Hi again! :) I am hosting a surprise 50th bday party for my mom in August. It will held at her home. This is my first time doing this.. I do know her favorite color is purpule! :) Is it too early to plan? If not, what should be my first steps in preparing? I need help on this..I need to know where to begin and what to leave at the end.. Also, my boyfriends Auntie said she would cook the food. I needed to purchase it though.. So, what else?
If I were throwing a party for my mom at her home, one of my top concerns would be having a crew of volunteers or hiring a cleaner to come in afterwards.
She will be thrilled so have fun planning!
Hi there...thank you Lord for your mother's 50th birthday. No it's not too early to plan. It's better to get started early in case of those unforeseen issues that sometimes pop up. The first thing you want to do is get a head count of who all will be attending. Contact the family so that others can have input or perhaps assist toward the expenses. The menu...what are we having? Your setup...since it's going to be at your mother's house. Your color scheme. Be open for suggestions. I wish you the best.
well for one where are you going to have it? your house, her house a rec center (they rent rooms cheaply) or a hall (more expensive) or outside (weather permitting). that needs to be decided now so that if you rent something it will still be available for the date you want. then decide who is coming that doesnt live near you and will need to fly out our make a trip. tell them about it now so that they can try to get off if thy want to come. if you plan on renting anything else like a tent or clown or chairs then tht needs to be done too. the rest like buying the decorations and deciding what to serve and sending invites can wat until early july. you can make a list and do it all in the beginning or spread it out throught th weeks til party time. two things that should be dont early in july though are sending invites and deciding what food to have there. thn just buy the food when your cook tells you to.
My advice would be: Don't turn down any offers from people who want to help. Assign them something to bring or to do, even if it seems small. (like getting ice). Or tell them you'd love help but you're still getting the details together and you'll call them back when you know more. That way, you've left it open if you need assistance when it gets closer. Having someone else pick up the cake is always a big help.
Hi T.,
I had a surprise 50th party for my dad a few years back and it was a blast! I had it at his house and invited his favorite people. I decided to go with a theme party since this gave me flexibility so I could have something for every age (adults & kids). His theme was western since that what he loves so if you wanted, you could think of what she likes or has always dreamed of (ie. an exotic vacation or 60's music). I got alot of ideas from birthdayparyideas.com,they have a whole part dedicated to 50yr parties, check it out. Have fun!
The hardest part of throwing a surprise party in that person's house is keeping it a surprise. I threw my mom a surprise 50th party while living in her house and was hosting it in her house.
My sister and my mom's best friend took care of preparing/decorating the house. I took my mom to the spa for massages, mani's and pedi's that morning (as her bday gift that several people pitched in to pay for). She had NO CLUE! On the way home she mentioned how she was so relaxed she wanted to take a nap. lol
Your first steps should be figuring out who can do what to help and then how to get her out of the house for everything to be set up and guests to arrive.
I did this. Email or mail a save the date notice now. 4 weeks out, mail the invitations. Include directions. Plan the ruse for getting her out of the house while the food is being set up.
Include in the invitation if it's gifts, no gifts, gag gifts, old photos and memorabilia. Whatever you choose.
She walks in, the surprise goes up and the party starts. Maybe leave a decorative box if people are bringing old photos so she can keep everything from the party in the special box.
It's definitely not too early to start planning. Ask everyone in her life to put together a note about her. It should be something like their favorite memory of her, the funniest thing they can remember, the most touching etc.. and ask them to provide corresponding pictures if they have them, then put it all together in a scrapbook type of thing with space for a guest register at the end. This would be a great way for guests to see other sides of your mom that they haven't known about and it would also be a great keepsake momento for your mom. You could also find a great photo of her and have it blown up for everyone to sign.
As for food, I would recommend going with a potluck style party. Ask everyone to bring their own favorite dish. That takes purchasing and cooking food totally off the agenda for you with the exceptions of items like chips (for the dips people will inevitably bring) drinks, paper plates & cups etc.
I also recommend that you have a toast to your mom prepared for the height of the party. Keep it short, simple and sweet and she'll be thrilled. You don't even have to be sitting down in a formal fashion to do this, just stand up, ask for everyone's attention, raise your glass and speak from your heart.
The rest is easy, just have some of her favorite music playing in the background, lots of people she loves to surround her, some meaningful gifts and plenty of time for people to simply hang out and chat.
Best of luck!
Yeah, this is a good time to plan. Keep guest list simple. It's good you have a color theme already. That makes decorating easy. If you have the space, that's also good. If your aunt will cook, ask her what she'd like to do? Barbecue or finger foods? That gives you a better idea of your budget. Also, if you know your aunt's cooking ability, that helps to plan the number of guests. Then, think entertainment. Does Mom like to be serenaded and to mix and mingle with guests? Does she like board games? Does she like dancing? That determines entertainment. And, of course, budget. Once you've mapped it out in your mind, get invitations together by going through her address book and talking to your aunt. You don't want to invite someone she's no longer speaking to. It's also nice to have a few favors for guests. Candy wrapped with a "Celebrating 50 Years" or something like that might be nice. You can get a ton of ideas at a party store.
