How to Plan an 80th Birthday Party

An 80th birthday is a huge milestone in someone's life. So, when a friend or loved one reaches this milestone, it is important to celebrate by planning a birthday party for them. When planning an 80th birthday party, special care should be taken to ensure that memories are shared and that the star birthday guest is particularly honored. It is also a great time to get together with distant relatives and long-lost friends and acquaintances. It is important to get as much input as possible from the person celebrating his birthday when planning the party.

Instructions

1. Decide on a date and time. It is always best to hold the party on the actual 80th birthday, but this may not always be possible. If not, find a date that is as close to the birthday as possible and convenient to everyone involved. The afternoon or early evening is the best time to hold an 80th birthday party. If guests are traveling to attend the party, this will give them plenty of time.

2. Choose a location for the party. The best place for the party depends on the person that you are celebrating, so ask her where she would like the party to be held. Some good options are banquet halls, church or school gymnasiums, restaurants or someone's house. Be sure to reserve the location early.

3. Assemble a guest list. For this, you most likely will need input from a variety of people, including the person celebrating the birthday. Since this is such an important birthday, invite everyone that is close to the guest of honor: relatives (close and distant), friends, church members, former co-workers, neighbors and other acquaintances.

4. Send out invitations at least a month before the party to give guests enough time to plan their schedules around the party and to make travel arrangements, if needed. Have the invitations printed or, to save money, create them yourself. Blank invitations can be purchased at office supply stores, and you can write your own text using a word processing program and print out the invitations on your desktop printer.

5. Decide on a type of entertainment for the party. It is a good idea to decide on this early so that you have time to book a good act. Keep in mind that the entertainment should be appropriate for an 80-year-old, so don't hire a rock band. Search for a local band or singing group that performs music that the birthday boy likes. A DJ is another good option because many of them will play a variety of music to fit any type of party. The important thing is to find what works best for everyone.

6. Choose a menu for the party. Serving food buffet style is a great option for the party, especially if there are lots of guests. Have the party catered by the guest of honor's favorite restaurant, or make the food yourself. The type of food served depends on the type of party that you are planning--for example, you can serve a full meal, hors d'oeuvres or just cake.
   Select an impressive cake for this momentous occasion. Whether you order the cake from a local bakery or make it yourself, it should be very special. Opt for a multi-tiered cake with lots of decoration. The celebrant will be overjoyed.

7. Find decorations that are appropriate to the party. Decorations should be colorful, bright and cheerful. Do not choose black "over the hill" type of decorations for an 80-year-old's birthday party. Many party shops have 80-year-old birthday party decorations available to help you. Also include flowers, confetti, colorful signs and photos. Provide a guest book so that attendees can write their warm wishes to the 80-year-old on such a joyous occasion.

8. Share photos and memories during the party. An excellent way to do this is to create displays of photos of the guest of honor at different stages in his or her life. Make posters with a collage of photos, add photos to centerpieces or create a video slide show of photos. But, do not bring up any embarrassing photos, moments or events from the person's life. You do not want to offend her.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to include photographs as displays at the party, do not use originals. They could get damaged or someone might take them. Instead, scan the photos and print out copies on photo paper. If you are not able to do this at home, it can be done rather inexpensively at local photo centers, like Walgreens or Target. Make themed centerpieces representing each decade that the 80-year-old was alive. For example, one table could have a 1940s theme and one could have a 1960s theme.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish