Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Plan the surprise
• Part 2 of 3: The preparation
• Part 3 of 3: The icing on the cake

It is always nice to organize a surprise party for one of your friends. Both planning the party and keeping it a secret is the most fun! If you have someone special in mind that you'd like to host a surprise party for, read on. For the sake of convenience, the person for whom you are going to organize the surprise party will from now on be referred to as "guest of honor".

To step

Part 1 of 3: Plan the surprise

1. Think about what kind of surprise party you want to organize. The possibilities are endless and the only thing that may limit you is your own creativity and imagination. Don't worry too much about the actual implementation at this point. Ask yourself the following questions and consider the answers as you plan the party.
   • Hobbies. Does the guest of honor have a hobby that he or she absolutely adores? Is it possible and fun to organize a surprise party around this hobby? Organizing a surprise football-themed party is a lot easier than a skydiving-themed party.
   • Like / Dislike. Be mindful of the things the guest of honor likes and dislikes. Add the things he or she likes to the party, which will undoubtedly make it a huge success. If you add things that the person does not like, you will see that you are no longer part of the organization at the next surprise party.
   • Personality. If the guest of honor is very shy, is a surprise party with more than a dozen people a good idea? If the guest of honor is outgoing, you may even be able to invite people he or she doesn't know yet.
   • Timing. Is there a good balance between choosing a suitable time when the guest of honor will be completely surprised and the guests, including the guest of honor, will have a good time? Having the party on a Tuesday afternoon will certainly come as a surprise to them, but it probably won't give the invitees much time to relax and enjoy themselves.
2. Choose a theme. As mentioned earlier, there are endless possibilities when it comes to surprise parties. Below are a number of suggestions that can inspire you and also help you choose a suitable theme.
   • Organize the surprise party at the home of the guest of honor. Find someone who will entertain the guest of honor outside the home so you have time to set things up. Use text messages to keep in touch with the plotter so that the guest of honor does not arrive earlier than expected.
   • Organize a surprise outdoor party. The forest or the beach are great locations for such parties.On the beach you could organize a Hawaiian theme party and in the forest a “survivor” theme is a good idea. Outdoor games are great fun during these types of events.
   • Throw a surprise party around the holidays. If the birthday of the guest of honor falls during the holidays, this person is forced to combine the celebration of the holidays and his or her birthday. As a result, they have to make do with half as many gifts. Organize a surprise party for the birthday boy or girl around the holidays. You will see that he or she will greatly appreciate that someone finally paid attention to the fact that their birthday falls on an unfortunate date.
   • Organize a double surprise party. Surprise the guest of honor while part of the group of friends is in the next room. After the guest of honor has recovered from the shock, a second surprise follows with the rest of the group of friends!
3. Find a person who will entertain the guest of honor while others plan or set up the party. This person is in the plot and plays an essential role in the surprise. If you don't have someone taking care of the guest of honor, chances are the guest of honor will arrive before the preparation is complete and everything is set up.
   • The role of chaperone is usually filled by the guest of honor's best friend, girlfriend or husband. The guest of honor will feel comfortable in the presence of the chaperone and will not become suspicious, so he or she will not return home unexpectedly.
   • If you're hosting the surprise party at home, the chaperone could go shopping with the guest of honor. They could also go to the movies or go for a walk. Clearly agree with the chaperone how long they should be away. The organizers need at least two hours to prepare the party. If the guest of honor expects to be away from home shortly, he or she may be aware that something is up if the chaperone continues to slow down and behave somewhat strangely.
   • Let the chaperone do something nice with the guest of honor. A boring activity will likely make the guest of honor want to go home earlier. In addition, the day is even more special for the guest of honor if he or she has already had a great day with the chaperone prior to the surprise party.

