Hey Internet, I need your advice.
Chris’s 30th birthday party is this Saturday and we’re having a big shindig to celebrate.
We’ve got the food, as well as the booze, handled (OF COURSE) and I think I have most everything else (games, etc.) handled as well, but I thought I’d do one final check to see if I’m missing anything.
So. Is there anything you’ve done or seen at a party that made it, like, the BEST EVER? (Could be anything big or small, decor, food, music, whatever.) Please to share in the comments!
For our annual holiday open house party this year (75 – 100 people), we for once actually worked on and planned the music, making a kick ass playlist on iTunes. It made a HUGE difference in the party vibe, and the last 20 people actually started DANCING (these are 35-45 year old fuddy duddies!!). So worth it. Have fun at your party!
This might be too late, but a fun theme is definitely worth the work. The other thing is drinking out of mason jars…beer..wine..who cares, it’s so much more fun š And the last thing, which might be hard this last minute, is have a polaroid (instax) camera with some props, people go gah-gah at any event for them!
Once at a bridal shower for a girl who didn’t want anything traditional we got a pinata and filled it with (non-glass) mini-liquor bottles and candy. It was a smash hit (no pun intended). I feel like this would be a super-fun drinking activity, complete only with a blindfold. š
For a NYE party I had different stations set up through the house. I wrote on a mirror a recipe to make an egg nog shot. I got some butcher paper and made a Wii tennis bracket. winner won axe body spray!! And if you said “drink/drank/drunk” you lost a pin, and the person with the most pins at the end of the night won a prize. We also played telephone pictonairy, best game ever.
If you, uh, like to drink? I highly recommend the addition of a shot luge. (I made the Google search my “website” in the comment field – check it out! They’re loads of drunken fun!) š
I’m not going to lie — over here, we’re big fans of busting out the Wii in the late hours. A Michael Jackson dance off, or an American Idol singing competition, or crazy ass fencing … it gets a lot of laughs and we always have a great time.
I am… not a good party thrower. But you’ll have a BLAST! Happy birthday to your sweet husband!
Some sort of guest book or index cards for people to write a 30th birthday wish or a memory or advice for the next 30 years? Or a polaroid camera so everyone can leave a photo with a message in a big bowl?
I recently went to a wedding where they had dessert cordial shots served in chocolate shot glasses. They were basically amazing.
And, I think when it comes to parties like this, the cheesy fun stuff? ALWAYS a hit. I’ve thrown some major cocktail parties with amazing caterers and high end food for hundreds of people and you know what is always eaten first? Pigs in blankets. (Actually did a party once where we had traditional pigs in blankets and had pig shapes cut out of smoked salmon wrapped in a wasabi nori blanket. They were awesome.)
I don’t know why, but stick on mustaches? Always a big party hit http://www.amazon.com/Days-Week-Self-Adhesive-Mustaches/dp/B000ROE384/ref=sr_1_7?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1309284173&sr=1-7.
Another party where there was an elaborate ice cream bar. People went nuts for it.
Martini luge ice sculptures are always a hit. So are glowing/flashing ice cubes. Oh, and glow necklaces and wands.
The key with that type of stuff is not too much, not all at once and introduce it after everyone has a drink or two in them.
a pinata! we just had one for a 31st and it was a huge hit. although that compared to a martini luge party seems less exciting.