Throwing a surprise party for your mom is a great way to show her that you care about her and that you appreciate everything she does for you. A surprise party takes a lot of work, but if all goes well, it will be a truly rewarding experience. For starters, all you need is organization, planning and secrecy.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Planning the Party
Step 1. Get permission
Not everyone likes surprise parties, and if you're planning on throwing one for your mom, it's a good idea to ask for permission. In order not to spoil the surprise, ask your father. If you are unable to do this, contact a relative who is very close to your mother, such as an aunt or grandmother.
- Involving another person in the organization is a good idea; you will have less to do and can ask for advice on your mother's preferences.
- Some people don't like surprise parties, so if your mom told you no, find other ideas to celebrate her birthday.
Step 2. Choose a date
The most important decision in planning a surprise party is the choice of date, because all the others depend on it. Think about the reason for the party: is it a birthday? Mother's day? An impromptu party that simply shows her how much you care about her?
- If you're celebrating a special occasion, like a birthday or Mother's Day, try picking the Saturday night following the date.
- Check your mom's calendar to make sure she doesn't have any schedule that might prevent her from attending the party.
- If your mom doesn't use a calendar, ask your dad or one of her friends to make sure the date is right (remember to say it's a surprise!).
Step 3. Set a budget
To organize a party effectively, you need to know how much money you can spend. Ask your dad, a relative, or one of your mom's friends to help you budget.
- Be sure to consider the cost of renting the venue, food, drink, decorations, invitations, and cake.
- If your budget is tight, try to do as many things yourself as you can to save on expenses.
- You can reduce costs in many ways. Instead of sending paper invitations, you can try inviting people over the internet, by email, or on social media. You can also consider organizing a dinner where everyone has to bring something to eat.
Step 4. Prepare the guest list
Decide how many people to contact. If you want to throw a big party, you can invite the following people: close relatives, distant relatives who live in your area, important people in your mother's life, such as colleagues, friends and neighbors.
- If you want to throw a more intimate party, just call close relatives and some of your mom's best friends.
- Ask your dad or one of your mom's closest friends to help you make the guest list.
- Complete the list one month before the party date.
Step 5. Decide on the location
Once you have chosen the size of the party, you need to start thinking about where to organize it. You can host smaller celebrations in your home, or at the home of a friend or relative.
- If you have decided to invite a lot of people, you can rent a place; in this case, consider the costs.
- Look for spaces that can be occupied for free in your area. If you belong to a church or have a community center in your area, free rooms may be available for members.
- Make sure you choose a place your mom won't go to on the day of the celebration. Otherwise, you'll have to find a way to keep her away from that venue while organizing the party; this would complicate things considerably.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare for the Party
Step 1. Send out the invitations
Once you have decided on the date, the guest list and the venue, it's time to send out the invitations. You can do this in many different ways: you can create or buy tickets, invite people via email or Facebook, or call guests directly.
- Send out the invitations about four weeks before the party date.
- Make sure you ask everyone to confirm their attendance by a certain date so you know how many people will come.
- Remind everyone that this is a surprise. Don't risk someone accidentally ruining the party.
- In the invitation, suggest everyone to park away from the venue. Dozens of cars in the driveway would probably spoil the surprise.
Step 2. Choose the menu
The party menu depends on the number of guests and the venue. Some locations require the consumption of food and drinks prepared by the staff, while others allow you to rely on a catering service or bring food directly from home.
- If you want to have a party at home or in a venue that allows you to bring in food from outside, make a list of what you want to cook or buy.
- Consider having a dinner where each of the guests contributes a dish. Thanks to this solution you will not have to bear the burden of procuring all the food that will be served at the party. Also, people will appreciate the idea of being able to contribute to the event.
- Establish the menu and book the necessary catering service four weeks before the party.
- You decide whether to order a cake or make it yourself. A homemade cake is a gesture of love, but it takes a long time. If you are too busy planning the party, ordering the cake from the bakery may be the best choice.
Step 3. Think about the decorations
Party decorations give you the opportunity to express your creativity and have fun. Try to create personalized decorations for your mother, which recall her passions; for example, if you love gardening, you can use lots of flowers to beautify your party venue.
