A surprise birthday party is a fun way to celebrate the honoree’s day. To pull off this feat, you’ll need to plan ahead and keep your secret until the big day arrives. In this post, we’ll show you how to put together a great party for any occasion!
1. Party theme
Think about what the guest of honor likes. For example, if they like toys, then throw a party with that theme. Or if they like stories, then throw a party based on their favorite story. If you want to surprise your girlfriend, choose a theme based on her favorite movie and tell the guests to dress as characters from the film
- Plan your party to make it about the theme. It helps if you do this at a place that matches the theme, like a beach, or with decorations that match the theme. Serve food and drinks that are about the theme and offer guests souvenirs to remember your party by.
2. Party location
You need to choose the location for your party. You can have it almost anywhere as long as there is enough room for all of the guests. If you want a big surprise party, you might want to rent a community hall. But if you want a small, personal party with just a dozen people, you could have it at a nice restaurant.
- It can be hard to know where the party should be. You could have it at the honoree’s house, your place, a restaurant, or somewhere they are not expecting.
- If you’re going to rent a space for an event, be sure to know what type of sound systems they have. You’ll also want to get information about their policies on food and decor.
3. Select a date for the party
When you have a party, you need to pick a date and time. You could do it on the person’s birthday, but it might be better if you do it one or two days before their birthday. This way more people can come and they will be surprised even more. You need to choose an hour and day that work for most of the guests who are coming. The person whose birthday is being celebrated also needs to be available at that time.
- If the person you are planning a party for tells you that they already have plans on the date that you want to plan it, then you will need to change your party date.
- Throw the surprise party earlier than their birthday. People might think you forgot their birthday if you do it after.
4. Make a list of refreshments to serve
People at a party expect to eat food. You can serve birthday party treats like punch, cookies, and cupcakes for kids or easy-to-eat foods for adults. If you don’t want to cook food or have it catered, you can have the party at a restaurant.
- The food at a party depends on when the party is. For example, if your surprise birthday party is after work, people will want to eat something. If the party is in the afternoon on a weekend, people can just have drinks and appetizers.
5. Count the number of guest
Think about who the person is and how they like to act. Then decide if you want a small party or a big party. If they’re not outgoing, you could plan a small party for them with their closest friends and family. If they love meeting people, you could have a bigger party for them.
- It might be good to ask another person to help you plan the surprise party, especially if they are really excited about the idea.
6. Invite the guests to your party
Invite your guests. Make a list of them and then invite them to the party on social media or by phone. Tell them that they won’t know about the party until they get there because it is a surprise for the guest of honor.
- Decide if you want to ask guests for gifts or help with food and drinks. You can also do both.
7. Honoree’s place for the party
If you are having the party at the honoree’s house, you need to wait until they are gone and then decorate quickly. You will want to use simple decorations that don’t take a long time to put up. Keep decorations away from windows that the person could look into as they walk in to the party room.
- If you do not have much time to decorate, first decorate the room that will be used the most. Then you can do other rooms when you have time.
8. Decorate the party at different place
You can decorate for a party at another space. If you’re not hosting the party in your honoree’s home, you can set up decorations before the party and put them in place when guests arrive. Decorate with decorations from the theme of the party or your honoree’s favorite colors. Put decorations on the hallway leading to where people will be entertained so as not to give away what is inside.
- Before other guests arrive, ask a few of them to help you set up decorations.
9. Share the party details
Once guests RSVP, call them or leave more information on their social media page(the honoree can’t see this). Tell them where to park, where to put gifts or food when they arrive, any costume requirements and an exact time that they need to show up for the party (usually about 30 minutes before the big surprise).
- If you have a party and want to keep it a secret, don’t tell too many people about it. Then the person who is being honored will not know about the surprise.
10. Chaperone for the honoree
Pick a chaperone to help you plan the surprise party. They can distract and redirect the honoree until it is time for the party. Make sure that they are a person who is comfortable with the honoree, such as their spouse or best friend.
- When you are at the birthday party, tell the person who is in charge that if you need help, they should stall for more time. Or if you need the honoree to leave, they should leave right away.
11. Arrange fake event to make more surprise
Plan a fake event to distract the guest of honor. If you plan a different event that they know about, it will be easier for them to not suspect anything. For example, tell the guest that they are going out for dinner or an activity with someone else. They won’t get suspicious if you already have something planned.
- If you are planning the surprise party at home, the person who is organizing it should take the honoree on a fun outing. They should not let them go back home until the arrangement is completed.
- It’s important that the person you are giving a surprise party to is dressed in a way that will match the party. For example, if the party is fancy dress, then make sure that the honoree wears something similar like fancy dress too.
12. Check the checklist before the party starts
Before the party starts, make a list of all the things you need to do. Make sure that you have everything that is needed. Ask your guests to help if they can. Use your checklist so you know what tasks are done and which ones are still left undone.
- For example, give one person the task of turning on the lights and music when the honoree enters. Or ask guests to be lookouts for when they show up.
13. Share the core plane of surprise with guests
You should tell the guests of the birthday party what they should do. Tell them to come in a jumping out yelling, “Surprise, Happy birthday!”
14. Getting the Guest of Honor
Ask the honoree to help by saying the party is for someone else
If you want to really distract someone, ask them to plan a surprise party for someone else. That way, they will not be able to focus on their own party. You could invite the honoree and meet them in a room that is not decorated yet. When you are ready for the surprise, lead them into the party room.
- For instance, if the party is at your house, decorate the main location and request the honoree to meet you by the back of your house. Then when you are ready, lead them into the party room.
15. Make excuse fort the honoree
If you are the chaperone for your friend’s surprise birthday party, you might need to tell them that you “accidentally forgot” something important and need to go back to the house.
- This technique will only make surprise if the party is at your house or the honoree’s house.
16. Take the honoree to an errand
You want to ask the person you are going to surprise on an errand. So, before you go, find out where they are and then go there. You want to make sure that they agree to do this favor for you first though. You can tell them that it is a short errand or something like that.
- For example, you could go to the restaurant and stay for a while. After a few minutes, say: “I left my jacket there. Do you mind if we go inside so I can get it?”
17. Plan for heads up
It can be hard to get a party started. To ease this, contact the host of the party 10 minutes before you arrive. If you think that someone will notice, tell them to post a guest near the entrance so they can alert others that you are coming.
- You will want to give people who are coming to the party a heads up. If you throw balloons, confetti, or glitter in the air, then everyone might see it. You might want to do it when no one else is there and just surprise them.
Planning a surprise party is no easy task. You need to have the guest of honor be there, but you also want them to be surprised by all that’s going on around them. It can seem like an impossible feat, so we’ve put together this blog post with tips and tricks for organizing your own special event! From picking out a theme to keeping it secret from the honoree until they show up at their party location, these helpful hints will help make sure nothing goes wrong during your big day. So go ahead and get started planning today – we’ll wait right here for you! 😉
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