Happy birthday! Here’s how to make every birthday special for your partner, from the presents you give to the party you throw.
Birthday bash
If you’re organising a surprise bash, discretely make sure your partner doesn’t organise something – a weekend away, a restaurant meal – on the same date!
So, select a date – the nearest weekend to the birthday is a good time if you want as many people to attend as possible. Once you know your date and budget, decide your venue. You can have a house party but who wants to clean up afterwards and be waiting hand and foot on guests? Any venue you choose should be easily reachable by public transport and have access to local taxi firms for people leaving late at night.
For the party, choose a fun theme – Harry Potter, retro decades, Great Gatsby, Wild West, Saltburn – and decorate your home or venue accordingly. Guests, of course, will dress to suit the theme.
Cater your food and drinks to suit your theme. Martinis will go down a treat at a Great Gatsby-themed party, for instance. Barbecue food will work a treat at a Wild West event.
Once you have done all this, send out invites, telling people to keep schtum if it’s a surprise party!
Personal touch
Hosting a big birthday party is one thing but don’t forget the little personal touches. These are the things your partner will most likely remember or preserve as keepsakes.
Birthday cards from loved ones are always special. So, go the extra yard by presenting a homemade card to your partner. Buying card-making supplies can give your homemade card that quality touch. Invest in stamps and stencils, patterned paper pads and different cardstock. These professional touches make the difference between something cobbled together at the last minute and something that shows love, care and attention.
Time away
Time doing something special together or a weekend away are things that can make a birthday memorable. Go up in a hot air balloon, bungee jump, go white water rafting – choose something that takes you both out of your day-to-day. After all, a birthday is a special day.
Or splash out on a weekend away together. There are so many city breaks you can take in the UK or Europe. Edinburgh, Dublin, Venice, Paris, Rome, Lisbon and Barcelona are all places you travel to for a long weekend.
But if you’re saving cash, why not arrange to visit those friends who only live a train ride away but who you never quite find the time to visit? A reunion and a birthday all rolled into one!
Something special
Amidst all your planning to give them the best birthday ever, don’t forget one person’s needs. The person whose birthday it is. Is there one gift they have always wanted that you could provide? Within reason! Maybe gold dust tickets for Taylor Swift concerts or the Cup final are too expensive or unattainable – so get tickets for a Taylor Swift tribute act or a sports channel subscription that you can start and cancel anytime.
