There are a few things that you should know when planning a birthday party. Read this guide for a full breakdown of what you need to know.
Fun fact: the song Happy Birthday is copyrighted, meaning anyone who uses it at a birthday party is at risk of copyright infringement.
But no need to worry, you won’t find any lawyers lurking around as you blow out the candles. What you do need to worry about is the party planning to make sure that your special day is an unforgettable one. One little misstep in the birthday planning process could turn a good party upside down.
It’s easy to miss a thing or two when planning a party. So to help you out, we’ll give you eight things that you should never forget during your upcoming celebration of life.
1. Rent the Birthday Party Venue in Advance
These days, there are an endless amount of choices for birthday venues. Ballrooms, seaside retreats, and outdoor resorts. Some might even choose to rent a yacht for a birthday party.
No matter where you go, there’s one thing that is the same for all of them: you need to rent them far in advance.
Venues are always in high demand, especially when the weather is good between spring and autumn. Wait lists can sometimes be months long, or even years in some rare cases. You should secure your spot at least six months in advance, perhaps even earlier.
2. Have Backup for Entertainment
A DJ will be essential if you want some music during the event. But sadly, DJs have a reputation for peacing out at the last moment. And unfortunately, they are not the only type of entertainment that can be flaky.
It always pays to have backup options for your night’s entertainment. Even something as simple as asking a friend to borrow their speakers will be better than nothing.
The same goes for other entertainment options, such as the lights set up and any host or comedian you have hired. Be ready for anything, because many events have gone south when one person decides not to show up to work.
3. Plan Food or Catering Carefully
We’ve shown how some of the biggest aspects of birthday planning can easily ruin your special day. And unfortunately, there’s another one to add to that list: food.
Catering companies, like DJs, sometimes like to surprise you with late food–or no food at all. Plus, the food preparation can easily go wrong. Just ask all the people that have gotten upset stomachs or food poisoning during a wedding.
Take extra care with event food. If you want to make things simple, go for finger foods that require no cooking or heating. It’s very hard to go wrong with chips and dip.
4. Don’t Forget to Invite Everyone
It’s unfortunate, but many people can take deep offense if you don’t invite them to your events. This includes a simple mistake where an invitation did not go out for some reason.
It’s easy to avoid this. Simply scour your friends list on social media and contacts on your phone. Rack your brains and ask family members to make sure you didn’t forget anybody–and double-check those invitations.
5. Consider a Wishlist
Birthdays, like weddings, are an excellent chance for you to get some free gifts. Sure, it’s the thought that counts, but let’s be honest: you’d rather choose your presents.
Create an Amazon wishlist and select some reasonably-priced birthday gifts. Then you can avoid the stuff that you end up returning or giving away.
6. Make Sure You Have Cameras Ready
You’ll want to capture this event for memories, but you can’t do that if your camera isn’t ready. Charge your phone in advance and have a backup power bank in your pocket.
Specifically, make sure you have enough memory to take pictures and videos. Back up or delete any old ones to make space. If anything, ask other people to take pictures and send them to you later.
7. Start the Decoration Early
Whether you are at a venue or at home, you are likely going to do some decorating. Save yourself from a lot of headaches by doing it far in advance.
Decoration can take a long time, sometimes a couple of days. Depending on the scale of your decoration, you should give yourself more time than you think you need. There may be other things to take care of right before the event, so you want to have the decoration done in advance.
8. Get Some Friends to Help You Run the Event
When you’re the birthday boy or girl, your job during the party is to entertain guests. That leaves very little room left over for handling administrative tasks. Someone has to top off the soda and make sure no kids go exploring into the bedrooms.
Let yourself enjoy the event, and have a friend or family member be in charge. They can announce when it’s time to eat or cut the cake. They can greet guests, direct people, and handle all the little details as they come up.
Otherwise, you are going to quickly get overwhelmed by everything that needs doing. Your only job during a birthday party should be being the center of attention, blowing out the candles, and maybe taking a swing or two at the piñata.
Plan Your Birthday Party Today
A birthday party is a special day for any person, so any birthday planning should make it an unforgettable moment for you and your friends. As with all events, planning a party comes with a ton of unforeseen headaches that could easily ruin what should be a ton of fun. Take care to figure out the above in advance so you’re ready to go. Follow our blog for more things you need to know before a special day.