Nancy, I read your request for advice, all the replies, and then read your original request again. I was a caterer for many years, and will say this: I would have the party at 7pm. You are already planning on having some hot and cold hors d'oeuvres - add a few more, and call it a "Cocktail Buffet". This denotes heavy hors d'oeuvres, and your guests will/should know it certainly doesn't mean a full meal, but substantial enough that they shouldn't have dinner before coming to your house. My suggestions: COLD: Meat & Cheese platter - roast beef, ham, turkey, sliced cheeses (opt.) - with a basket of small, sliced rolls and condiments on the side Cheese ball assortment (3) - with a variety of crackers - perhaps some fresh fruit around the edges of the cheese platter. Artichoke or Spinach dip - served in Hawaiian bread round, using cubes of the bread to dip with HOT: Seafood Dip - crabmeat or shrimp - with melbas for dipping Little Smokies in sauce made of Chili Sauce & Grape Jelly (folks love 'em, even after all these years) SWEETS: I would have one platter of brownies, lemon squares, and small sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon-sugar. You could have coffee set up by the dessert tray. ******* None of the above is too difficult to prepare, and would provide your guests with plenty of choices. As for the games/entertainment - I think nowadays people like to chit-chat rather than anything else. Have some nice music playing in the background, low enough to be able to have conversations. Good luck!

How thoughtful of you to do this for your parents! Especially your wanting to ensure that your guests will be cool & comfortable (I'm so done with attending outdoor summer weddings & sweating/melting in my good clothes) is impressive. Your plans sound great - especially having it butlered so you can enjoy this special party along with your guests. I was just a kid in the 50's and barely remember attending those weddings & receptions (but I do remember they were lovely and low-key...either watercress sandwiches, champagne & wedding cake, or the sit-down dinners). I do remember my parents & their friends hosting cocktail parties (which were very popular)...my folks made daiquiries or whiskey sours. I don't remember the hor d'oeuvres as being all that great though - not like today's. Onion dip was popular (made from Lipton's dry onion soup)...you might want to make the Barefoot Contessa's onion dip which is much better and serve with home-made potato chips as a 50's hor d'oeuvres (along with current healthier appetizers!). Have some chilled champagne for a toast, do big posters with photos of your parents' school days, courtship, friends, early marriage, babies arriving, etc. (my sister & I did that for the 50th anniv. party we held for our parents--lots of fun to create & guests enjoyed seeing themselves "back in the day"). Maybe have a CD featuring hits from the 50's (what a major change in music over those 10 years, especially when rock and roll came along). And, if possible, someone who will do a bit of emceeing (for lack of a better word), welcoming everyone, saluting the guests of honor maybe with funny stories from their courting days or wedding day, introducing special guests (their wedding party), etc. Oh--and someone to take videos and photos. Have a good time planning this party. It will be a lot of fun for your family and your parents will be so pleased. Ann

Kswl - Our kids did Irish dance but their instructor always made a point of differentiating the spelling between ceilidh and ceili. He said that Ceildhi is Scottish Gaelic while Ceili is Irish Gaelic. They both have the same pronunciation and meaning. I wonder if it might be a regional thing - we're just outside Philadelphia. We recently attended a small Feis to watch my niece and afterwards we thoroughly enjoyed the evening ceili - as the Irish would say it was great craic. And speaking of bagpipes - DD went to Columbia and one year I happened to take a day trip into the city to spend the afternoon with her and attend a Broadway matinee. How thrilling to find out that I had stumbled onto the Tartan Day Parade. That was in 2002 and Sean Connery was the Grand Marshall. This year's parade is on Saturday, April 11 and Graham McTavish (Outlander) has the honor. I'd love to go for the parade again. There's something about pipes and drums that stirs my soul. DS married a lass who was Scottish and all her relatives came to the wedding in their Prince Charlie jackets and Crawford tartans. Unfortunately the bagpiper who was to pipe the wedding party into the reception canceled at the last minute. The string quartet was lovely but nearly as exciting. It sounds like you have thought of everything. I hope your party is a huge success and that the weather cooperates too. Have you watched the documentary "Jig" - about the Irish Dancing World Championship?

Thanks for all the ideas. (BTW, no cheese in my chicken pot pie.) I made some stuffed mushrooms, and will put out a veggie/dip platter, along with some mixed nuts, and a big bunch of grapes. It is tough to answer these types of questions without knowing the guest list.... but carbo- loading every now and then has never been a problem. And we all live in the nyc metro area.