How do you go about planning a surprise party—especially when the guest of honor is a Sherlock Holmes-level detective who seems to know your every move and what you are planning before you even think it? A person like, say, my mom. (Don’t moms always seem to know when you are trying to keep something up your sleeve?)We recently decided to throw a surprise birthday party for my mom and invited our family and 25 of her closest friends. And it almost went off without a hitch. Almost.
So, today I thought I would share a few tips for throwing a surprise party—with these helpful hints you can keep yourself sane, and who knows, maybe you can also keep the surprise party… a surprise.
1. Choose a theme or color scheme that reflects your honorary guest
My style would be a quiet blush and white party with an abundance of pale pink blooms, but my mom has a very colorful personality and “fiesta” colors are her favorite. From bright bold blues and greens to hot pinks and yellows, the bright (somewhat sassy) colors of a Fiesta theme fit her personality perfectly. Since we had already ordered catered food from a Mexican restaurant, it seemed like a fitting choice for decorations. Be sure to incorporate your honorary guest’s preferences, not your own. This is not your party!
Photo by French Country Cottage
2. Add something fun and personal
Add something fun like an oversized framed photo of the birthday girl or boy, a die-cut banner with their name, or a collage. After going through boxes of photos, my sister printed off two poster-sized boards to show my mom through the years, from baby photos up to recent years. These posters were a huge hit with guests and with my mom.
Photo by French Country Cottage
3. Choose a location that is easy to decorate ahead of time
Because it was a surprise party, we needed a spot to decorate and set up ahead of time, to bring the catered food, and hide the guests that were going to arrive before my mom. Choose a friend’s house, a relative’s house, or even a park, and then come up with a good excuse as to why your honorary guest needs to be there.
Photo by French Country Cottage
4. Keep it quiet
This is the hardest thing about a surprise party: keeping it quiet!
My daughter and I were setting up the day of the party with my stepdad at the secret location when my mom noticed that something was missing from the garage. After thinking about it, she realized it was the folding tables. (Sherlock Holmes, right?) She figured out that something was going on and that we were knee-deep in it; the cat was out of the bag. But she didn’t realize that we had invited all of her friends, so that was a surprise.
Moral of the story? If your party is for a professional detective, don’t move anything from the house. Even if it is in the garage and you think no one will notice. They will!
But after all the crazy planning, the decorating, and the food, the surprise birthday party was a big success. We loved seeing my mom and her friends enjoying themselves for an afternoon together.
What about you? Have you ever thrown a surprise party for anyone? What are your tips?
Courtney writes the blog French Country Cottage where she shares lifestyle and entertaining inspirations and the ongoing renovations of her 1940’s cottage.