- If you prefer simple decorations, get balloons, streamers, and maybe a banner.
- If you have decided to organize the party outdoors, make sure that the decorations cannot be blown away.
Step 4. Choose some decorations of sentimental value
Since the party is for your mother, try to think of something that has sentimental value. Your mom will appreciate the details that show her how much you appreciate her.
- Photographs are ideal decorations for a mother's day. Hang pictures that showcase her role in the family. Browse through old albums and find photos of the best vacations, goals and most important events in your family's history.
- If you are a computer expert, look at the old movies and photographs you have in digital format. You can create a short movie that plays in the background, including pictures and videos of your mother.
- Find decorations that appeal to her passions. For example, if she loves horseback riding, you can use tablecloths with horse designs and choose ponies as place cards or centerpieces.
Part 3 of 3: Taking care of the final details
Step 1. Go shopping
A week before the party, buy everything you need. If you can't drive, ask your dad or one of your mom's friends for help.
- Don't forget to buy glasses, plates, napkins and cutlery. Remember to hide everything where she won't find them.
- If you have to buy a lot of food, don't store it in the refrigerator at home.
- Ask a friend or relative if you can store perishable supplies in their home so your mom won't notice.
Step 2. Make sure your mom doesn't get suspicious
For the surprise party to be successful, you have to be a skilled deceiver. People often guess when something is wrong, so she may start asking you questions. In this case, don't panic and try to dispel his doubts.
- Pretend nothing has happened. If he asks what's going on, say, "I don't know what you're talking about." Keep playing dumb and your mom's suspicions will pass.
- Try to distract her while you prepare the party. If she is busy, she probably won't notice you sneaking around the house. For example, you can ask your dad to take her to the cinema when you need to bring out the decorations.
Step 3. Think about the logistics aspect
Since this is a surprise party, you need an excuse to get your mom out of the house while you prepare the supplies and the guests arrive. Ask one of her best friends to invite her over to her house on the day of the party.
- Make sure the person who is with your mother knows that they have to take her to the party at the scheduled time.
- You can also try asking your dad to take her out. Upon their return, the party will begin.
Step 4. Clean the house
If you have decided to organize the party at your home, you need to make sure that everything is shiny and tidy. However, cleaning the house for a surprise party can be difficult because you don't have to make the birthday girl suspicious.
- Make sure your mom isn't home before you start cleaning.
- Prioritize the bathroom, living rooms and kitchen. These are the rooms that will be most frequented by guests.
Step 5. Prepare everything and place the decorations
When your mom is still outside, hang all the decorations and put out the food, drinks and cake. Make sure the freezer is full of ice and only serve foods that need to be in the refrigerator at the start of the party.
- If guests bring gifts, put them all together on a table.
- Put some background music on to keep the party from looking dull and too quiet. The best idea is to create a playlist with all of his favorite songs.
Step 6. Decide how to reveal the party
There are many ways to turn the celebration into a success. The most used idea is to let all guests into a dark room, where they will hide. When the birthday girl arrives, you turn on the lights and everyone will jump out shouting "Surprise!". However, today this method can be considered a cliché and can spoil the surprise. After all, it is rather strange that a room is completely dark.
If you want the surprise to be particularly dramatic, you can follow the classic idea. However, even a less theatrical surprise can be just as fun for the birthday girl. For example, the party may have already started when your mother arrives. She will be surprised to arrive home and find friends and family waiting for her
Step 7. Have fun and accept the unexpected
In some cases, surprise parties are ruined; someone forgets to keep the secret or arrives home too soon. No matter how hard you work on organizing, you can't consider everything that can happen before and during the party.
- If the surprise is ruined, don't take it. Your mom will still be moved by all your work.
- Be the perfect host. Even if you are not satisfied with the way the party is progressing, your job is to ensure everyone has a good time.
Advice
- Make sure you delegate. Planning a party takes a lot of work, so get help from as many people as possible.
- Be sure to thank all of your helpers after the party ends.
