Surprise Party

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Planning a surprise birthday party takes some secrecy and just a little bit of trickery to pull off the perfect surprise. While any type of party is fun, there are a few elements that are essential to planning a birthday surprise. The following tips will help you keep the surprise and plan a birthday party that the guest of honor will enjoy. Planning the Party It is great to have an accomplice when planning a surprise birthday party. Although it is not impossible to keep the party a secret and plan all of the elements by yourself, having a helper who does not live in the same house as the guest of honor makes it that much easier.

If you have someone off-site to help, it is easier to store party supplies, decorate the party venue, and receive responses from guests without the birthday guy or girl discovering your secret. Like all parties, the best surprise birthday parties have a theme that relates to what the guest of honor likes.

If they are casual, have a barbeque in the backyard or even a luau. If they are interested in good food, book the party at a nice restaurant that they have not tried. While the big reveal is the main focus of the fun, have something for guests to do afterward. Depending on the type of party, this can be dinner, games, swimming, or dancing.

Keeping the Surprise The most important element in this type of party is the surprise itself.

It is notoriously difficult to get all of the party guests to keep the secret, but it can be done. A surprise birthday invitation should make it very clear that this is a big secret and that you are counting on them not to tell the guest of honor. This way, there will be no mysterious phone messages that the birthday boy or girl might intercept. Particularly if it is an important or milestone birthday, keeping the party a surprise can be difficult. This way, the guest of honor thinks that their birthday is being remembered and will not suspect that a larger surprise birthday party is being planned.

Another way to keep the element of surprise is to hold the party either before or after the actual birthday, or hold it at an unusual time. While the birthday girl may be suspicious of an outing in the evening, she will not be expecting a birthday brunch or afternoon picnic. On the Big Day The day of the party is the time to ask your accomplice for extra help.

It is a great idea to plan the surprise birthday around something that is routine in order to not arouse suspicion. If the birthday girl always takes a dance class at a certain time, arrange for the guests to be at her house when she arrives home. If the birthday boy always goes out with the guys on Friday night, arrange for the party to be at their usual hangout.

One thing to remember is to have the guests dress in the same way the guest of honor will be dressed. You do not want your birthday girl arriving home to a formal party while she is dressed in sweatpants. The person coordinating the guests needs to be sure that all of the guests have arrived at least a half-hour before the guest of honor is due. It is always awkward to have a guest caught at the front door, and struggle to explain why they are there—and even more difficult, to explain why they are holding a present. While it is great to decorate the venue so that it makes a big impact, be sure that no decorations can be seen from outside.

Helium balloons floating on the ceiling, crepe paper flowing through the room, and confetti ready to be thrown all make the surprise that much more memorable. If the birthday boy or girl is a really good sport, you can give all of the guests a can of Silly String to be launched as the surprise is announced. Some surprise birthday parties have each guest holding a mask that is a life-sized photo of the guest of honor with eyeholes cut out of it. There is no surprise like walking into a room full of look-alikes!

Birthday Surprise Ideas While homes and restaurants are traditional venues for surprise birthdays, here are a few more unusual ideas. A fun and quiet surprise where the party comes to the guest of honor— appropriate for those who might scare easily — is the Table for Two party. However, keep in mind that even if you don't have a theme, the party can still rock!

It'll be a bit more casual and for that reason, likely less suspicious.

Your party-person could wander in and not even realize they've wandered into a party for them! What's more, if there isn't a theme, your guest of honor will be able to fit right in, not having prepared anything themselves. You essentially have two options: Here's what to consider: This is easier to manage, people can keep their mouths shut, and it creates a more intimate environment easier to book at restaurants, etc. However, it's less impressive and more people might be upset that they're not invited.

Planning The Perfect Surprise Birthday Party

This is harder to manage and coordinate, the word might slip out, it's harder to get a space, but in the end, your party person might be floored by seeing everyone they love in one room alternatively, they could be overwhelmed, depending on their personality. The hardest part about a surprise party is making sure your guest of honor doesn't find out, people you don't want there don't find out, no one else makes plan with your party person, and other people aren't hurt they're not coming. To avoid these issues as much as possible, tell people individually, face-to-face, over the phone, or via a personalized email.

This way it's not a large group thing that everyone is buzzing about, ruining everything. Having a one-on-one talk is better for a plethora of reasons: If they have any questions, they'll come to you later, and not starting talking to other people. Keep in mind that you may have to lie to some people — those that you think may blab the secret.

