How do you celebrate 40 years of marriage without making the evening feel overdone? A wine dinner can do the trick of making the milestone feel extraordinary.
This is one of those years that calls for a real celebration, but it does not necessarily require a hall decorated in red and another complex menu. Good food, a nice arrangement, delicious wine, and your loved ones can be all you need. Here’s how to plan a wine dinner for a ruby anniversary.
Keep the Ruby Theme Simple
Ruby Anniversary is the 40th wedding anniversary. The ruby stone stands for love, passion, and a relationship that has survived the test of time. However, you don’t need to have red everywhere. With some ruby decorations, you can achieve an elegant look.
Experiment with red flowers, ruby napkins, burgundy candles, or some gold details. You can also make this occasion special with a dessert that has something red in it.
Create the Menu According To the Season
Choose food that the couple really likes. There is no point in choosing complex dishes just to impress the guests. For example, you may begin with giving them salad, soup, roasted veggies, or a cheese platter. Chicken, beef, salmon, pasta, or a vegetarian dish can be the main course.
You may choose a dessert to introduce the ruby theme. Here you may choose berry tart, chocolate-covered strawberries, or red velvet cake.
If you are cooking the food by yourself, it’s better to choose dishes that you can prepare in advance. You do not want to spend your whole time in the kitchen.
Choose a Ruby Anniversary Gift
Think of what they would really enjoy. Do they usually wear rings? Do they prefer an easy-going style or fancy jewelry? For a gift that connects the evening to its milestone, consider whether the guest of honor would wear ruby gemstone rings more often than a ruby-colored keepsake.
If they are not into jewelry, consider a photo album, framed picture, weekend trip, or a bottle of wine for future occasions. The ruby theme can inspire the gift without limiting your choices.
Selecting Wine After Food Selection
Once you have created the menu, wine selection will be simpler. Sparkling and white wines can be used for food served as appetizers. Richer foods and meats usually go well with full-bodied red wines.
It is not necessary to select a different wine for every course. Two or three specially selected wines should be sufficient for a small dinner gathering.
Don’t forget about the guests. Always have non-alcoholic beverages such as sparkling water, juices, mocktails, and others on hand for those who do not drink alcohol.
Pay Attention to the Little Things
Even simple items can help in elevating your dinner experience. Have all your white wines and sparkling wines chilling in the refrigerator in advance before your guests arrive.
You may also place a small piece of paper card on each bottle of white and sparkling wine, indicating the dish that it is going to accompany. In addition to that, a small menu card for the evening may be written and placed on the table.
End the Evening on a Good Note
After the dinner, give guests some time to relax, and have a good time together. Play the couple’s favorite songs, show the couple’s photos taken a long time ago, or invite everybody to share their impressions of the couple.
Having spent forty years together, the celebration is not supposed to be perfect. Good food, good wine, interesting details, and the company of loved ones are already enough to make the night unforgettable.