Part 2 of 3: The preparation

1. Apply decorations. As soon as the chaperone has led the guest of honor out of the house, start decorating the venue of the party. Get some close friends who are also coming to the party to help you decorate the house before the rest of the guests arrive.
   • Go for decorations that include his or her favorite colors, decorations that match the planned activities, or decorations that match the hobby of the guest of honor. Even if the decorations are not very original, the guest of honor will undoubtedly appreciate the gesture and the effort.
   • Ask yourself if it is possible and / or appropriate to place balloons, streamers, ribbons, candles, a flower arrangement and a bar at the location. Is the party mainly intended for children, adults or a mix of both?
   • Decorate the most important places first. Don't forget to add decorations to the toilet, kitchen and utility room if you have time for this. Each decorated room is a different surprise.
2. Choose the food for the guests and the guest of honor. No party is complete without at least some snacks. If you expect the party to last longer than three hours, or if the party will be held around lunch time or around dinner time, you should provide the guests with more filling food.
   • Pick out a birthday cake or cake. If you want to bake a pie or cake yourself, try doing it at a friend's house. Bake a pie or cake that the guest of honor wants to eat both during and after the party.
   • Go for snacks that are easy to make and don't take you much time. Think of sausage rolls, various dip sauces (guacamole, sour cream, salsa and hummus) with baguette, chips and vegetables, small wraps, sandwiches or skewers.
   • If you plan on going big, make one main course and a few snacks. Roast a roulade or turkey roulade, make a meatloaf (very popular in the 1950s), bake pizzas, make paella or fish tacos. Of course, the guest of honor's favorite dish is always a good option.
   • Try to determine in advance if anyone is allergic to certain foods. You can adjust your menu with this knowledge. You do not want anaphylaxis to occur in one of those present after he or she has eaten the paella. That's not a good recipe for a party.
   • Also, provide guests with low-fat vegetarian options, if possible. It requires a bit more work, but you want everyone to be able to enjoy the food at the party. There should be something for everyone. If some guests skip the food but do consume alcohol, this could have an unpleasant effect on the atmosphere.
3. Choose drinks that suit the occasion. Depending on who the surprise party is hosting for, you should serve a variety of drinks so there is something for everyone.
   • Consider setting up a bar or hiring a bartender or woman if it's a party for adults in particular. Although this is slightly more expensive, hiring a bartender or woman ensures that you do not have to serve yourself all evening.
   • Consider adding a punch bowl of alcohol. Punch is a mixed drink. You could make rum punch, caipirinha, or Prosecco punch. Add beer and red and white wine as options for an alcoholic snack.
   • If the party is mostly for kids, go for sugar-free drinks instead of cola, root beer, or lemonade. After so much sweetness, water is more than welcome. Water and other non-alcoholic drinks must also be sufficiently present at parties where only adults come.
4. Choose music that suits the occasion. If the guest of honor hates jazz, it's not a good idea to have Miles Davis in the background on his trumpet. Put on interesting music that is not too overbearing.
5. Invite the guests. Invite the really good friends of the guest of honor. For a modest party, it is better not to invite acquaintances and colleagues, unless you are sure that the guest of honor would really like it.
   • Keep the guest list small. With a small group of invitees, it is easier to set up the whole thing and keep it a secret. This also reduces the risk of someone accidentally speaking past their mouth.
   • Ask the guests to either bring a gift for the guest of honor or bring something in the form of food or drink. This will help you set up and prepare for the party. If you are the one organizing the whole, then take responsibility for it and lead by example.

Part 3 of 3: The icing on the cake

1. Go through the checklist before the guest of honor arrives. This checklist will help ensure that the party remains a surprise to the one who is going to be surprised. It is not the end of the world if the guest of honor knows in advance, but of course you want to do everything you can to prevent the guest of honor from knowing in advance.
   • Make sure that guests park their cars at a sufficient distance. The guest of honor will immediately suspect something when a number of cars are parked around the house. Especially if there are normally no cars.
   • Make sure everyone understands that this is a surprise party. If necessary, emphasize this a number of times. The invitees must be well aware that it is a surprise party, so that they do not accidentally reveal something to the guest of honor.
   • Make sure all lights in the house are off when the party is in the evening and no one is supposed to be home.
   • Make sure you have the food, drinks, and decorations ready. You want to surprise the person first and then start celebrating right away. Designate one person responsible for the music, one person responsible for uncorking the champagne, etc.
2. Come up with a plan to lure the guest of honor to the location of the party. You should have a pretty good excuse to either get the guest of honor out of the house or lure him or her to the desired location. Below are some suggestions.
   • Have an old friend invite the guest of honor for a drink. This old friend is unlikely to arouse suspicion among the guest of honor. Plan the party at the friend's house or use the friend as a distraction so you can get everything ready at home.
   • Pretend you "forgot" something important (while out with the guest of honor) and return home to pick it up.
   • Ask the guest of honor for a favor or send him or her a message that the person won't say no to. If you let the guest of honor do something that is not very nice and he or she is eventually surprised with something nice, it will make the party look even more beautiful.
   • Ask the guest of honor to help organize a surprise party for someone else. The person for whom the party is actually intended does not realize that it is actually for him or her. Position him or her in a different room from the rest of the party and then surprise him or her.
3. Consider these quick tips for an unforgettable and fun surprise party. Finally, consider some of the following points related to the party. You may have forgotten this while planning.
   • Make sure the guest of honor has not already made plans. You don't want him or her to go to another party while something is organized for him or her.
   • Better if the surprise party takes place a few days before or after the birthday. Otherwise, the birthday boy or girl will likely figure out what's going on.
   • Only ask for help from people who actually want to help. If you more or less force people to help, they won't do their job with much enthusiasm.
   • Don't worry if it turns out that the surprise doesn't really come as a surprise in the end. It's the gesture that counts. Your friend, family member or spouse will greatly appreciate it when they see how much time you have put into planning and preparing the surprise.