Turning 50 is such an exciting milestone: you’ve lived long enough to get comfortable and confident in your skin, you’re feeling fabulous, and you’re moving towards a new phase of life. Your birthday celebrations should reflect your stage of life, starting with your 50th birthday invitations. Whether you’re celebrating with friends, family, or both, your choice of 50th birthday invitation sets the tone for your big day, and is an opportunity to bring your personality and taste to the table from the very beginning of your plans.  

What to consider when choosing your 50th birthday invitation design

Your 50th invitations should always reflect your own taste and the nature of the event in question. A lot of people start off thinking specifically about gender, but this isn’t always the best way to choose the best invitations for you (though of course mens 50th birthday invitations are often different from womens - women often choose floral designs and men tend to stick to block colours and similar simple designs). People are individuals, so just thinking about 50th birthday invitations for a man or a woman usually isn’t precise enough.  

Some other things to consider when choosing your 50th birthday invitations templates include:

• Event theme - Have you chosen from specific 50th birthday themes like arabian nights, tropical, or Great Gatsby? It pays to start communicating themes for 50th bday party as early as possible so people can find costumes and get on board! Start the theme on your invites. Even if your theme is just something like ‘50 and fabulous birthday’, let guests know if there is a dress code or any requirement on their part. 
• Event style - is your party casual, formal or somewhere in between? Your invite should reflect that. You should also consider whether you’re doing anything particular for the event. Are you having a cocktail party or a picnic? Consider reflecting that in your invitations. 
• Colour palette - keep your invitation in the same colour palette you are planning to use for your decorations and other party elements so everything is consistent.
• Guest list - is your party family-only, or just your best friends? Will there be kids there? You might want to reflect this on your 50 years old birthday invitation. 
• Size of party - you might choose to suggest the scale of your 50 years birthday party with the invitations, using a very fancy invite for a huge celebration, and something more relaxed for a smaller gathering. There’s no rules, but it’s worth considering. 
• Budget - as always, budget will ultimately dictate what you can afford to do for your fifty birthday (just like any other event), particularly in regards to print style. You might love letterpress invitations, but only be able to afford digital print. Always keep your budget in mind. 
• Other important information - Surprise 50th birthday invitations are one of the most common types of 50 th birthday invitations: it seems people love surprising their loved ones with a 50 birthday party, and who can blame them! It’s worth getting specific surprise 50th birthday party invitations, but even if you don’t, you should ensure you make the information very clear! You don’t want the fun ruined just because it wasn’t communicated well enough. 

There’s really two ways to approach your 50th birthday invites: if you’ve already got plenty of 50th birthday ideas, you can make these decisions (your 50 birthday theme, style, colour palette, guest list, size and budget) first, and use that information to guide you in finding the perfect invitation for your 50th birthday party. If you’re short on 50 birthday ideas, you can find some fiftieth birthday invitations that grab your attention and use that as the starting point for your 50th bday planning. 

How can your fiftieth birthdays invitations give you ideas for 50th birthday party details outside of invites? So many different ways! The colour, print type, style and design can all point you in the right direction for all your choices, big and small. If you’re drawn to fancy letterpress invitations, you might think about elegant 50th birthday party themes. Similarly, super fancy, tiered cakes for 50th birthdays go best with elegant invitations not casual prints.  If you’ve picked an invitation with bold colours, you might want to coordinate with bold 50th birthday colors. Looking to choose a 50th birthday banner? Choose design motifs that were included in your invite (geometric shapes, the slogan ‘50 & fabulous!’, or a sprig of greenery) and carry them over. Whether you’re looking for 50th birthday party ideas for Mom or 50th birthday party ideas for Dad (or hey, for yourself!) your invites are the perfect place to start!

Popular styles for 50th birthday invitations

If you’re looking for 50th birthday invitation ideas, consider some of the most popular styles of 50th invitations. This includes:

• Bold 50th birthday invitations
• Floral 50th birthday invitations
• Fun 50th birthday invitations
• Modern 50th birthday invitations
• Minimalist or simple 50th birthday invitations
• Watercolour 50th birthday invitations wording

If those aren't what you're looking for, have a look at our range of birthday invitation designs.

In addition to the design style, you should also consider what print type you want to use. Some of the most popular print types include:

• Digital print
• Real foil
• White ink
• Metallic ink
• Letterpress
• Raised foil
• Print on wood
• Photo cards 

On Paperlust you have full control to customise any of our 50th birthday invitation templates using our easy on-site editor. Make changes and see how they look in real time before you order. 

50th birthday ideas

By the time you’ve had fifty birthdays, you’ve seen a bit of everything. Hopefully by now you know what you like, what you don’t like, and can pick the right theme, style and activities for birthday 50. If you’re looking for 50th birthday ideas for your party celebrations, check out our article on milestone birthday ideas. Some popular ideas include a spa day or a golf day, a restaurant meal, or a party in your home. We can also help you come up with a creative 50th birthday party theme. We’ve got a list of 70 party theme ideas and categories for you to choose from. Once you’ve got some 50th birthday ideas together, you can start planning and adding your own creative touches to the day. 

Things can get a bit more tricky if you’re looking for 50 year old birthday ideas that aren’t for yourself. Maybe you’re looking for 50th birthday party themes for mom or just for a friend. This is especially difficult if the party is a surprise and you can’t just ask them what they want. Of course you can start generic - You know a 50th birthday theme for a woman will probably be different from one for a man, so you google something like ‘50th birthday party ideas a female’ or ‘male 50th birthday party ideas’ - but that’s unlikely to give you the best 50th bday ideas specifically for the individual. You’re better off thinking about the individual themselves and what you know about them: do they love a day of golf or painting in their studio all day? How do they feel about costume parties? Do they stick to quiet nights on the couch with family or are they a bit of a social butterfly? Thinking through these things can help you narrow down 50 year birthday ideas they’ll love (and will help you know which 50 year old party ideas are completely wrong for them!). 

Whether you’re looking for 50th birthday theme ideas, 50th birthday card ideas, or ideas for 50th birthday banners, or 50th birthday cake ideas for her or for him (some people spend months sourcing funny 50th birthday cakes! Only you know your priorities!), knowing your birthday boy or girl is the key to getting it right and ensuring your loved one has a fabulous 50 birthday party. 

Bonus: What to write in a 50th birthday card

Bonus information for people who are attending a 50th birthday party and writing a 50th birthday card! We always get asked what to write in birthday cards, especially when it comes to milestone birthdays where what you write feels especially significant. If you’re looking for 50th bday wishes, from happy 50th birthday female greetings for a sister or mother through to 50th birthday card messages for an acquaintance, boss or someone else, we’ve got you covered. Check out how to choose a birthday card, how to write a good birthday card greeting (including samples!), and a collection of birthday quotes you might like to include. 

Browse our collection of invites today, whether you’re looking for 50th birthday invitations for her or 50th birthday invitations for him.

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