Jennifer Garner celebrated her 50th birthday in a big way—putting her charitable work and her happiness at the forefront.

In a cover story interview for Town & Country, the 13 Going On 30 star revealed she marked the occasion, on April 17, by throwing herself a beautiful spring bash.

"I basically had a wedding for myself," she said.

The mom of three—known for her low-key personality, love of the outdoors, funny cooking videos, and casual style—admitted, "I was so shocked that I was doing it."

But in true fashion, Garner also found a way, amid the partying, to help a good cause. The actress participated with the program Blessings in a Backpack and asked her guests to fill 5,000 backpacks with enough food to feed a family of four.

Of being labeled one of the "nice" stars in Hollywood for her constant caring acts, Garner told the magazine, "I have no reason not to be nice. My life is lovely."

"I'm not always just nice. I can also be salty, and I can be taciturn, or I can be really serious about what I want to get done," she added. "It's not that I feel I'm underestimated in that way—I'm not afraid to stand up for myself and say, 'Just so you know, this isn't going to fly with me.' When that happens, I don't want you to be shocked that I'm a real person."

Garner's comment about her faux "wedding" birthday party for herself comes three months after her ex-husband Ben Affleck married on-and-off love Jennifer Lopez in a surprise Las Vegas chapel wedding and, later, in a lavish ceremony at his Georgia estate.

Garner has not commented on her ex's newly married status, but she seems to be amicably co-parenting with Affleck, as they were both seen enjoying a pool day with son Samuel following Affleck and Lopez's first wedding.

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.