/jennifer-garner-395e1c9356224a178dfc813685d86cea.jpg)
Jennifer Garner‘s 50th birthday bash was one for the books — she would know, as she threw it herself!
The actress celebrated her milestone birthday back in April, and opened up about the festivities to Town & Country in a cover interview for the publication’s November Philanthropy Issue.
“I basically had a wedding for myself,” Garner said with a laugh, adding that she was “shocked that [she was the one] doing it.”
The Adam Project star went on to say that she and her guests danced to “Rocky Top” by the Osborne Brothers, and that she “put everyone to work” for the sake of charity.
How so? As part of her birthday celebration, the Once Upon a Farm co-founder asked guests to fill 5,000 backpacks each with enough food to feed a family of four, in support of the Blessings in a Backpack program.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
The month before her birthday, Garner told Extra that her extended family would be visiting to help celebrate the occasion — which also happened to fall on Easter this year.
“I turn 50 … yeah, Easter Sunday. My family has tickets to come out. My parents and my sisters, nieces and nephews. I don’t know what we’ll do, but I can’t wait,” said Garner, who grew up in West Virginia.
Among the fellow celebs to wish Garner a happy birthday when the big day arrived were Reese Witherspoon, Rita Wilson, Maria Shriver and Ina Garten.
Ahead of her birthday celebrations, the Yes Day star also got quite the surprise from legendary singer Donny Osmond.
“He took an hour and a half of his day to sit with me, sing my favorites, and to give me a master class on how to be a class act. Thank you, Donny. 💜,” Garner captioned a video of the sweet moment.
RELATED VIDEO: Jennifer Garner Joins Ex Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez While Trick-or-Treating with Kids in Malibu
Garner was previously married to Scott Foley from 2000 to 2004, and Ben Affleck from 2005 to 2018.
Affleck, 50, tied the knot with Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas in July. The following month, they celebrated their nuptials during a weekend of festivities in Georgia.
And while Garner was not in attendance at the Georgia event — the actress was in South Carolina at the time, as seen in photos obtained by TMZ — the exes’ children were part of the celebration.
Garner and Affleck share daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13, plus son Samuel, 10.
