Tips for planning a surprise party
If you’re throwing a surprise party for a friend or loved one, they can be a great way of making really special memories for that person, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary or engagement celebration. It can be tricky to pull it off without getting found out though, so here are some tips to help:
- Find an accomplice
You cannot possibly do something like this alone, so pick a trusted accomplice to help you. You need someone at the party venue on the big day and another to organise the diversion or distraction, and you both need to good at keeping secrets!
- Keep a secret!
This is tougher than it sounds. There will be many times you come close to being caught out and it’s often too exciting to keep quiet about it, but you must. The more people in on the plan, the harder it will be to keep it secret, so everything must be top-secret and on a ‘need to know’ basis.
Keep the guest list tight and the venue secret
Try to keep the guest list close friends and family as this will lessen the risk of someone purposely or inadvertently spilling the beans. If there is one person with a blabbermouth, leave their invite to the very last minute!
- Plan the party away from home
If you live with the person the party is for, don’t plan it at home. They will soon become suspicious if you start spending more private time on the laptop or sneaking off to make private phone calls. If you can, get any deliveries made to someone else’s house or your workplace and make phone calls during your lunch break at work.
Planning a surprise party can be easier when you choose a venue that’s away from the person’s home. The most memorable parties are thrown in unique and unusual venues. For help finding the perfect location for Venue Hire in Gloucestershire, visit https://www.secret-spaces.co.uk/
- Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten their special occasion
Not only is this hurtful and might encourage retaliatory actions from the person concerned, but it’s also highly suspicious if it’s out of character for you. Imagine how awkward it will be if they are so cross with you, you can’t get them to party venue! The best tactic is to make some small plan, so they don’t suspect anything.
Managing decorations and distractions on the day
- Only decorate inside
Don’t decorate the outside of the venue if you want the surprise moment as they enter the party room. Visible decorations will immediately give the game away and ruin the surprise. Other things to consider are getting guests to park around the corner as the sight of a familiar car could also reveal the surprise too early.
- Party day distraction
The party person needs to be taken distracted for a couple of hours on the day of the celebration, especially if you’re staging the party at your home. Don’t look desperate to get rid of them but plan ahead for a plausible excuse for them to be absent for a while.
Summary
This article gives tips for pulling off a surprise party without it being spoiled. Suggestions include finding a trusted accomplice, keeping the guest list small to reduce the risk of the secret leaking, choosing a venue away from the person’s home, avoiding visible outside decorations, and arranging a distraction to get the guest of honour to the venue on the day.
Questions this article raises
- How far in advance should invitations go out for a surprise party?
- What is the best way to handle a guest who might let it slip?
- How do you keep a surprise party secret on social media?