But don't think of it as lying! Think of it as protecting the integrity of your party. Tell them that you're doing a dinner or night out, but don't tell them there's a big deal behind it. However, tell them it's only a few people, so don't mention it. This way, they'll have no reason to talk about it. Make plans with the guest of honor.

For a Girl’s Night Out, or In!

No, that doesn't mean, "Hey, party for you next Friday! It doesn't really matter what it is, just make sure they're dressed appropriately! Tell others not to, too. This is where it gets tricky — even if some people aren't invited, you may want to tell them not to make plans with your party person.

Let them know you're doing something with them for their big day that day just a small thing to keep their schedule clear. Have one of their best friends help you. Taking a surprise party all on your own shoulders is a lot to ask — it can get very, very stressful quickly. To help spread the weight, have one of their best friends help you with the organization. Besides, you'll need someone to be with the guest of honor while you wrangle up the guests!

Surprise party (disambiguation)

Be sure it's someone who's actually close to them. If you choose someone who's not really interested, they could be late, make the wrong suggestions, or blab to people you don't want knowing. Get all the supplies, decorations, and food you'll need. If you're doing it at someone's home, you'll need to take care of everything from decorations to food to party activities, if any. If it's at a restaurant, provide a few minimal decorations, like a few balloons or party favors.

If it's a themed party, that'll make choosing decorations and food a little easier fewer options. Just make sure you have some hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and, for a birthday party, a cake! Pick a safe place to stockpile the supplies. If he or she opens your fridge and it's stockpiled to the brim, you may have to field some questions. So get an off-site location like a friend's house the party person won't go to to store everything.

The day of the party, bring everything in. This includes correspondence stuff, too. Don't leave a message with someone else where the person can find it! Re-confirm with all the guests. The night before, re-confirm the details with all their friends by text messaging or calling.

Get In Touch

Don't send them an e-mail, in case they might not check their e-mail that day. Call them and let them know any extra buzz. At this time, you may want to tell any guests you fibbed to of the actual details of the event.

Just say you wanted to be sure it was kept a secret — there's no way they can argue with that! The day of, set up the location for the party. To keep it simple, set up everything for the party the day of.

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This way if the party person happens to drop by, you won't go scurrying to hide anything. Give yourself extra time in case anything goes wrong or is forgotten. Have guests who are bringing items like a dish come even earlier, if they can. They can also go run an extra errand if need be, while you can continue setting up.

Have everyone arrive an hour early to the party. If your party starts at 7, have all the guests be there by 6. People are always late to parties — this way, everyone will be together by 6: You'll have a few people who are actually punctual. For them, make sure you have some food and drinks ready on time so they're not left bored and hungry. Have one person with the guest of honor and one person with all the attendees. This is why having their best friend helping you out will be a life saver. They can have the person with them, going and doing whatever the cover plan was, and you can correspond with them — they should let you know when they're on their way, etc.

You can then manage the party and the guests. Make sure they keep you posted on how things are going and how far away they are. This way when you get a text that says, "10 minutes! Make sure everyone understands the big reveal. Some people choose to go with the standard lights off, hide-behind-couches surprise. Other people choose to pretend it's just a normal party and let the person find out when they see their name on the cake.

However you choose, be sure all the guests are on the same page. Make sure all the logistics are covered. Can your friend get in? Make sure the door is unlocked so you don't have to ruin it by coming to the door in a dark room. Will parking be an issue? Is anyone in the bathroom as the party person is walking up the stairs? Your well-planned party has gone off without a hitch!

Did they have any idea? Even if they did, they'll feel incredibly loved and appreciate all the work you went to.

You make fake plans with them. For example, invite them over to watch a movie. That way you know they will be available for the party. Not Helpful 13 Helpful Get another teacher you trust to help you; have the other teacher keep the party recipient out of the classroom until the time of the party. Not Helpful 7 Helpful Ask as many people as you can for help.

Assign everyone jobs e. Not Helpful 15 Helpful That depends on what your father likes. If he is a sports fan, for exampe, you could make his favorite team or sport the theme. Invite his family, and maybe a couple of his friends, and assign everyone a job. There are also many decorations with 'Happy Birthday' and other birthday-themed ones if you want to go simple with your party. Not Helpful 9 Helpful How do I keep the guest of honor from knowing when she lives with me? If possible, have the party outside of your home.

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