birthday party planning Archives

Collaborate on a bucket list for an unforgettable group gift

You’ve heard of bucket lists, but if you’ve worked with buckets long, you’ve figured out that they’re a little difficult to store neatly. So, whether you’re planning a birthday, anniversary or retirement party, consider a wish box! A personalized wooden box, like those bought here, is relatively easy to get your hands on, and moderately easy to make yourself. You can buy bucket list cards over here for guests to fill out and drop in the box for later storage.

If everyone fills out an idea or two, that should keep the honoree(s) busy for quite a while. But more importantly, it’s easy to tuck a box away in a cabinet or in your luggage than it is a box. Make it waterproof and it will even survive a disastrous fishing trip, or a slightly too wild cruise.

If you want to gift something even more neatly bound, organize a collaborative memory book. Unlike a wish box, folks contribute wishes online before the party so that they have more time to think of what to write. This also works well if some people are unable to attend your event!

A stylish birthday card hung on the wall

Whether you are planning a birthday, anniversary or retirement party, you probably expect to see some folks bring traditional greeting cards sealed in paper envelopes. Usually they are cards from folks who found the time to prepare one in advance. Sometimes it’s an actual giant birthday card someone finds at a local convenience or party store. But hanging a giant birthday card on the wall is a little cumbersome and might look tacky. Why not hang a photograph instead?

Buy a frame with an extra-large border and center your chosen photograph in it. Provide some pens and encourage the guests to sign a note for the man or woman of the hour. In addition to proving they attended and reminding people of that in the future, the birthday child will be able to see it hanging on their wall or sitting on their table and remember friends and family.

Alternatively, go further and organize a birthday memory book filled with pictures, stories and messages from everyone. It won’t hang on the wall, but it’s a great addition to the coffee table that will get picked up over and over again.

Get 30 guests to bring mini gifts for a 30th birthday

Maybe you’re looking for 30th birthday ideas that don’t involve a lot of money. A lot of people give out as many gifts as the recipient is turning old, usually little dollar store trinkets. And while that’s an option, that’s also a lot of wrapping paper. Save yourself a little time by having the party guests bring one of the 30, or something that shares their age, like a movie, game, or music.

A lot of gifts can be personalized, and there’s a lot of 30th year related gifts over here. From Star Wars to Vintage, tee-shirts that celebrate and coffee cups that lie about your age, it shouldn’t wont be hard to find something cheap but thoughtful that you probably wont get in trouble for buying for them. And if everyone brings a gift, you can be excused for only getting one too.

But maybe just gifting them is a little stale. If everyone is into it, turn the gifts into prizes for a scavenger hunt or open a few every hour at forty past, to keep anticipation going all day. If you do a scavenger hunt, don’t forget where they went!