Arranging a birthday celebration MSE style

mineallmine

I need to arrange a birthday celebration for a forthcoming 40th birthday (OH). Your ideas please as I am useless at this.

The house/garden is quite small. Like the idea of doing something different but not too expensive. Not decided as to whether to do a small(ish) or big(ish) do. Like the idea of a themed party. Help!

Bambywamby

Why not do a 1940s themed party seeing as ur hubby is 40.

That means you can use old style food and ration recipes, get some 40's tunes for your CD player and start looking at costumes that could be viable.

You could be a housewife, with a head scarf, rollers and over coat or an airraid warden.
Or maybe you choose famous 1940s characters.

Doris Day.
Winston Chruchill.
Joe Dimaggio the baseball player.

• The Andrews Sisters
• Fred Allen
• Fred Astaire
• Lauren Bacall
• Jack Benny
• Ingrid Bergman
• Humphrey Bogart
• Marlon Brando
• James Cagney
• Cab Calloway
• Gary Cooper
• Abbott and Costello
• Bing Crosby
• Marlene Dietrich
• Walt Disney
• Duke Ellington
• Judy Garland
• Betty Grable
• Cary Grant
• Clark Gable

• Carl Stuart Hamblen
• Rita Hayworth
• Katharine Hepburn
• Bob Hope
• Lena Horne
• Veronica Lake
• Dorothy Lamour
• Vivien Leigh
• Carole Lombard
• Vera Lynn
• Danny Kaye
• Gene Kelly
• Ginger Rogers
• Mickey Rooney
• Jimmy Stewart
• Spencer Tracy
• Lana Turner
• John Wayne
• Orson Welles

Whatever you decide enjoy your party X X

mineallmine

Thanks Bambywamby, that's a brill idea.

Anyone else got ideas? Anyone bought/used one of the larger gazebos eg almost like 2 or 3 times the size of a normal one? Are they any good?

Also what about food, again you can tell I am clueless. I like the idea of doing simple food but looks great. All help warmly welcomed!

boo81

If you are going to do 40's food thriftladys wartime rationing experiment will help with ideas!

Im sure you can find pictures on the net of the street parties back then, you could decorate with bunting and printouts of amusing adverts, you could even print the invitations with adverts as a backdrop, would be very effective!

People can dress up as things from the movies if they are stuck-wizard of oz?

mineallmine

Thanks boo81, love the bunting idea and loved street parties as a child. This is just the input and ideas I need. Will also look on the rationing experiment thread too. I want to give OH several ideas, I kinda like the idea of maybe sort of, oh I dunno of a 60s theme. Has that been done to death? Hippies, beatles etc? Ah the choices, this is fab! More, more please!

boo81

Alternative themes:

Cowboys and indians
Gansters and molls
Hollywood glamour
Pirates
Rock and roll
Geeks!
James Bond

annie-c

Whatever the theme, if you can beg, steal or borrow a gazebo you will create an extra room outside - I've been to soem great parties where everyone has mellowed outside in the early hours on borrowed assortments of garden chairs under a gazebo, maybe lit with outdoor lights. Unless it's a big surprise, ask around and see what people can lend you. Your local freecycle group www.freecycle.org is worth a try - increasingly they are allowing requests for loans as well as for things to be given free.

60s is a good theme and it would be pretty easy for people to get outfits from charity shops.

For food, buffets can be made easily and cheaply. People will happily bring booze along if you provide food. Something that goes down well, esp. if people chill out late into the night, is to have big, huge pots of HM curry, chilli and rice on the stove ready to heat up and let people help themselves. You can make them up the day before the party, so is relatively easy on the day. It helps people soak up the booze and fill up quite cheaply!

mineallmine

Thanks annie-c, never thought about borrowing stuff. How daft eh, that is the ultimate money saving!
I love the idea of HM curry etc too. Anyone got a failsafe rice recipe? I used to have a spicy one, years ago but managed to lose the recipe. I wonder what other bits I could do to accompany the curry/chilli etc?

Thanks for your ideas boo too. Crikey you lot are so creative.

Thanks pinkwinged for moving this to a proper home.

I've warmed to the 60s idea, and will probably do the invitations on the PC. Any ideas as to images or what to use on these? Or should I buy some invites? You know I never realised how utterly useless I am at this until now. I need to get a move on!