Tips For Planning Super Birthdays As We Get Older

Guest Post by Ashley Denk, Owner of Hudson Grey Events

When your husband’s birthday falls on Super Bowl Sunday, you know exactly how you’re going to celebrate! Especially when you have a Celebration Stadium!

Our family loves football and although our favorite team didn’t even make it to the playoffs, we haven’t stopped gathering to watch. That might be my favorite thing about sports - how they bring everyone together. Much like a birthday! And on February 12^th, we not only gathered for the big game, but to celebrate my husband turning XLII.

I made his favorite “cake,” Monkey Bread, placed it right in the middle of the Celebration Stadium and illuminated the room by candlelight.

Using the stadium for all the candles left room on his cake to add his age in Roman numerals. I finished off this theme with football plates, cups, a table runner and backdrop. A simple set-up, but just right for my husband.

As we get older, it’s hard to feel driven to celebrate yet another year. So, let me share a few tips for how to keep it exciting!

• Be a kid. That’s right. Tap in to your inner child and plan to celebrate just like you would have when you were 5 or 9 or 12! My mother is a great example. Once she got into her 50s, she decided that each birthday would be FUN! It wasn’t so much about the theme or the décor or the gifts, but instead it was all about the experience. So, one year she rented out a roller rink where young and old came together to skate the night away. Another year, she whisked the whole family away to a water park. She doesn’t even swim! But she knew that the rest of us would love it and that’s exactly how she wanted to remember her special day.

• Speak their language. Maybe you have a family member that’s refusing to celebrate their milestone birthday. Speak their language! What are their interests? What are their favorite things to do? Do they love dancing? Do they love whiskey? You can create a theme around anything, so find something that gets them excited and go from there!
• Invest in the food and favors. Do you ever think back to events you’ve attended and start drooling over the memories you have of the food? Yup, that’s what I’m talking about. Food is a huge way to make a celebration memorable. Think outside the box - hire a food truck or get creative with your cuisine and “travel” to a different country. Then send guests home with what I like to call “functional favors”. This is my favorite way to make your event memorable. For example, for celebrating “Cheers to 40 Years”, send home a custom can cooler or bottle opener! These favors are something that your guests will use again and again, hence being functional, but each time they do, they’ll always remember your event.

So, the next time you start dodging your upcoming birthday - don’t! Embrace it! Have some fun with it. It’s a celebration of another year, and also of the year to come! Happy Partying!

About the Author:

Hi Party People!!

My name is Ashley and I’m the owner of Hudson Grey Events. I’m a mom to two wild and loving boys, a wife to the most supportive man in the world and as of 2019, a small business owner! I’ve always loved party planning, but I especially fell in love with party design after becoming a mom. Putting something together that was personal and memorable for each of my boys’ special day of the year was so important to me. And after my youngest’s 3^rd birthday in January of 2019, I knew I couldn’t wait until June to throw another party. So, I did it, I came up with a business name built from the very two reasons I fell in love with party planning - my boys, Hudson and Greyson. I still sit down with each boy a few months in advance of their birthdays to discuss their party. They always have input on their theme! These simple conversations mean the world to me as I watch the excitement grow on their face while we dream up the celebration ahead! And with Hudson Grey Events, that’s exactly what I want to share with you! I want to help make your child’s birthday as personal and unique as they are while eliminating the stress of doing so. The same can be said for any special occasion or event you want to celebrate! I love to plan. I love to prep. And your only job is to enjoy the party!