If you have ever planned a surprise party, you will know that it’s not as easy. The movies make it look so easy! No, your girlfriend won’t be so happy-shocked that she’ll cry happy tears and run into your arms. Your sister will probably kill you for scaring the beejeezus out of her when she walked into a dark room full of people, while displaying that shocking emotion in front of her crush. If you don’t do it right, be prepared for an epic party fail.
Surprise parties require planning, really good planning. I remember planning a surprise Mother’s Day dinner for mum just about two weeks ago. It was HARD! With the kitchen being my mum’s domain, I had to hide a 2kg bag of potatoes in my closet under a pile of clothes for a day! It was no surprise that my clothes reeked of potatoes, but I’ve aired out my closet and all’s good now.
Aside from planning, which is pretty obvious, here are some other reasons I came up with to help you prepare for.
Fail Reason #1: Can’t get everyone on board
Getting people excited about the party and keeping them excited is the number one step and probably the hardest. People tend to get all excited at the start and forget about it.
Fail Reason #2: Act all weird and awkward
People start to behave like they normally won’t. The signals are just that obvious. Might as well do this…
Image Credit: Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr
Fail Reason #3: Oops! Shouldn’t have said that!
Someone is bound to spill the beans. Like acting all weird isn’t enough…
“We’re not doing anything special for your birthday”
*face palm*
Fail Reason #4: Lose control of the situation
Facebook is a useful tool to connect and share with people, but when someone accidentally shares the event with the guest of surprise, DISASTER!
Traditional it may be, sending out invitations is still the best way to control the situation. It is small, it contains all the information and it makes your party guests feel special. Would you attend a wedding without a formal invitation? No. It’s the same with parties. Nobody wants to come uninvited.
Fail Reason #5: It’s expected
Always cover your tracks! People know when their birthday is, duh! They WILL know something is up if you don’t hide it well enough.
**Remember!** Don’t make your guest of honour remember for all the wrong reasons. Last but not least, take lots of photos and have fun!
Ha,
so true! Especially #2 acting weird. Also letting the cat out of the bag is way too easy. I recently went a surprise 50th for my best mat and managed to park my car right out front! I thought he was already there. Fail!
Cheers,
Dwight
HAHAHA I will write another post about what to avoid next. parking FAAAAAAAAAAR away is definitely recommended.
Hi
I remember mucking up on number two too. It was a friend’s surprise party where he (and I) were in the band that were playing at his party. I kind of acted a bit vague/shy which he said was part of the reason he figured it out. He still enjoyed the night though.
cheers
Angus
Oh that’s great! I’m glad it worked out in the end :)