birthday planning Archives - Newlywords Blog

How can I personalize a birthday celebration?

When you’re out of birthday ideas, you can’t go wrong with human memory, and the birthday should really be all about the birthday child in question, shouldn’t it? Using photos, build a timeline on the wall showing your loved one throughout the ages. Friends and other members of the family probably have enough to make plucking one for each year tricky, so ask them to help you choose! Keep the memories alive by taking party photos, then add them to a photo book with those snapshots. If you’re using physical photos, make a copy before hanging them up, just in case some get damaged over the course of the party.

You can hang a poster on the wall and provide markers and pens for guests to write down a reason they love the person, either a blank sheet or something like this. While you’re at it, set out a jar and let them drop small cards into it, each one bearing a memory they have of the MVP. These can either be read aloud during the party to try to guess who wrote it, or saved for when they’re feeling down.

Rent a castle for that destination birthday party

In another life, you might have been a noble or a knight, and you might have gotten to spend your nights in a fancy castle or estate somewhere in Europe. But since your birthday loved one is probably not sleeping in one presently, it’s safe to say that throwing a birthday party inside a castle will be the memory of a lifetime.

Of course, you can’t just text the Queen and ask her if you can have a sleepover at her place, but Loyd & Townsend Rose has you covered. They have castles you can rent! With castles in England, Ireland, and Scotland, LTR works with the private owners of the castles to rent their homes to you for a week or weekend, including some extracurriculars, such as falconry and archery at the Althorp House or a full Scottish sport array at Forter Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.

Not every castle is created equal, and some work better for smaller groups than larger ones. If you do take LTR up on their offer, mention if it’s for a milestone occasion like a 40th, 50th, or 60th birthday – they might help you plan the party.

Sugar & sweet retro birthday party ideas

Nobody likes to be reminded they’re getting older, whether they are turning 40, 50, or 60. So take your loved one back to the past instead with a gift of childhood candies they may not even remember. Retro candies can be bought in a variety of places, like Old Time Candy which sorts your favorites by the decades. For a little extra fun, put these on one table and do another with their current favorites, and mark them “Favorites Then” and “Favorites Now.”

If they’re still attached to their old candies, mix them together and label the table with “These are a few of my favorite things” instead. There’s a whole collection of signs for sale here that can be bought as-is, though some come with options to be personalized for the birthday boy or girl.

If your loved one cares more for home-baked goods, however, their birthday party can be a recipe sharing fantasy. Tell the guests to bring in their favorite and add it to a collaborative birthday memory book of recipes. If you manage to pull it off in secret, that’s even better, because then you can wrap and present it to the recipient as the last gift of the day!

Ten tips for planning a milestone birthday party

So, your friend or family member has a big birthday coming up — one of those milestone birthdays that ushers in a new decade and maybe even a new attitude. Milestone birthdays call for a little extra celebration; they’re often a time to reflect, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a time to party. Here are 10 tips for planning a milestone birthday party the guest of honor won’t soon forget (even if they’re over the hill now).

1. Mix Up a Signature Drink

Most milestone birthdays are after age 21, so your guest of honor will be able to throw back a signature cocktail. For a big 30th birthday, a drink celebrating the Roaring ’20s is a clever addition to the menu. Turning 50? Blend together something using 50-proof alcohol.

2. Invite Special Guests

Since life milestones often inspire gratitude and the chance to look back on past decades’ accomplishments, your guest list deserves special attention. Invite people from different stages of the guest of honor’s life. High school friends, college friends and colleagues from their former job are just a few people who might be welcome!

3. Organize a Birthday Memory Book

What’s better than a game of “This Is Your Life”? Instead of trotting people out from behind a curtain, have loved ones work together to assemble a meaningful group scrapbook. Birthday memory books filled with photos, funny stories and sentimental memories from a large group of friends and family will be cherished forever.

4. Put Your Appreciation in Writing

A milestone birthday is the perfect time to shower your loved one with affection. Put up a poster board, and let guests list things they appreciate about the birthday king or queen. Better yet, create a poster that is milestone themed. If you’re celebrating a 50th birthday for your friend Jane, create a “50 Things We Love About Jane” poster.

5. Create a Custom Playlist

Can you remember which songs were popular 40, 50 or 60 years ago? Time to refresh your memory by putting together an epic playlist for the party. You can pass out CDs of the playlist as party favors or create and share a Spotify playlist if your guests are streaming savvy.

6. Personalize the Stemware

A 30th or 75th birthday (or any milestone age, really) is the perfect time to splurge on some personalized glassware. Or, if you prefer, plastic cups. Get the name of the birthday celebrant printed on the side, along with the number of the milestone birthday, to personalize the soiree.

7. Put Their Name in the Headlines

Hey, your loved one is turning 40 — he deserves some recognition! Print up a faux newspaper with his name and birthday as the headline. You can fill the rest of the front page news with details about his life’s accomplishments thus far, or what was happening back on the day they were born.

8. Bottle Something Special

What’s that? Personalized wine glasses or drinking cups aren’t elaborate enough for your birthday party? You can also order wine bottles with a personalized sticker to commemorate your loved one’s big milestone.

9. Bring Photo Props

Everyone will be snapping away with their iPhone or Galaxy, so you may as well give them some fun ways to capture their experience at the party! Silly themed props such as mustaches, giant glasses and cutouts of the milestone year (like a big 5-0) give guests a way to unwind and take photos with the guest of honor.

10. Create a Hashtag

Want to send your party viral? Give guests a unique hashtag — such as #JulieTurns30 — and encourage your guests to use it when posting to social media. Want to go all out? Create a special Snapchat filter to use on all photos posted on the social platform from your milestone party.