Throwing a birthday party worth celebrating.
Whether you choose to host an elaborate affair with hundreds of guests, or a simple backyard barbecue with a handful of friends and family, an adult birthday party can be an ideal opportunity to let the guest of honor know how much he means to you. While adults don't require supervised activities like children, they will still appreciate contests or similar creative entertainments that allow everyone to participate. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Set a budget for your party. Food and drink will be two of your biggest expenses. According to epicurious.com, most guests will drink two cocktails in the first hour of the party, but about one an hour after that. You should estimate about one pound of food per person if the party will span normal meal hours. Decide if you want to have the party at home, or rent a space such as private dining room at a local restaurant. If you want to keep costs down, consider Sunday brunches, cocktail parties or dessert parties. Other expenses will include decorations, paper products and entertainment. If your party will include contests, budget for prizes.
2. Choose a theme tailored to the birthday celebrant's personal tastes or interests. If she's a science fiction fan, have everyone dress as their favorite alien. If she loves dance music, decorate the party space as a disco, complete with strobe lights, a shimmering ball hanging from the ceiling and lots of gold streamers. If the birthday celebrant is turning 60, pay tribute to the 1960s. Throw a dance contest so that guests can show off their twists and watusis. Hang posters from classic films from that decade. Serve favorite foods from that era such as fondue and Swedish meatballs, and have pitchers of Tang on hand.
3. Make a time line for preparing for the party. About four weeks prior to the party, send out the invitations. After that, set a time to purchase supplies, order the cake, and arrange for any rentals of equipment, chairs or dishes that are necessary. Follow up with guests a week before the event, if they have not responded to your invitation, to make sure they received it. If possible, clean and decorate the party space the day before the event, set up the bar and pick up the cake. The day of the party, set up a place to hold the presents, have the food laid out and get yourself ready at least one hour before the first guest is scheduled to arrive. Once the party starts, get ready to have a great time!
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