Suprise Birthday Party for 50Yr Old BF

I went to my good friend's 50th birthday dinner and her husband had us do the coolest thing. As gifts we brought 50 of one of her favorite things. People were so creative and it was so fun. She got things like 50 pieces of her favorite candy, 50 quotes in a pretty box from her favorite author, 50 quilting needles, 50 gold coins from her family, etc.

Hi,

Is your boyfriend the type that likes surprise? Or is he the type who likes to plan things out? If he likes to give surprises he would probably like a surprise party. If he is a planner he would probably like to have a fun 50th birthday party to look forward to.

I agree with a few of the others who wrote you ideas. I like the idea of everyone bringing a card, note, picture with the birthday boy from the past years.

I also like the idea of bringing 50 of different things to the party for the birthday boy. See how many different things people bring to the party.

Another idea I recommend is taking a sunset cruise on the Seawolf Saleboat on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall, Texas. It is a 40 foot long and 25 foot wide catamarn. Scott and his family own this sailboat. When my daughter had her 19th birthday we went on the sunset cruise. It cost about $25.00 per person to go on the cruise that is close to 2 hours long. For a private cruise it is $500.00. You can look the sailboat up on the internet. You and your friends would enjoy this cruise for his party.

For my 50th birthday we went on a Carnival cruise. If you go on a cruise in the month of January they are less expensive than the summer months. You could contact friends and family and see if anyone is available to go. I am so happy that I got to celebrate my 50th birthday on a cruise to Jamaica, Cancun Mexico and the Cayman Islands with friends and family. My two best friends and I have the same birthday and we planned the Carnival Cruise for our 50th birthday for years. It was wonderful!

Will he be ok with a surprise party?

I know that neither me or my hubby would be into that at all. Especially at 50. I was crying at 40.

Just a thought....I don't mean to rain on your parade. You sound very thoughtful to do something so sweet for him.

Sullivan's has an area called Ringside that you can rent out for parties. We've been to a couple of parties there and it was very nice. The atmosphere, food, service and crowd.

Or, more informal would be something at your home with a theme.

One idea I just used for my in-laws was in putting together a book of letters/memories/wishes from friends. When you send out invitations, include a note asking people to send something back to you to include in the book. Have them mail or email it to YOU. My in-laws absolutely loved this -- even my FIL!

An inexpensive way to do invitations -- postcards! I used Shutterfly. They are pretty, simple and as inexpensive as you can get. Be sure to send them out in plenty of time.

Don't forget to say "IT's A SURPRISE SO KEEP QUIET!" Reminding people you invite not to say anything is key. Add this to the invite.

Food: You can get great deals at Sam's or Costco for party platters. Catering it yourself is the cheapest/nicest way to go. Of course, you could always ask guests to bring their favorite dish to add to the party to help with cost.

Music: We used an iPod with speakers for music. I set up a Playlist on the iPod and simply let it go. It was great for background music.

Cake: Again, any local bakery (not a specialty bakery) can do an untraditional sheet cake for you...unless you have a friend who could do something special.

Toast: Don't forget to have a special toast written. Then ask everyone else to add their 2 cents the day of the event.

Venue: There are lots of places to have a party besides your house, depending upon the number of people. Local gov'ts have facilities you can rent (ie. parks) or another friend's house (for keeping it a surprise). It all depends on the number of attendees.

I hope all these ideas help. Good luck!

Hi K.,

My husband is a DJ and we did a 50th birthday party back in October. It was so much fun. His wife had rented a small room at a local hotel and his out of town family came in and surprised him. He had been in the military so they got an old photo of him and had a photo cake made. I think any local grocery store can do that now. It was very small but we had a great time dancing and celebrating. Hotels can be kind of expensive so there is usually a city civic center that you can rent for pretty cheap or an apartment amenity center. We would love to DJ the event for you. Birthdays are $125 to $150 per hour depending on what option you'd like to include. $150 comes with party lights and also goody bags for the guests.

Good luck,
Steph

What a great idea! I did this same sort of thing for my husband when he turned 25, and he LOVED it! I contacted all of his old friends and a few good new friends--he was so busy "catching up" that a bunch of new friends would have felt neglected. All I did, seriously, was create a spread of tons of awesome "game" foods, and invited the friends! That created a great party. Music could be cool too.

Another Hugely Successful and memorable idea is: in the invitations, include a blank card, and encourage the guests--even those who can't make it to the party--to write down something. For instance, what they like about the birthday boy, a scripture verse he emmulates, a memorable occasion, a note of appreciation for something he did, etc.

Have many more cards on hand at the party, because most of them will forget theirs at home. Have the birthday boy decorate a paper lunch bag (okay, so we did this in college. My husband still has and looks at his.) however he likes with crayons and markers--it's fun! not tacky in the least!--and when the guests arrive, have them fill the bag (or whatever recepticle you choose)with the inspirational thoughts and quotes and verses.

For food I made Baked Ziti, Green Salad with Dressing, Layered Nachos dip (cream cheese, refried beans, salsa, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) with Tortilla chips, Hot wings, potato chips, trail mix, fruit salad and then dessert and lots of drinks. Whew! It makes me tired and hungry thinking of making all that food! :)

Good luck!
~A.

Try having a themed party for him where everyone wears a costume from a certain movie or fairy tale or book. Happy birthday. B. Hunter

Try the Bavarian Grill in East Plano on 221 W Parker Rd #257 · Plano, TX ###-###-#### (Parker and 75), bavariangrill.com

They always have live (free!) entertainment, go when ALAN is performing! We had my mom's 50th there, and my birthday, my daughters, my husbands...

The food is AMAZING and great german beers. They also have a full vegetarian menu in addition to the traditional German foods which is awesome.

You can call Jurgen, the owner and reserve a section right by the music if you like. Just be aware that you cannot bring in your own cake due to Plano's food laws, but they make amazing cakes there for you to use anyhow. Good Luck!

K.- I have a ton of ideas and you may want to start by asking any friends for "slides"- Im 46 and from the slide generation- could be fun to show- Maybe having everyone pitch in for something done at his church in his honor would be meaningful for him- or a donation to a favorite charity that he supports.
If you would like help at the party- so you can sit back and relaz and enjoy- check out my comapny
Party Angels- host assistants at your service-
Wed do whatever it takes to keep you out of the stress and into the party- I have a ton of referrals- it would be a great idea!
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I don't know if you'd be interested in doing something like this, but I thought I'd share to give you more ideas. My mom turned 50 last December, and we threw her a suprise party and themed it the year she was born "1958." She always wanted a juke box, so everyone went in to get her one and I had a friend download me all of the top songs from that year and we put them in her juke box to play the whole night. All of the guests dressed 50's, and for the menu we did a diner menu: Hamburgers and hot dogs, french fries and ice cream floats. That went over Very Well. I was amazed how my mother's family and friends responded. I set up a picture area where all of mom's guests could have their picture made as a keepsake for them and her. I made her an album after it was all over so she could look back anytime. You can do this so cheap! We had a twist-off, hoola-hoop contest, and a remember when segment where everyone stood and told a brief story about my mom. I had a friend put together a picture video of my mother from birth until present, and she went nuts over it! There's so much more I could tell you and help you out with if you decide to go this route. Email me if you like, and I'll be glad to give you my phone number and we can talk! Good luck. I think your BF will be blessed no matter what you do! ____@____.com

One of the best parties I attended was one where we broke into teams and answered a questionnaire about the birthday person. Then she went through the questions one by one and each team revealed their guess, then she told the right answer. It was hilarious!

Hey K.,

Not exactly sure what you are looking for but I own a paint party studio in downtown McKinney....this is a lot of fun for a group...you can bring anything you want to eat or drink or we can even bring it to you! We can pre-sketch something for the entire group and the artist will guide everyone step by step through their very own masterpiece! If this sounds interesting at all, please check us out at www.sippitydoodlepaintparties.com. Feel free to email/call with any comments or questions. Thanks a bunch, H., Sippitydoodle owner