That's exciting, and very special for you to do something like that for your brother! I can't help you with any ideas that were "a staple at weddings in 1968" only because I was 10 or 11 then and didn't go to weddings very much.

One thing I did for my parents 50th anniversary (2 years ago) was gather together a bunch of CD's from their era and made a couple of compilation CD's to play at the gathering. You can probably find 60s collections of music on line, at Wal-Mart, or even at your local public library. My compilations were a lot of love songs from the 50s era - and a few from the 40s when they were still in HS. When we were done with the party, I gave them the CDs. My dad says he plays them all the time!

If you're a scrapbooker, or someone is a photographer, be sure to take pictures of the celebration. You could present the finished scrapbook or photograph album as a Christmas gift this year. My SIL did that for us after our 25th wedding anniversary celebration. It's a lovely memory!

DonnaR/CA

My nieces and nephew just gave an anniversary party for my BIL & SIL. They asked all the invitees to forward them copies of pictures of the couple, and they made up a photo album for them. They also asked all the married couples for their wedding songs, which were played throughout the evening. Maybe you could find out the color scheme of their wedding (or bridesmaid dresses) and work it into the centerpieces.

I actually have the music as they are big DOO WOP fans so that will be the base of the music..Also as a surprise my good friend Maria's father is LENNY COCO from Lenny Coco and the Chimes (SOME OF YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THEM) he will come and sing,he did this for me last year at my sisters 50th. Im making centerpieces that will include picks that have pictures through the years of them. The favors are CD's with love songs from the era.

Eileen, that is so funny. I was Maria's teacher in 4th or 5th grade, and Lenny, Jr's too. Please give my best to Maria! She was a sweetheart!
As for the centerpieces, you may want to use pots of annuals the guests can take home. Get those long clear plastic pics, and put pics of the happy couple in them. I did this for my son's 30th bday. You don't have to limit it to wedding pics, include happy moments from their 40 yrs together.
I got good size pots on the North Fork last week, 2 pots for 10.00. Too cold still so I have them in the shed for now. You can stick other flowers or baby's breath etc into the pot, and the couple married the longest at each table gets the centerpiece. Wrap the pots in their wedding colors, or set in baskets..
You can email me if you want the nursery, or maybe you can find the same deal in there. Much easier than doing all the centerpieces...I know, you were af florist, but I am talking time wise.

Congratulations to your brother, Eileen. I can't help much with wedding trends in 1968, although I was married in 1974, not too much after that. The only darned thing I remember is that a friend of my Mom's spent a lot of time making penguins out of hard boiled eggs for the food table, LOL.

Annie

Jello mold salad, multi layer! My mother was the jello mold queen!

I got married in 1970..one thing that was served at almost all the weddings here in NY was the flaming cherries jubilee..They would darken the room and all the waiters would come out with the flaming dessert!! It was hysterical...and I made sure NOT to let them do that at my wedding!!
Where was their reception?? Maybe I attended a wedding there and remember the things they did...lots of them were at the Town House or La Grange near you.

Im on the phone with Maria right now she wants to know are you Ms. Miller or Ms. Shoppman?

I graduated from highschool in '68. Songs I remember from graduation...

Mrs. Robinson, Simon & Garfunkel
Hey Jude, Beatles
Harper Valley P.T.A., Jeannie Riley
Midnight Confessions, The Grass Roots
Born To Be Wild, Steppenwolf
Magic Carpet Ride, Steppenwolf
Sealed With A Kiss, Gary Lewis & The Playboys
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, Hugo Montenegro (sp?)
Love Child, Diana Ross
Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay, Ottis Redding
Summertime Blues, don't remember the artist (?)

Foods we ate...

I lived in SoCA & we lived on combination burritos & pizza. Mom made lots of Jello salads. Our soft drink of choice was RC (Royal Crown). A&W Root Beer was popular as was Dairy Queen.

Mostly, I remember 1968 as a watershed year that changed my life. It was hard to be a carefree SoCA surfer girl after 1968.

In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. & Bobby Kennedy were assasinated; the Tet Offensive; President Johnson's 'Guns & Butter' speech; Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis; Nixon was elected Nov. '68; lots of race riots; lots of womens' rights marches; Arlo Guthrie released 'Alice's Restaurant' (I still sing that song!); the Green Bay Packers beat my Oakland Raiders in the 2nd Superbowl; Rowan & Martins 'Laugh-In' started; Lisa Marie Presley (daughter of Elvis & Priscilla) was born; I'm pretty sure it was in '68 that the US Mint stopped buying gold/silver & we went off the Gold Standard (?); there was some kind of a "to-do" at the summer '68 Olympics regarding American athletes at an awards ceremony & the national anthem (can't remember exactly what happened ?); Apollo 7; Peggy Fleming won the gold in figure-skating at the winter Olympics (my heroine); I remember minimum wage was $1.60/hour (I made $2.50/hr. & was 'rich')...I can't remember anything else. It was a BIG year.

/tricia

Eileen, check your aol mail.