to Canada. For one thing, airfare isn’t what it would be to Europe! I know, I’m looking at flights to Rome. I also enjoy D’World w/o the kids…and they have a Garden festival and a Food/Wine Festival in the spring.</p>
<p>We went to Alaska for a cruise … and it was amazing. We did a medium-small luxury boat and it was worth every penny. We are from the northeast. </p>
<p>If you don’t want to travel so far … what about a weekend on the east end of Long Island, or out on Cape Cod, the Vineyard, or Nantucket. Or even Newport. Are they still doing Cruise to Nowheres (about 2 nights?) out of NYC? What about a weekend in Bermuda? Bermuda in April or May would be wonderful …</p>
<p>Go to the Bahamas on a cruise!!!</p>
<p>It was so fun. The ship is always more fun than your land destination (:
You can also opt for a “cruise to nowhere” where you stay on the ship your whole trip. </p>
<p>My family went on the Carnival Cruise Line, and it was fun, even for adults! Although Carnival is meant for families, theres something for everyone. They have “clubs” for 15-17 year olds, 12-14, 9-11, and then little kiddie places for the younger ones, even babies (maybe about 1 year old at the youngest). There’s a casino, thefoods great (24/7 pizza!) free room service (meals, and they clean your room when you’re not there if you leave the sign on your door for them to do so)
There’s a 21+ deck (no children allowed, although my little sister and I were on it(:)</p>
<p>All of the workers are from different countries (maybe a handful from America) and on their nametags they have what country they’re from!</p>
<p>Theres so much more! I recommend it!</p>
<p>Well we did it for our 15th not our 25th, but went to Mohonk House which is an old fashioned Catskill resort founded by a Quaker family. There lovely parlors/rooms to read in, gardens to walk in (depends on how early spring), a lake to walk around and meals in the dining room. Was exactly the kind of reading/talking/gentle activity days we like and it was lovely to be able to finish sentences without interruption (D was at home with grandma). Can’t guarantee the weather in spring I know. Maybe there are places like that nearer to you if upstate, rural NY is too far (and too much like where you are to travel to)?</p>
<p>Fortunately we have lots of frequent flier miles so we flew to Paris for our 25th. We spent a couple days in Paris and then rented a car and drove to the Loire Valley. Stayed at a bed and breakfast and visited Chateaux and wineries. Of course, that was 4 years ago. Now, with one in college and another right behind, looks like our 30th will be dinner at the Olive Garden!</p>
<p>We will be taking a trip to LA, Denver & DC just before our 25th, so we may splurge at some of those places & call it our 25th. We did go to LA & DC as part of our 5-week honeymoon. Our good friends got married in LA at the end of our honeymoon & we were in their wedding party. They will be going to Europe with their 2 young adult kids for their 25th & invited us to tag along but we declined.</p>