How to put together an amazing birthday party!

How to put together an amazing birthday party!

{Originally published 07 Feb 2018 as "How To Make Your Next Big Birthday Party A Hit!")

Now with less restrictions and the ability to finally organise a party, as you get older time passes by so quickly that before you know it you're once again standing before the mirror leading up to your next big birthday event eg your 18th, 21st, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th or if you're really lucky your 100th birthday thinking to yourself "what on earth can I do to mark this amazing birthday?".

One of the first things you're going to need to decide on is how much you're prepared to spend in total on the whole event and then you can work backwards from there to determine what is going to fit in with your budget. It's a good idea to not set a definite figure rather give yourself a little wiggle room as going over budget is pretty common especially when you start to realise how quickly even just the little things add up! 

Let's take a look at some of the birthday party ideas and options available to you:

 

Choice of Birthday Party Venue

This is always the first and hardest topic to tackle. Basically you have 3 options.

1. You can hold the party at a house either your own or if you have some good friends who are willing to let you hold it at their place.

2. You can hold the party outdoors (eg parks, beaches, picnic areas etc)

3. You can hire a venue (pub, clubs, nightclub, function centre etc) 

Depending on the nature of your event all are worth considering and all have pros and cons. Certainly a big pro of options 1 and 2 is that they are free of charge and are flexible in what is allowed. Hiring a venue on the other hand can sometimes be restrictive but on the positive side there is no mess to clean up when you hire a venue.

If you're after a really unique venue or space to hold your birthday party be sure to check out Zenue

 

Choice of Birthday Party Catering

You're going to need to feed your guests but how much and when is up to you. If it's a casual daytime affair at home or at the local park or beach you can get away with a picnic or a BBQ but for an evening event you're going to want to consider putting in a little more. Here are your main options:

1. Hire a Caterer - Caterers are great. They will come into any event space and prepare and often serve food and even take care of the cleaning. 

2. Self Cater - If you are ok with the hassle you can potentially prepare everything yourself although we would advice against this as it's a hell of a lot of work. It is your birthday after all so go and enjoy it! 

3. Venue Caterer/Restaurant - Most venues will have an in house caterer or restaurant for you to use.

 

Choice of Birthday Party Drinks

Regardless of where you're holding the party you will likely need to decide if you're going to provide drinks and if so how much. In Australia it's not uncommon to expect people to bring their own choice of alcohol to a house party or outdoor event but at the very least some beer and wine should be provided. 

A good way to save money on drinks is to order in bulk prior to the party and collect closer to the date or better still get it delivered!. Click here for a list of websites you can order from. Don't leave it till the morning of the party to think about alcohol or it will end up costing you more and can be quite a hassle depending on just how much you're planning on buying. Don't forget to have enough glasses for those that are drinking champagne, wine and mixed drinks. You may like to save money and buy plastic but if you're holding a classy event consider hiring glasses. If you do, you don't even need to wash them. They will do that for you.

Of course if you're having your birthday party at a venue then they will be providing and serving the alcohol which costs more but means far less for you to worry about.

 

Consider a Birthday Party Theme

Now this is not a must but it can certainly bring a hell of a lot of fun to your birthday party to give it a theme. Just imagine all your nearest and dearest dressed up and having a blast not to mention the great pictures that will result. There are literally hundreds of themes to choose from but here is a great place to start: Birthday Party Themes

 

Choice of Birthday Party Music

Music is a must at any party. The question is more what sort of music and who is going to provide it? Here are your main options

1. Live music - Hire a musician or a band to play at your birthday party. Nothing beats live music and your guests will remember your event for a long time if you can afford it. 

2. DJ - A good DJ is who can react to the vibe of the crowd and give them what they want whilst working within the confines of some loose musical boundaries you set is the ideal choice. Too many DJs simply play what they want to play which can fall flat and leave the dance floor empty which is not a good look. If you're going to hire a DJ invest the time and money into a good one.

3. Streamed Music - This can be done via a playlist from an ipod or online streaming service. It's one of the cheaper ways and cab be perfectly find but it is the least inspired or memorable. 

 

Choice of Birthday Party Entertainment

Ok so this is where it really starts to get fun. How are you going to entertain everyone? There are a few choices to consider but for the last 10 years the best way to entertain your guests has to be to hire a photo booth! Not only are they entertaining but they also preserve memories via prints and digital copies. Most photo booth rental operators will provide a guest book for not only copies of the photo strips to be entered into but also written messages from your guests. There really is no better way to entertain your guests.

Dont know much about photo booths? No worries we have you covered so be sure to check out the following resources:

Photo Booth Hire Guide

Photo Booth Articles

If you already know you want a Photo Booth hire then visit our search directory to find and contact Australian photo booth operators in your local area and start getting quotes together.

CLICK HERE to find, compare and contact the Best Party Photo Booth deals.

 

Happy Boothin!

 

Disclaimer: While every caution has been taken to provide readers with most accurate information and honest analysis, please use your discretion before taking any decisions based on the information in this blog. Author will not compensate you in any way whatsoever if you ever happen to suffer a loss/inconvenience/damage because of/while making use of information in this blog.

 

(Photo Booth Blogger: Kyri Kyriakides)