Last night I pulled off my first successful surprise party!  It was a task more complicated and stressful than I imagined- but in the end worth every bit of scheming energy.

The basic take-away from orchestrating and hosting such an event is that you have to get in touch with the people who know best the person you are surprising.  You may know your person well too, but believe me- that extra insider information goes a long way.

You can build your insider contact circle from just one person (it spreads quickly). Then use them to ask for advice on where the event should be, what kind, how big, who to invite, etc.

Once that ball gets rolling you have to be crafty and careful.  A smaller cover-up really is clutch.  Say you are having dinner with just a couple of their closest friends, so that they know they are going somewhere and doing something but all the other details are left vague.  Use those close friends to coordinate bringing your special person to the chosen venue- a little bit late, so that everyone has time to arrive beforehand.

On the night of, make up a reason for not going with them to the place (you really want to go to your yoga class, a friend is having a slight emergency with their dog…) so that you can get their early and decorate. Be prepared to have a sad face and truly feel bad about “being selfish” and not being able to take them to this much anticipated secret place for their celebratory dinner (or what have you).  Stay strong and don’t give in- it makes it that much better in the end!

When they arrive, they will be greeted by all their dearest friends who have played it cool and given no hints about helping them celebrate.  Hopefully, with everyone’s help you will have picked a stellar location that is just their style. And the small decorations or party favours really do add that little extra something that kinda makes you feel like a kid again- which is perfect because playing games like this are the joie de vivre. ;)