I recently had a friend turn 50 years old and I didn't want to do the typical black shirt and over-the-hill type of gag birthday party. For one this, this friend would not appreciate it and for another, I didn't want to be a cliché.
So, I set out to do something different and create a memorable day for my friend. And, this is something you can do too for any age birthday party.
I decided on a tie-dye themed party. It's bright and colorful, putting everyone in a cheerful mood right from the get go. I can use rainbows and smiley faces for decorations, in addition to any tie-dye decorations I might find.
The Invitations:
I started my birthday party preparations by creating my party invitations.
I designed the invitations myself using computer graphics software and my colored printer. I made rainbow peace signs and happy smiley faces to border the invitation's text.
In the invitation, I asked all the participants to wear tie-dye clothing, the brighter the better. And, if they didn't have tie-dye, then I invited them to wear very bright colors.
Next, I asked them to bring a few colorful flowers, but nothing with thorns. I had plans for these flowers, but I'll explain that to you later.
The invitations also included the typical information of where to meet, what time to be there and an RSVP request with my contact information.
The Decorations:
I decided to keep my decorations very simple and very portable because I was going to take this birthday party on the road.
I began gathering my party favors and decorations by visiting a local party store. There I found napkins and plates in tie-dye colors. I also found bright colored plastic forks and some bright yellow small paper sacks. I also found smiley-face cupcake papers.
The party store had some inexpensive bright colored plastic beaded necklaces. So, I bought one necklace for each person who would be attending the party. Another option would have been to use Hawaiian lays.
The next store I visited was an inexpensive import store that carried plain wine glasses. I found some for a few dollars each that met my needs for serving champagne. You can get whatever glasses you need for your age appropriate party. Plastic glasses will do too, but I wanted to be able to give these glasses to each person who was a guest at this party. As a little something to help them remember this day.
My next stop was the stationary store. I needed one preeminent ink shiny gold marker. You can use any color you want, but make sure the ink is permanent and can write on glass.
On my way home, I stopped by the grocery store and bought some candies. Since this was all about bright colors, I bought Starbursts and Lollipops. I also picked up a few bottles of champagne.
Now, how this all came together was great. I was able to prepare everything in advance.
I took the glasses I'd bought and wrote on all of them with the gold ink pen. I memorialized the date and drew a peace sign or a smiley face on each one. Then allowed that ink to dry.
Next, I took my tie-dye napkins and made them cone shaped to fit inside each glass. In the center of each cone, I draped a beaded necklace and tossed in a few candies. I stuck a sucker inside stem down. All very colorful, and you can easily add other items specific to your day's events. We were going to a theme park where everyone needed tickets for the rides, so I had already pre-purchased those tickets and placed a few into each person's glass.
With each glass ready now, I placed the full glasses carefully into the small paper bags I'd bought. And then, placed the now full bags into a large box. What this did for me was to make it easier for me to take this party mobile.
The Party Plan:
This party was going mobile. I rented a limousine for several hours, and we were going on an adventure!
Renting a limo is no big deal, but there are a few questions you should ask. Here's a list of questions I would suggest:
- How many passengers can the limousine hold?
- Can I go over the recommended passenger capacity?
- What amenities are inside the limo?
- Do I need a cooler for cold beverages?
- Do I need ice?
- Is there a CD player?
- Is there a sun roof?
- Can I wave at people out of the sunroof?
- Do you need an itinerary of stops?
- What happens if I go over my reserved hours?
- What's the hourly rate?
- Is there a maximum number of hours for service?
- Are we allowed to cruise or are destinations required?
- Can I pay with a credit card or do I need cash?
- What's a fair amount to tip the limousine driver?
You don't have to rent a limo, but no matter what the ages of your party goers, a ride in a limousine is a very memorable experience and takes the burden of driving off of you. Remember to allow for plenty of time between stops because limos go a lot slower than normal cars.
My plan for this party was to make several stops.
The first thing we did was find a drive-thru hamburger stand that a limousine could navigate easily. I had the birthday person stand up through the moon roof once the limo stopped and order everyone a soda. Remember to have cash on hand if you do this part, and this is a great photo opportunity too. Very funny later!
Second stop was the pizza parlor. I had pre-ordered several large pizzas to go, but if you do this for kids you'd probably be wise to eat there to avoid any messes in the limo. We got our pizzas and headed for the beach. Pick a destination that might make a nice picnic of sorts, and this is great for more photo opportunities too.
Do you remember that I asked my party goers to bring flowers? Here's what we did with the flowers. Everywhere we went, the birthday person gets to hand out flowers as a way of sharing their special day. It's a huge icebreaker. We gave flowers to everyone from elderly ladies to little girls to police officers to the drive thru person. We even had a few people sing happy birthday as a result. It put a definite smile on everyone's face and made the day even more memorable.
Pick age appropriate places to take your party to. I took this party to a themed park to ride the roller coaster and the carousel. The possibilities of where to go are endless. We even went to a ceramics shop and all painted a plate in bright tie-dye colors to help this day be remembered forever.
When you mix a tie-dye theme, a limousine ride and a few interesting destinations mixed with fun to eat foods ... I guarantee you'll get a day to remember for a life-time. I hope your birthday party is every bit as memorable as the one we had.
