My Gram and Gramp are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next weekend.
60 years of marriage!!
Can you imagine??
Next weekend there will be a big party here in the Cities and all of my family is flying in from AZ and Chicago.
Many, many months ago my Gramps personally called me up and asked me to help out with the party planning. (I am the #1 Grandchild). I got a great idea and committed myself to making a fabulous iMovie featuring photos of them throughout the years, as well as photos of their 8 children and their grandkids (21) and great-grandchildren. I am also planning to interview them on Monday to get some video footage to include in the movie.
Thats where I need some great ideas....
What kinds of questions should I ask them??
"Tell me about a time when you went on a special vacation together...."
"Tell me about something really sweet that Gram/Gramps has done for you....."
I thought I could do something clever and ask them questions game-show style....but what???
I need to come up with a game plan ASAP so that I can give them the questions ahead of time. My Gramps wants to prepare!
Why did I wait this stinking long to get on this??!! (Oh yeah, grad school)
Why haven't I spent more time learning iMovie? (Oh yeah, grad school)
Did I mention that I am making DVDs of my imovie for each family member?!! I think it is going to be the coolest memento!! I am really excited about how it will turn out :)
Thanks in advance for any awesome idea/questions you can help me think up!
First of all, that must be your mom's mom because they look very much alike from that picture.
You could ask them what is the secret of staying together (and hopefully happy) for all these years. Maybe ask them if there was a time if they ever thought they weren't going to make it. And maybe you already know the answer to this but ask them how they met. Try and compare some of the costs associated with dating or life back then to what they are today. Ask them what they have seen/remember in their lifetime together. They have seen it all! WWII had ended a few years prior to them getting married. The Korean War and Vietnam, landing on the moon (if that really happened--don't get me started :)), the 1st color television, JFK and MLK assassination, etc. Hope this helps!
Posted by: Dana Sterner | June 26, 2008 at 10:13 PM
The thing that popped into my mind was the Newlywed Game. Give them posterboards and markers, ask them silly questions, and see what they come up with. You could get them each to write down their answers with you beforehand, and then do the actual "show" with everyone there, and then include it on the DVD later. Could be lots of fun!
I like the idea of including things like cost of living, and little details like that! I love when my grandparents talk about when they met, and how they dated, too.
Posted by: Jessica | June 27, 2008 at 07:25 AM
I love all of the suggestions you have received so far... I'd ask questions about how they met, where their first date was, their fav restaurant/places to go, how they stayed happy for so long... because down the road, your kids and your kids kids may ask these questions and Gram/Gramps may not be around to answer them... Think of it from that standpoint. There's a lot that you may already know about them, but it would be nice to document them too.
Posted by: Dana | June 27, 2008 at 09:09 AM
I completely agree with Dana's comment...
their courtship, where they went on dates, memories from that time, etc...
My aunt & I interviewed my grandparents for their 50th...I'll have to locate that piece of paper and see if I can add any more suggestions. I'll look this weekend :)
Posted by: sarah | June 27, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Awesome! 60 years is great! I bet your movie will be wonderful! Have a great lil family reunion! We'll be in the cities first weekend in August shooting a wedding. :)
Have managed to stay away since February. :)
Posted by: Lisa's Chaos | June 27, 2008 at 08:25 PM
How sweet :) What a great thing you are doing for them! I just glanced through the previous answers & am not sure if anyone suggested these; 'best bit of maritial advice anyone has ever offered you' & 'what bit of maritial advice would you like to pass along'? Most couples married that long usually have cute answers like never going to bed angry. Please let us know how it turned out.
Posted by: Lina | June 28, 2008 at 05:21 AM
Ok, i didn't read what everyone else wrote. but I definately think you should ask them how they met, what they did for their first date, maybe how much gas cost when they were dating? ;)
Posted by: Mel | June 29, 2008 at 09:56 PM
Both of my grandparents have passed away and for Christmas 2 years ago my older sister and I put together a movie DVD with pictures from their childhood on up through until they passed away including their obituaries for everyone.
It turned out Beautiful but was so much work and time! Good Luck!
On the questions maybe ask how he proposed and questions about when they were dating. I always loved to hear stories like that from my grandma.
Posted by: Denise H. | July 01, 2008 at 09:57 AM