Brainstorming for Adult Birthday Party Ideas

While coming up with adult birthday party ideas, things can get a little hectic; there are so many minor details one tends to forget, whether it be the centerpieces for the tables or setting up a playlist and ensuring that your guests will have a good time listening to it. I find that it’s best to first sit down and come up with a birthday party planning checklist for items to buy or actions to take right off the bat, and then to sit down and brainstorm for a good ten minutes or so to figure out other needed things to add to the checklist.

Brainstorming in itself has several different ways to be conducted; my personal favorite is to just jot down ideas nonstop for ten minutes (don’t down your pen…let the ideas flow!)—just write down anything that comes to mind—and then look at the paper to see what you’ve come up with. Another quick method is to just grab a coffee with someone and bounce ideas off of each other; whether you come up with something or not, your mind will keep working on it even when you’re not actively thinking about it, and you’re sure to come up with some good ideas for your adult birthday party before you head off to bed!

Asking Your Guests about Adult Birthday Party Ideas

Although your birthday is on a specific date, odds are it’s on a weekday or it might be inconvenient for some of your guests to attend your birthday party on that day. Consult your guests when you’re deciding on a date; you could do it the old-fashioned way with calling and asking, but it’s much more time-efficient if you utilized the Internet! There are several different ways to poll guests, with options such as Shyndyg or Doodle, where you can simply choose a few different dates and send the link to your guests via email. Alternately, if most of your guests are on Facebook, create a Facebook event and set up a poll for their preferred date(s). With this method, your guests will also have an opportunity to post pictures that they’ve taken on the event page after the party’s been hosted, or you could set up a separate website, a Flickr, or an Instagram for them to contribute to. Since pictures are the physical memory of the party (and one of my favorite parts!), try offering an incentive to the party-goers, like a prize for whoever takes the most pictures. Or, to make it even easier on your guests, try setting a disposable camera on each table, and perhaps a list of “I Spy” items for them to take pictures of (e.g. “Awkward Conversation”, “Romantic Moment”, “Laughter”, etc)—turning the picture-taking into a game—and have a bag that they can drop the cameras off into before they leave (or they could just leave it on the table).

Only after you’ve decided on the time and date can you start to think about the venue: take a look at your budget, can you afford to rent a location? Perhaps if you want it to be a closer-knit group of people, then you could consider prepaying for the food at a restaurant or, for a considerably cheaper alternative, utilizing your home or the park. It all boils down to how many people you’re looking to invite and what your budget it, and with your budget you can determine whether a fancy location is your priority or good food. Create a pros and cons list of every location, if you have the time, as well as a separate list for what you find important in an event—this is a key component for how to plan a birthday party.

When choosing a location, keep in mind that most rented venues will require an upfront security deposit. Also make sure that whatever you choose is central to most of your guests, with accessible, reasonably priced parking (perhaps you can get a deal with the manager?) or public transportation. If you’re planning on having an open bar or cash bar, then it might be prudent to offer your guests a place to stay or an alternate method of getting home. There are several companies that offer services for picking up you and your car and dropping you off at home, and there are also cabs and buses (although buses won’t run as late if it’s going to be an all-nighter). If your party is truly close knit, then you could even suggest that they bring sleeping bags and everyone is welcome to stay at the venue overnight (assuming that it doesn’t cost extra to hold it overnight).

Ensuring that Your Guests are Worry-Free

There are smaller factors that may be eating away at your guests, and as a considerate host, you should do what you can to accommodate these worries (within reason). When you’re sending out your adult birthday invitations—whether it’s through the Internet or a card—list all of the birthday essentials on there, like the time, date, place, theme, expected attire, and things they should bring. I don’t mean tell them to bring gifts (unless you really feel that it’s necessary), but rather if you’re expecting them to bring their own alcohol or if it’s going to be a potluck party.

If you’re planning on offering a spot to sleep, you should include a separate RSVP section for whether or not they’re planning on staying the night or not, too, and this way you can add air mattresses, pillows, and blankets to your birthday party planning checklist. Perhaps most of your guests have children; instead of expecting them all to hire a personal babysitter, consider hiring two or three sitters and having a separate room for the kids or deciding on whose house they can all be at. Make sure to provide each of the sitters with your contact information as well as directions and the address of the venue, should anything go wrong.

Some Minor Details Regarding Adult Birthday Party Ideas

After you’ve decided on a location, you can determine the nitty-gritty of the party, like birthday party themes for adults. There are several routes you could take with this, and it really depends on your personality and what you’re interested in. For example, you could have it themed around a game, both in terms of attire and in terms of playing games all night–perhaps a board game adult birthday party where you come dressed as a character in the game (this would go well with a game like Arkham Horror, which lasts a couple hours and has many characters to choose from) and offering themed drinks.

Do take the personalities of your guests into consideration, as well; if there will be people there vehemently against board games, then that might not be the road to take. When coming up with adult birthday party ideas, you should ultimately remember that your guests are there to see you, and the price you pay for it is entirely up to you; additionally, having a theme isn’t required for having fun, but it does help with hosting a more memorable party!

written by Rebecca, birthday December 3rd

Check out our forum for the latest discussion on adult birthday party ideas.  Some interesting suggestions by all means.

Tagged: birthday activities, ideas, planning, Rebecca