We (siblings and my mom) threw a surprise party for my dad's birthday recently. It was awesome...and mostly a surprise, I think. It was fun to plan and execute, and hopefully, it was special...that was the point.
So I don't disappoint you, here's how we did it in 5 easy steps.
1. Start early! We started planning 4 months out. We assigned jobs for each sibling to tackle.
2. Delegate! Each sibling had something to tackle...see #1. (ME: invitations, RSVPs, decorations, sibling gift; Brother: location, food, photographer; Sister 1: flowers; Sister 2: cakes...she knows the best cake maker ever).
3. HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER! My brother knew someone from his church. She was perfect and did a fantastic job of getting exactly what we wanted. She was reasonably priced for the job and it was awesome.
4. Keep it simple! This goes against my party-planning, event-planning nature. I really wanted to go all out on this...to do the super detailed, no detail left undone type of party you see on Pinterest. And then I realized, that my parents don't care about those details. They care about people being there. We even took off the week of the party from homeschooling just in case there was too much to wrap up. I thought I might feel stressed or anxious, but because we kept it simple (and still awesome), everything was done and very little had to be finished during that week. This made it possible for us all to really, thoroughly enjoy the party. And that was wonderful for everyone.
5. Consider the needs and wishes of the guest of honor! This wasn't a party about me or my siblings. It was about my dad...the whole idea came about because we all remembered my dad throwing a 75th party for my grandfather...and it was wonderful. It was a favorite memory of all of ours. We wanted to do that for him. We wanted it to be fun and something he would enjoy. So as you plan a party, keep the wishes of the guest of honor in mind. The party isn't about you...and if it is, then maybe reconsider why you're doing it...if it's supposed to be about them.
We kept it simple...tons of old photos, four amazing cakes, delicious finger foods, and a church reception hall. It was a great time!
Some of the grandchildren.
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Some of the grandchildren with the grandparents.
The siblings and our parents.
We even yelled, "Surprise!"
My beautiful mom and handsome dad!
These are some of the most special people in the whole wide world. There aren't enough hours in the day to spend catching up with these people. I love, love, love, love, love them.
When God puts amazing people in your life, thank him every single moment for them. Tell them you love them. Tell them that God used them to work His good in your life.
This man...I love him. He is amazing and wonderful and kind and compassionate and honest and good and precious to me! What an amazing gift God gave to me in choosing my Amazing Husband (his nickname) for me. I am incredibly blessed.
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