Filed under Entertaining on January 12th, 2009:
How To Throw A Surprise Party
Pulling off a surprise party takes skill, organization, stealth and a fair amount of luck. If you want to plan one for a relative or friend, you’re likely to find the task is difficult, but immensely rewarding. Should it go off without the guest of honor finding out, you will feel doubly rewarded for the effort.
Let’s Get Planning
So, how can you plan a surprise party that really dazzles (even if the guest of honor does find out in advance)? Try following these tips for planning and coordinating a party:
Set the date – There are two schools of thought on this front. Some people find the more time they have for party planning the better. Others discover that spur of the moment surprise parties are more likely to remain surprises. Whatever your preference, having a date in mind is necessary for pulling everything else together.
Pick the place – The next thing you’ll need to do is think over the party places that might work for the big surprise. Tampa apartments can work perfectly, so too can apartment clubhouses. You might also want to look into clubs or other venues for adult parties or kids’ party locations for a younger guest of honor.
Send out the invitations – Make sure to get these out in a timely manner and do ask for RSVPs to go to a private cell phone or e-mail, as the guest of honor might find out if they come into a home phone or regular mailbox. Make sure the surprise party invitations are very, very clear about the nature of the event. If you don’t say it’s a surprise, your guests can’t be held responsible for spilling the beans.
Order the food and drink – Once the RSVPs come in, you can start pondering food and drink for the party. Whether you make it or order it, be certain there is enough for everyone. If alcoholic drinks are on tap, be sure to also offer soft drinks for those designated drivers out there.
Set the diversion – You’re going to need a way to get the guest of honor to the party without providing a tip off in the process. Ideas here include telling the guest you’re “trying out a new restaurant,” sending the guest to a movie and having him or her come home to the surprise and so on. Be creative here to really make the event memorable. Do be certain to give guests enough time to assemble and hide their vehicles and themselves.
Party planning for a surprise event is not necessarily easy, but it can be a whole lot of fun. If you take the right steps and try to keep “mum” as the word, chances are you will be able to pull off an incredibly memorable time for the guest of honor and the guests, too.