Your best friend’s 21st birthday is in a week. You want to help throw her the best birthday party yet, but have no idea where to start. Here are some essentials to get started and make sure you do NOT disappoint when it comes to the big celebration.
1. Craft the Invite
You want to make sure all her close friends are there. Your first step is to create a Facebook invite so everyone knows the details about the party. If you don’t share all the same friends, make sure you talk to other people to get a comprehensive list. Finish off the invite with some embarrassing pictures of the birthday girl. Different ideas can include creating a collage for the cover photo or resurfacing old Snapchats for the profile picture.
2. Start your Shopping
You don’t have to break the bank to make your friend feel special on her birthday. But here are some extra things that get birthday girls excited.
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Inflatable 21 balloons: These are available at Party City. They can also be bought online for cheaper prices. You can fill them with helium at the common shop.
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Birthday sash: There are so many sashes available on Amazon, just make sure this is something your friend would definitely want.
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Birthday crown: Order in advance so you have enough time for shipping.
3. Put Together a Playlist
Make a fun playlist like “Boss Bridget’s Birthday Bash,” with songs that will get everyone pumped up for the night. Spotify is a popular app for creating playlists, and this way there will be constant music playing in the background. If you’re running low on time, check out some of the premade birthday playlists or Today’s Hits
4. Transform for Twenty-One
What are her favorite colors? If they are pink and gold, that’s an easy way to establish a theme for the birthday party. Whether it comes to buying balloons, making signs, or hanging up streamers, establishing the color scheme will make the decorating process move a lot faster. Many people will hang streamers vertically along a wall to make it decorative to give the birthday girl a place to take pictures with guests. Sometimes decorated champagne bottles add a nice touch, but these are often bought as gifts.
5. Have Fun When it Comes to Food
This isn’t just any birthday. Now’s your chance to go to your Pinterest board and make the treats you’ve always thought about.
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Tipsy Barbie Cake: Now that she’s legal, it’s your chance to make the classic tipsy Barbie 21st birthday cake. After you make a regular cake, all you need is a Barbie doll, some mini bottles, and sprinkles. Viola- you have a cake specialized for the occasion.
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Tipsy Gummy Bears: This is an easy one. Soak gummy bears in the birthday girl’s favorite drink for about 16 hours until they have significantly changed in size. Serve in a small cup or with a spoon.
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Cotton Candy Martinis: There are many cotton candy martini recipes available online, but the easiest way is to put the cotton candy in the glass and pour the drink over it to combine the flavors. Line the rim with sprinkles to bring everything together.
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Party Popcorn: An addicting essential – buy some kettle corn from your local grocery store. Then, melt white chocolate over the kettle corn and add sprinkles on top. Let the white chocolate harden to finish off the dessert.
6. Let the Games Begin
Whether they are games for the birthday girl or games for the guests, make sure you get creative.
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Wearable Birthday Checklist: One option is giving the birthday girl a checklist of items she should complete. This list can include things from getting a picture with the bouncer to dancing on a table.
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Truth or Dice: Places such as Party City sell two dice that dare the player to complete certain tasks. Anyone at the party can use the dice and they’ll be sure to keep everyone entertained.
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Color Coordinated Jello Twister: It’s a regular game of Twister, but every dot has a shot of matching colored jello sitting on top of it. When you spin and land on a certain color, you have to drink that jello. The first to fall down loses. Check out Kristen Stewart and Jimmy Fallon playing on “The Tonight Show.”
Hopefully, these ideas will help get your event planning started. Afterall, you only turn 21 once. Cheers!