The whole point of a surprise party is, of course, the surprise. Here's how to make sure it's truly surprising.
The Surprise
- First, make sure that the guest of honor truly likes surprises. Most 18-year-olds do, but if you've got a particularly shy teen or someone who likes to know exactly what he's doing at all times, you may want to rethink this approach.
- Pick a party date, preferably one to two weeks before the real birthday. The birthday boy (or girl) will get suspicious if the real date draws near and no one has said anything about festivities. And waiting till after the real day has come and gone will make him feel bad - he'll think everyone has forgotten.
- Plan a decoy activity that will get the guest of honor out of the house during party prep, if you're doing the party at home, or that will get him to the party site, without undue suspicion.
- Ask his or her best friend to start talking up a birthday brunch or other outing for the real day, to allay any remaining suspicions.
- Send out invitations - like the cool DIY confetti-loaded card pictured - several weeks ahead. Arrange for rsvps to come to your cell phone or e-mail address. Make sure it's clear from the invitation that this is a surprise - shhh! don't tell! And make sure the invitation gives any necessary instructions. You might, for example, tell people to arrive 30 minutes before the guest of honor, to park on an adjacent street and to wear specific clothes. Guests attending the Inflatable Games Party, for example, should wear pants. The Movie Night in the Pool party requires swim suits. And ladies' night at the sushi bar may be an occasion for swanky dresses and high heels.
