How to Plan A Surprise Birthday Party for Your Senior Parents

Planning a surprise party for your parents can be a great way to show them your appreciation and love. However, it requires careful planning and attention to detail to make sure it goes off without a hitch. 

If you're an only child, you will need to collaborate with your aunts, uncles, or cousins to carry out the plan without arousing suspicion from your parents. If you're with siblings, planning is a little bit easier when everyone's on board.

The great thing about our senior parents is that they're fairly easy to distract because they're so trusting of us, their children! Moreover, the key to the successful planning of a surprise birthday party is teamwork!

Here are some tips to help you plan the perfect surprise party for your parents.

Surprise Birthday Party

1. Set a budget: Before you start planning the party, determine how much you want to spend. This will help you make decisions about the venue, food, decorations, and entertainment.
2.  Choose a date: Consider your parents' schedules and find a date that works well for everyone involved. If you're not sure, try to get a general idea of when they might be free and plan accordingly.
3.  Pick a venue: Depending on the size of the party, you can either host it at your own home or rent a venue. Consider factors like the size, location, and cost when making your decision.
4.  Invite guests: Make a list of people you would like to invite, including close family members, friends, and coworkers. Make sure to give them plenty of notice so they can plan accordingly.
5.  Decide on food and drinks: Choose a menu that your parents will enjoy, whether it's a formal sit-down dinner or a casual buffet. Make sure to consider any dietary restrictions or allergies when planning the menu.
6.  Choose decorations: Decorate the venue to match the theme of the party. You can use balloons, streamers, and other decorations to create a festive atmosphere.
7.  Plan entertainment: Consider hiring a DJ or band to provide music, or arrange games and activities to keep guests entertained. You can also hire a photographer to take photos of the party to commemorate the occasion.
8.  Keep it a secret: This is the most important part of planning a surprise party. Make sure to keep the party a secret from your parents, and ask guests to do the same. You can even consider asking a close family member or friend to act as a decoy and distract your parents on the day of the party.
9.  Plan transportation: If the party is being held at a different location, make sure to arrange transportation for your parents so they don't suspect anything.
10.   Be flexible: Despite your best efforts, things may not always go according to plan. Be flexible and be prepared to make changes as needed.

In conclusion, planning a surprise party for your parents takes a bit of effort, but the end result is well worth it. By following these tips, you can ensure that your parents have a memorable and enjoyable time. Remember to be patient, have fun, and make sure that everything is perfect for your parents.

 

60th (and beyond) Birthday Ideas

Let me begin this post with a narrative about my dream of honoring my mother on her 60th birthday. 5 years ago (2012), my mother celebrated her 60th birthday. I was still working as a virtual assistant then and event planning was only my sideline. I wanted to give my mom a birthday party. Back then, I was alone in shouldering all the expenses since I was the only working among my siblings and my dad went to heaven in 2007. I understood the agony of scrimping all my earnings just so I could orchestrate a simple but memorable birthday celebration of mom. For her 60th birthday celebration, i was able to pool a budget of 20k for food, cake, decors, etc.. with more or less 80 guests estimated.

5 years forward, me and my siblings sort of had a pact to give mom a birthday party every five years after she turned 60. Just last July of this year  2017, we orchestrated another birthday celebration for her 65th birthday this year. This time, I had help from my siblings. 

My mom has a bubbly personality. She is life of the party. So I made sure that the colors of her backdrop will signify a bursting of life that woukd represent her. Orange and green are the perfect colors to describe her. For her 65th birthday, we had a meager budget of 35k inclusive of food, venue, decors, etc.. for estimated 90 guests.

I am very happy seeing my craft in decorating birthday stages improved with time. My budget for these decors never go beyond 5k. I always make sure I only spend what is necessary.

So earlier today, I dressed up Albertino's Restobar for my close friend's mother who is celebrating her 60th birthday. Auntie Yen, is musically inclined so she chose to celebrate her birthday in a restobar. The challenge was to decorate the place with also a limited budget. I had to use whatever existing materials I have and didnt have to buy brand new. I just had to buy some balloons, candles and fresh flowers.

Joan, my ever reliable assistant, helped me set up the place. I loved how it turned out.

There, for five thousand pesos, me and my reliable assistant was able to add flair to a boring looking pub, an empty function hall and ordinary house veranda and made it lively and timely for a party. These are just some of the 60th birthday decorations I can do with a limited budget. I hope I can improve more in the coming years.

