I don’t care how old you are, it is always ok to be extra on your birthday. Don’t feel bad for wanting to celebrate yourself, on your birthday. One thing that I have learned is that the more clear you are about what you want, the less of a chance there is for you to be disappointed. So many people wait on the people around them to get the hint of how they want to be celebrated and well meaning people sometimes just don’t get the clue. All of a sudden your birthday comes and goes and you feel like its just another year. If that’s what you want that is fine but for me that was not acceptable!! I want to recognize each year of my life with excitement and thankfulness and I want to do it surrounded by the people that I love.
So I began to plan my own birthdays and since I have made that shift I have had the greatest birthdays!!!
So here is just a little how to, to help you have an unforgettable Birthday or throw one for someone that you want to make feel special.
BIRTHDAY PARTY TO DO LIST
- Don’t be a afraid to host your own party (there aint no shame in that) or find someone that will help you and throw it for you! It is probably better to recruit someone that knows you very well so that they will be able to handle details without having to ask you for a ton of help!
- Decide on a budget so that you don’t over spend on un necessary things!
- Pick a theme!!!! This is Huge because it adds flare to any event and it gives people the chance to get creative. It also makes any event that you do more memorable. When I have themed parties people always get excited about being apart of it. It can be simple and just be more of the decorative theme like this year was my GOLDEN birthday. So not everyone has to participate. But I have done ones in the past that required everyone’s participation. See pictures below. Picking a theme also helps you with being able to pick your location and guest list which is why its one of the first things you do.
(From left to right: Golden Birthday Theme, Masquerade Theme, Funky Hat Theme)
- Based off of your theme pick your guest list. Whether you are trying to host a big shindig or an intimate dinner is your choice. For me if its something I know will be more fun with Just ladies I go for that and that allows me to keep the list smaller.
- Pick your activity/activities. There could be multiple layers to your evening. Its always great to start with dinner and maybe that is all you are doing for the evening so pick a place that has more space and will comfortably fit your group for a longer dinner. But if you plan for an activity before or after then it is not going to be where you spend the bulk of your time so you can just pick something simple. There are tons of things that you can do that are a blast for groups.
Examples: Karaoke, Escape Room, Bowling, Painting party, Skating, Dancing, night of board games, bon fire, pool party, scavenger hunt, picnics, baseball game, party bus and so much more.
(My friend Manda, Me, and My Sister Morgan at OffKey Karaoke on my birthday!)
- Pick your date this could very when you are trying to pick your location
- Pick your Locations and make all necessary arrangements with booking. If there is cost involved with a location you are trying to book and it is over your budget then don’t be afraid to have you party pitch in if it is within reason once people have pitched in. It’s always ok for people to have to pay their own way for a night out as long as you are being considerate that people may be operating under a budget.
- Create invites! These do not have to be fancy, there are actually a lot of great options with email invites or facebook invites these days.
- Decide on any food/ desserts that you will be having and make the arrangements for this. Whether you are just planning out food to make it yourself or you are needing to place orders for food/cake.
- Figure out how you are going to decorate. This varies greatly with your location and activity. If you are just having a dinner party this is a great opportunity to get creative and have some beautiful decorations. If you are heading off to an activity there is probably very little that you will need to do regarding this. If you party is pretty mobile then maybe get some props and put them in a big bag to carry to your different locations for a pop up style photo booth!
- This is mainly for the Ladies! Find your outfit! I know this seems silly but make sure you think about what you want to wear. How much do you want to stand out? I am the dramatic person that always goes for the wow affect so I always have vision for how I want to look. But if you have no idea than you always have the option of using google or pinterest as a tool to help you in this area. Be specific in your searches, you will be surprised that you can find a lot of inspiration by doing this. Also try not to wait until the last minute, you want to feel confident and happy with your outfit of choice.
- Choose your crew; and what I mean by this is choose the people that can help you make everything happen. We all have those people that are super helpful and can always execute your vision. It is so important that you do this part because if you get stuck having to do all of this on your own it will cause you unnecessary stress and you wont truly be able to enjoy the night.
- Create a to do list on your phone of last minute things that need to be done as well as writing out the order of events so that you can stay organized.
-Double check reservations and confirm with them any specific details that you need to have them execute for you.
- Confirm any food orders that you have made and confirm pick up person and time. - If possible give people a rough estimate of how much money they will be spending for the evening and have them bring cash. This makes things go smoother and quicker, especially at dinner.
***ITS TIME TO PARTY***
So get ready , and don’t be afraid to shamelessly celebrate. You are worth it!! I know that every time I have one of my birthday parties that I am enjoying it but I also know that I am creating for everyone with me a night to remember.
The Icing On Top
-Always thank your party for coming and being apart of your night, you want people to know you appreciate their time and wanting to celebrate with you.
-Consider writing thank you notes for anyone that helped make the night happen for you and to anyone that ended up bringing you a gift!
Leave some comments below and let me know if you used this list, have other ideas, etc.
I would love to hear from you!