How to Plan the Perfect Surprise Party (For Adults)

If you know someone with a birthday coming up, you’re likely considering planning a surprise party! Surprise parties are perfect for people with outgoing personalities who love spontaneity. If that description fits your birthday guest, we’re here to help with tips and tricks to throw the perfect surprise birthday celebration.

Decide on a Venue

First things first – you’ll want to choose a venue for the party. This can be as simple as your own home, or as formal as a fancy restaurant. While an at-home surprise party requires a bit more planning than a restaurant, we’ll ensure that you feel prepared to host an incredible event.

Choose a Birthday Party Theme

When you think about your friend, what comes to mind? Although your surprise party theme does not have to be anything over-the-top, it’s thoughtful to include some décor that relates to the birthday guest of honor.

Movie Screening Party

You can’t go wrong with a movie night! If your friend is a fan of movies and award shows, host your own celebratory movie screening with their favorite film. For an extra touch, ask your guests to dress in formalwear to simulate an award show, with a station for photo ops. If you plan to host this surprise party in warmer weather, consider setting up an outdoor movie with a white screen and projector.

Color Scheme Theme

While a color scheme is a very simple theme for a party, choosing complementary décor can make your space feel well-planned and cohesive. If you know your friend's favorite color (or combination of colors), gather utensils, tablecloths, drinking glasses, streamers, balloons, and more, to fit that color scheme.

And if you’re hosting an outdoor party, consider investing in some outdoor inflatables to add an extra festive touch. With durable outdoor birthday inflatables from Fraser Hill Farm, your guests will have endless photo opportunities with these unique pieces.

To maintain an element of surprise when your birthday guest arrives, set up your décor in the backyard so the bright decorations aren’t visible from the street.

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!

If your friend has a passion for gardening and florals, consider creating a beautiful floral theme throughout your space. Include flower arrangements and centerpieces to transform your space into a floral oasis. And if you want to go all out, consider creating a floral wall for photo opportunities!

If you’re looking to get your guests involved with the floral theme, we recommend hosting a flower arranging party. Provide your guests with vases or jars, a variety of stems, flower clippers, and some greenery, and let them create their own beautiful arrangements. And don’t forget the water!

Planning a Surprise Party Menu

Party menus can certainly be a challenge, but we’re here to help! If you’re a professional in the kitchen, consider curating a variety of delicious appetizers for your guests to enjoy. And for those who don’t have as much experience, a charcuterie board is an excellent way to feed a large group. Plus, you can refill the board as the night goes on. For some inspiration, we recommend crackers, meats, bread, a collection of dips and spreads, olives, and more.

If you’re hosting a nighttime event, we suggest a dessert-focused menu. Whether you’re baking these items yourself or purchasing them from your local bakery, consider cupcakes, cake pops, macarons, truffles, and more! And if you’re a chocolate fan, we recommend a dessert board filled with chocolate-covered strawberries and pretzels, cookies¸ peanut butter cups, and some chocolate for dipping.

Create a Playlist

Don’t forget about the music! If you have a subscription to a music streaming service, create a playlist with the birthday celebrant’s favorite songs. For an extra special playlist, ask for song request from each of your party guests, or simply listen to a pre-made birthday playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube.

Send Out Invitations

A few weeks before the surprise party, you’ll want to invite your guests and get a head count for your event. While formal invitations are always a good idea, we also recommend creating a group chat with all of your attendees, minus the birthday celebrant. This group chat will ensure that everyone is on the same page about the arrival time and allows you to answer any questions about keeping the party a surprise.

Come Up With a Little White Lie (To Maintain the Surprise)

And of course, you’ll have to come up with a small lie when inviting the birthday person. If you’re hosting the party at your house, we suggest inviting the birthday celebrant over for drinks and dinner one-on-one, without informing them of the large guest list. Have your guests arrive an hour early to prepare for the birthday person’s arrival, and don’t forget to inform the birthday person of the dress code so they don’t feel left out on this special night.

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We wish you the best of luck in hosting a birthday surprise party, and we hope the secret stays safe until you yell, “Surprise!” Happy planning!