Surprises are a great way to show someone how much you care, but it can be difficult or tricky to have a surprise work out. This is especially the case when it comes to a surprise birthday party. It generally results in them figuring it out, and the element of surprise being lost. The following is a look at how to properly host a surprise birthday party:
First, address the why: Surprise parties are a lot of fun, but should be reserved for milestone birthday’s. While this makes them more predictable, it also means having a greater turn out, and a bigger reason to celebrate. Sweet sixteen’s, over the hill, etc. are all great examples of birthdays that may warrant a surprise party.
The next thing to consider is the invites: It can be difficult to obtain a guest list for the person you are throwing the party for, let alone addresses, etc. for sending out invites. So, either prepare far in advance so you have the time to stealthily gather this info, or go with a simple invite such as a text message, a phone call, or an email or facebook message. In addition, in many cases, because you have no way of getting certain people’s information without tipping the person off, it is best to let guests you do invite know that they are welcome to invite other whom they think the guest of honor might enjoy having there. This is especially useful if you are hosting a sweet sixteen or teen’s party and may be unfamiliar with the people they hang out with at school, but don’t talk to on the phone, or have over.
The next thing to worry about is the food: there are two worries here, one is that you have the right amount, and the other is that you do not make it obvious. If you all of the sudden have tons of party food in your house, they may catch on. So, buy foods that do not require refrigeration, so that they can be easily hidden, and buy foods that will not go bad quickly if unused. For example, candies, chips, cookies, etc. all make great surprise party foods because you can over-buy and not be stuck with something that is going to go bad quickly.
Next, you want to decorate. This is especially important because when the person walks into the room, and are surprised, they need to have environmental cues to help them realize what is going on, while their brain has a chance to catch up. Balloons, streamers, signs, etc. are all great choices.
The element of surprise: the most essential part of hosting a surprise party is having the guests in place before the guest of honor arrives. This means cars need to be parked out of sight, and guest should be told to come a half hour before the arrival of the birthday person, in order to allow for late comers. This means, if the birthday boy or girl is going to be there at 7, the guests should show up by 6: 30. In addition, for it to be a surprise, the birthday person has to be out and away from the house or location of the party before it starts, so things can be set up, and have a reason to be there when it is supposed to start. So, get someone in on it with you to get the person out, and back on time, and swear everyone to secrecy.
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