Hello all just love this site i am hooked

Help please my parents are celebrating their 56th wedding aniversary on the 29th and i need some ideas.[ For a cake]
This will be their last together as my dad has cancer[ just found out ] and not long now
So we want to make this a very special family get together for them.
But i need some ideas my brain is in a fog ???????
My mom loves her garden and flowers my dad used to work for the railroad and loves his woodworking [ if this helps any ] They also traveled some in the states ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all so much .
have a great day
lou

so sorry to hear about your dad. Maybe you could do a replica of their wedding cake. Or do icing images of their life together.

I am sorry about your Dad.
I like the wdding cake replica idea, too.
Also, and I wish I could remember if I saw it on here or another website, this person does sheet cakes to look like a life quilt. The cake is divided into quilt square and a picture/symbol of the person(s) life is in each square... wedding day, houses, children, hobbies, trips etc. I thought that is such a cool idea.!

the seeds of today
are the gardens of tomorrrow
where'er we travel
what'er we build
despite life's passing shadows
God's blessing flowers anew.

fifty-six years as one
our seeds we have sown
and now they are grown
we've traveled and built
a most happy life
let us be free of guilt
as loving man and wife

there's a few tasks left
a room to prepare,
and a garden to hoe
so we'll soon be there
when we're ready go
sweet heaven awaits
a place most blest
God's gift, His best.

-------------
I'm not leaving.
I'm going ahead
your garden to till
our room to prepare.

When life here is over
It's only begun up there.
Our love will endure
forever and ever.

Oh, Doug...

Did you come up with that yourself?

If so, wow.

Just...

wow.

I, too am so sorry about your Dad. My dad was a railroad man, too. Those men love trains... What about a train that is full of flowers? Like coming out of one of the cars? Maybe a train to Glory?

I am sorry to hear about your father.
And Doug, that was a beautiful poem!
I like the idea of a replica of their wedding cake- and the topper could be a small framed photo of a picture of them on their wedding day. That is what we did for my grandparents 45th (??) wedding anniversary and they absolutely loved it! They kept a the topper picture and placed it next to a photo of them cutting the cake with that topper. They cherished both, and my grandmother used to keep them that way long after she lost my grandfather shortly before their 50th anniversary.

So sorry to hear you dad has cancer. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I like the quilt idea.

Doug, that made me cry. I hope your happy.

For my grandparents' 50th, we put their original cake topper (she still had it) on a cake that looked like a regular wedding cake, but with gold highlights - since it was their "Golden Anniversary". (The topper was so neat - the "groom" was dressed in an Army uniform and it had little American flags on either side. They married in 1944.)

Thank you all for thoughts and prayers. Doug you made me cry i just loved your poem . Such thoughfullness and such heart .
Thank you for the ideas love them all. Now i will just have to decide
I just love this site everyone is so thoughtfull and caring . Wonderfull wonderfull bunch of people .
May GOD bless you all.
lou

a sketch of the image in my mind...

that's supposed to be tiger lillies, hollihocks, sunflowers and roses in the background.

(last verse)

so just listen for the whistle
heaven's train comes again
my hand on the throttle as it rounds the bend
I'm comin' for my sweety, and takin' her home
riden the rails of salvation, happiness without end.

Wilton has a cake stand called "Tailored Tiers Cake Display". You can make a tiered silver, gold, and white cake and use double stick tape to attach family photos to the Cake Display. There is a picture of a similar cake in Wilton's 2007 yearbook on page 21. This could bring back some old memories by photos..and the silver, white,and gold layers could incorporate the anniversary theme.

I like the idea of putting family photos on the cake. Just scan them and crop them and laminate them. Over the years I have done lots of cakes, then for my mother-in-law I did a cake with just laminated pictures of her children and grandchildren and it's the cake she loved the best!

Doug's poem was very, very beautiful; but it sounds like too much of a goodbye for a celebration of their anniversary. Keep the occasion happy. And take lots of pictures that day! Make sure you get a picture of your dad with everybody who is there.

The quilt idea is really awesome.

i am so sorry to hear about ur dad , i know from personal experiance with cancer it is hard but u could do a 9 x13 do a railroad track going across the cake with buttercream flowers like the ones she has in her garden growing along side the track with that beautiful poem doug wrote.. best wish's
Lisa

So sorry to hear about your dad...
I think the idea that was posted earlier of the train with flowers is a wonderful idea... flowers in the cars?

Doug

You are a wiz with the sketches. I wish I had those skills so I could draw out all my future cake designs.

I am so sorry to hear about your father. I really like the quilt idea as well as the train full of flowers...
Doug, you are a very talented man and thoughtful for writing such a lovely poem.

I'm very sorry to hear about your father

Since it's already 4 days before the event, I'm sure you've decided already on a design- but I just had a thought- one of my German uncles is a collector of trains and his setup upstairs is AMAZING - takes up half the room LOL- anyway, crazy insane idea that is probably way too complicated but what about a train scene with lots of greenery/flowers around it/inside the track?

or have the flowers in the train as was suggested earlier.

Be sure to let us know what your final design decision... Then post pics too!! Good luck and I sure whatever you pick will beautiful because of the thought and love that is going into this....~Tonja

Just an update on the cake all
Everything was a hit .
Did quilt cake with pictures of their lives on it [ slab cake]
also did small replica of their wedding cake with small train around the base with flowers in the box cars . couldn't decide so did it all
They just loved it all .
Sorry i cannot post pictures yet but when i can i will do so .
Just wanted to thank you allllllllllllllll so much again just love this site everyone is so friendly and helpfull. Doug thank you again too for the lovely poem .
thanks all
lou

I am so glad that it came out good... I bet they loved it...~Tonja

I'm so sorry about your dad, I know it is hard. I went through this a year and 1/2 ago. With a 50th and above, I like making a tiered wedding cake cake with an off white color icing. You could add all of your mom's favorite flowers. Have you ever done gumpaste flowers? Well if you do, your mom can save these flowers for her to put in a china cabinet and remember this special day. Be sure to take lots of pictures for her.

I'll keep you in my prayers. When my dad passed on, I was so worried about my mom that I let my health deteriorate by not allowing myself the time to grieve. God be with your family.
Vicky

Sorry,
Didn't read through to see that it was already done. I'm glad it turned out great for you.
Vicky

So sorry to hear about your dad, I bet you definitely want this to be very special for him, your mom and for you as well. I think I like the photos idea. I have seen a few done differently. You could do a book cake and laminate photos (there is one in the 2003 yearbook) Or you could get those tailored tiers (or whatever they are called ) and put photos inside of that (there is a pic of that type of cake in the wilton tiered cakes book)

OOPs, sorry I didnt see that you had already finished it. I am glad it was a hit!

My prayers to you and your family! So glad that your cakes were such a hit! Can't wait to see the pics!! Thanks, Doug, for making me cry!! Hey, Did you take your computer on vacation? You are supposed to be taking it easy!! How is your nephews cake coming?? Did your sis decide??