50th birthday party

Lynzie_2

Heya,

I am looking for some advice and tips from all you great people.

Its my mum and dads 50th birthday this year, its my mums on the 4th of june, and my dad's on the 21st july. I am going to do them a joint party, as a lots their friends and family live quite far away, and I don't think they would want to come down twice in one month.

So I was planning on doing the party towards the end of June, so its in the middle of both birthdays.

I'm not sure I will be able to keep in a suprise from both of them, as I am going to feel that I will need help from them. I would love to keep it a suprise, but i'm not sure, if it will be that easy.

So what my question is, How much does it cost to do a party??
What sort of things do I need to do? Its my first party I have planned, so I am a little clueless
I know I need to sort the venue, but how do I know which sort of one to go for, and how to do everything??
how about food and drinks etc

Any help or tips would be great

Thanks

Lynzie

kaja86

Hi Lynzie
You've definitely come to the right place. You will get great advice from the guys on this forum and they're also very friendly.
I did parties for my Mam's 60th, Dad's 60th and hubbys 50th over the past few years but they have always been house parties so I can't help on venue advice. It's a good job you've started early as you will need plenty of time if you want to keep the cost down.
Why not ring around a few places and caterers to give yourself an idea of cost? Could you cater yourself?
I organised quizzes linked with the age for during the party. I also bought decorations off Ebay.
Good Luck
HTH

k8eh

ring around local pubs/clubs to get prices for hiring their labour rooms/halls.
you could cater yourself... set a food budget and get a friend or relative to help prepare the night before and morning of the party.
sandwiches, sausage rolls, cheese and pineapple... proper party nibbles as people tend to prefer this to expensive posh catering.
as for drinks just buy a few bottles of soft drinks.... coke, lemonade etc.
if people want alcohol there will be a bar there! and in clubs the drinks are usually alot cheaper.
you could also decorate the room yourself on the day. balloons, banners etc which shouldn't be too expensive if you shop around...and you have plenty of time to find the best deals!
entertainment is probably the most expensive, but if you look in your local phonebooks you'll find DJs etc that offer reasonable rates.

...and as for the surprise bit, its quite simple really. lure them into going to the pub. tell them there's karaoke on, quiz night, special offer on drinks or whatever you think might tempt them. they won't suspect a thing as it's on neither of their actual birthdays.

perhaps this isn't the sort of thing you're after but just a few suggestions

JailhouseBabe

Do either of your parents smoke? If so, you'll want a venue on the ground floor - or if it's upstairs then with a balcony. At most venues I've been to, if people have to go up and down stairs every time they want a cigarette, they tend to stay outside for longer and smoke more than one while they're out there (as its so much effort). At the end of June the weather should be nice, so you risk half of the party spending most of the evening outdoors.

Lynzie_2

I have emailed a few places, waiting for them to get back, didnt realise it was so expensive to hire somewhere

My dad smokes, and so do quite a few friends, I hadnt thought about thinking of them going out, so i am looking for places that have a patio area, or something similiar.

I know a dj, its my oh best mate, so hopefully I can get a cheaper deal.......

what sort of food should I do? I was going to make the food, so it lowers the cost

rufusdog52

You might find one of the local pubs would hold it cheaper if they do it in their actual pub and not in a room. My sons 30th was in a pub which had two bars connected, they didnt charge us for the party as they were getting the extra sales for drinks. They let us use the kitchen and we laid on a buffet which we cooked etc at home. The only thing was that we had a few stragglers from the other bar popping round for food every now and then but it wasnt a problem.

I had my 50th party at my brothers house as they have a big room and a consevatory. We again did the food ourselves. Have you got a family member who has a big house or garden? As JailhouseBabe said it will be warm then )hopefully) and people would be able to go out in the garden so you could fit quite few people in.

CT19720

Have you thought about hiring a village hall. We did this for our wedding in 2007 and the hire of the hall was £100.00 but that was from 9am on Saturday morning until 11am on Sunday morning. I'm in Surrey, so possibly paid slightly more. Just a thought.