Adult Birthday Celebration Ideas

Planning adult birthday parties can be a thorny affair.birthday image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com

Planning birthday parties for adults can be challenging. Children's birthday parties are much more clear-cut. Some cake, some ice cream, some party favors and pointy hats and you've got yourself a party. However, planning for adult parties is more complicated. You have to please a large group of self-sufficient adults who may not be the easiest group in the world to make happy. However, a number of adult birthday-celebration ideas exist that are sure to please.

Themed Parties

Having a theme can make a birthday party something really special. It's not just kids who enjoy dressing up and play acting. Adults can get into the act too. Period parties offer an opportunity to relive a golden age (for example, the 1960s) or explore a part of the past that the guest of honor is particularly enamored with (such as the Old West). Decorate the party venue appropriately and ask guests to show up in period costumes. This is a way to make everyone at the party feel a little more youthful for a few hours and can be a gift in itself for the guest of honor.

Photographs taken throughout a person's life can be strong remembrances of times past. Arrange a collage of photographs that span the decades of the guest of honor's life. Alternately, frame a photograph or two for every table at the party in a large venue. You can also mount photographs onto a large piece of poster board and have guests sign the area around the photograph in the manner of a yearbook.

Gifts for adults can be tough to choose, particularly when dealing with the person who seemingly has everything. Remember that a gift that someone needs can be as exciting as a gift that the person purely wants. Stressing over getting the perfect gift isn't necessary. Try to get the guest of honor something memorable that he can use year-round. It's always good to include a gift receipt in case the gift is something the person already has or if you have misjudged the person's taste.

It's always good to be toasted by close friends, particularly on your special day. Stand to give the toast, holding the glass then raising it when you are finished delivering your special speech for the birthday boy or girl before drinking. If the party is a smaller, more intimate affair, standing is not necessary. Be clever and affectionate but above all, be appropriate when delivering your toast.