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Over the Hill is SO Over!
During the course of my event planning career, I have planned quite a few milestone birthdays. Last year, my dad turned 80, and I wanted to do something extra special for his celebration. Regardless of whether your loved one's milestone is at 30, 40, 50 – or beyond – you can use these tips to help you plan an event that will be remembered for years to come.
The Theme
I’m really not a fan of the standard “over the hill” theme when it comes to milestone birthdays, so I tried to come up with something that’s a little more unusual. The first place I start when planning a milestone birthday is to research the year that the birthday person was born. When I researched 1929, the year my dad was born, I learned that the very first Academy Awards ceremony was held in that year. So, I thought using a movie theme would be a great tie in to 1929. In the past, I have planned a milestone party for someone born the same year that the party game “twister “was released. Again, this gave me a great theme on which to base the party. Another way to determine your theme and to personalize the party is to focus in on a hobby or special activity of the birthday person.
Milestone Invites!
Once you determine the theme, the next step is to find or make invitations to relay the theme to your invited guests. For example, my dad's birthday invitations looked like an old time movie poster and invited guests to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Academy Awards as well as the birthday of my father. For the “Twister” party, I used the colorful circles to set the tone for the party. If you are crafty, you can usually find theme related scrapbook paper and accessories to design your own invitations, or you can find pre-made invitations at local party supply stores.
Party Plan
The type of party you have will depend on the age of your honoree. For example, the 30th birthday party would have a much different tone than an 80th birthday party. For a 30-year-old, an evening party would no doubt suit the lifestyle of the majority of the attendees. However, for my dad’s 80th birthday, I knew that most of his friends and family members were older so I opted for an afternoon open house. An open house is an excellent way to celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries, especially when you’re dealing with either an older crowd or a large number of guests.
The open house format allows your guests to come and go as they please during a set period of time. My dad’s party was from one to four on a Sunday afternoon, which allowed his friends from church to stop by on their way home.
Dress it Up
Décor for milestone birthdays, especially as the honorees get older, does not need to be extensive. Luckily, my dad was born in December, so our holiday decorations served as the birthday décor. I used the birthday cake as a centerpiece. However, if you’re planning on a birthday for someone 30, 40 or even 50, you may want use decorations in keeping with your theme. For example, for the “Twister” party, I decorated liberally with the colors from the game, placing varied-sized circles in bright colors around the party area and making use of brightly colored balloons and other circular shaped items.
The Food
Food for your milestone party will again depend on the age group of the honoree and theme of your party. For my dad’s party, since it was an afternoon open house, we had a variety of small finger foods and a large birthday cake along with coffee, space tea and punch. Obviously, food and drink for an evening gathering should be more substantial and again can be based on the theme of your party.
Regardless of the type of party you are having, party favors, in my opinion, are a must! The favors do not need to be elaborate or expensive, just a little something to remind your guests of the celebration and to thank them for coming. For my dad’s party, I made small cards using a favorite picture of my dad and attached was the card to a candy cane saying, “It was so sweet of you to celebrate Lyle’s 80th birthday with him.” For the “Twister” party, guests were given small backs filled with colorful jelly beans, again, in keeping with the colorful circle theme.
So, as you’re thinking of planning a milestone birthday for your loved one, do a little research, and I am sure that you, too, can come up with a theme that is much more interesting than “Over the Hill.”
