Turning 80 is quite an achievement, one to be celebrated. Here are some tips to help you plan an 80th birthday party that will mean a lot to your guest of honor.
Be sure to involve the guest of honor in the planning process.. If you’ve lived to be 80, you know what you like. My aunt Millie wanted a big party with all her friends and family. She selected her favorite Italian restaurant as the venue for the event. My grandmother, on the other hand, told us that her idea of the perfect party would be to go to her son’s house and have only the immediate family celebrate. For my grandmother, a big party would be overwhelming.
Find out what is most important to the celebrant. For some it may mean having an out of town relative attend. Others may be focused on the menu and the flowers. My Aunt Millie really wanted to wear a corsage and for all of her children to wear one too, so everyone would recognize them. Ask open-ended questions like these to get to what really matters to the person being celebrated:
- Describe your ideal party.
- Who would wait?
- What would we eat?
- What would be served?
- Would there be activities, music or entertainment?
You do not have to involve the celebrant in all the details, just the ones that are considered important. Once you have collected all the data about the guest list and the desired location, your work will begin.
Invitations. Be sure to send invitations in writing, as many of the important invitees may or may not check their email regularly, or may not use email at all. Include the following in the invitation:
- Date. Indicate the day of the week as well as the actual date.
- Weather. Let people know the start time and end time, if it’s not open.
- To lease. Include the address and directions.
- Food. Make sure guests know what kind of food you’re serving (brunch, brunch, or dinner). You can also decide to have a party with only hor d’oeuvres.
- Gifts. Find out if the guest of honor would like some kind of special gift. At an 80th birthday party, all the guests were asked to write a paragraph about their fondest memory with the celebrant.
- RSVP. Include a phone number and email address for the invitee to use when responding.
Invitations don’t have to be expensive. There are so many fun bordered papers at office supply stores that you can easily create your own.
Once people have responded to your invitations, count the person or facility hosting the party. Have any type of audiovisual needs. If there will be speeches, set up a microphone and speaker.
Entertainment or activities: Be sure to keep this in mind when planning a party. I attended an 80th birthday party where the host created a PowerPoint presentation of old and current photos of the celebrant. In another they pasted the photos on cardboard and hung them for the party. If the party isn’t too big, you can also invite guests to share their favorite memory of the celebrant.
And as an ‘after party’ gift for the guest of honor, be sure to take plenty of photos at the party, especially of them with their many friends and family. Then put the photos in an album and present it. They will be very grateful for this thoughtful gesture.