How to Pull Off a 60th Birthday Party with Limited Budget

A year has passed before I was able to update my blog about the events I have handled in the past three years. I realized I have stopped featuring my clients events and instead shifted my blog topics to wedding planner advice and tips on weddings. 

This time I am going to write about my mother's 60th Surprise Birthday Party of July 21, 2012.

April 2012

The idea of throwing a party was far fetch since our family has been into a lot of financial struggles and a birthday party with a limited budget was impossible to pull off. So the conversation about mom's 60th birthday was just random and we talked about eating out just with the family.

May 2012

With very few pennies in my pocket, I wanted to give my mother a decent birthday bash and did not know how to come up with a budget. I was still penniless because of my heavy investments in my very infant events and wedding business. So I drafted a budget: Fifteen thousand Philippine Pesos (P15,000). 

June 2012

I didn't exactly know what happened with the world this month, GOD moved the people to seek out for my services. Luckily, I got two events for this month. I saved my salary from my Writing job and my Events business to hit the budget. I planned for a semi-surprise party since I already mentioned to my mom before that I'd take care of everything and did not divulge any information about it anymore.

July 2012

The beginning of this month was all miraculous. I was contacted by a Manila-based Corporate Events specialist, Preconcept Design and Display Works, for a 3 day hosting job for a product launch. I gave them my rate and they agreed immediately. I was so humbled before GOD who provided in such perfect timing with the amount I needed to buy stuff for the party. The event was held on July 17, 18 and 19, 2012 and my mother's birthday fell on a Friday, July 20, so I told her that we'd celebrate it on a Saturday so there'd be no work or class.

July 20

Relatives from afar arrived and they stayed at my uncles house. My mother kept asking me where to get the money, what will happen, how many people are coming and how to throw a birthday party with a limited budget . I just stayed mum about it all.

July 21 - THE 60th BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

8am - I contacted my friends who worked in a restaurant to cook  the food. 

10am - My assistants helped me put up the balloons and decors. My cousins and relatives also helped. My mom also helped in preparing the house. I think she already had an idea that there was going to be a program of some sort. But I kept preparing and told her to relax and not to worry about anything.

5pm - I told my brother to take mom to the hair and make up artist. While mom was with the artist, I instructed him to pick up the Lechon which was also a secret.

6pm -  I contacted mom's coworker to lend us some food warmers and also to be part of the program. The cake from my event cake supplier, Mam Gloria of Sweet Advocate, personally delivered the cake and cupcakes. She had magically stretched out my very little budget for cake and her chocolate moist cake was awesomely tasting good!

7pm - All set. The program I prepared started rolling. So here are some pic mementos of that very Divinely intervened event of the year:

It was a fun-filled love-abode semi-surprise event with family and friends from all over Mindanao to take part in this very special occasion. I must say truly GOD PROVIDES indeed! Before the event, I didn't know where or how I could come up with the funds to spend for a birthday party with a limited budget ! 

Our guest count was 60 guests. I will be breaking the budget accordingly as follows:

• Food and Chef: 3,500
• Lechon: 3,500
• Cake: 1,500
• Tables and Chairs Rental: 200
• Flying Balloons: 300
• Decors: 1,700
• Mom's Dress and Hair and Make-up: 500
• Souvenirs: 800
• Transportation: 200
• Logistics: 300
• Miscellaneous: 1500

TOTAL: 14,000

 The biggest cost cut was the venue. The party was held in our house so there was no venue rental fees. I also did not opt for invitations since it was supposed to be a surprise. I really gave priority to the food since people enjoy a good party because primarily of the food next to program.

But of course, I also sought for sponsors to really trim down the costing:

Tarpaulin - My Brother-in-law
Big Cake - My Cousins
Softdrinks - My Aunt and Uncle
AVP Presentation - Norman James Lindo
Projector - My Friends
Manning and Assist - My Relatives
Transportation - My brother's car
Logistics - My Sister
Food Tray - Mom's Friend

I guess the part where you can save much from throwing an event really boils down to your resources. For the limited budget birthday party like I had, I had to really do the foot work to find ways and means to come up with alternative plan in case the original plan didn't work out. All in all, I should say it was a very successful event because everyone went home happy. That's the measure of a successful event - happy clients and happy guests!

I hope you got something out of this post! For more inquiries on how to plan an event without budget drain, email me at leahjacobeweddings@gmail.com

Happy thoughts only!