How to give your 40th Birthday Party the WOW Factor

There’s never a better age to have a party than your fortieth. It’s a time to celebrate all you have achieved (including your time-wasting early 20s) and where you are confidently heading. By the age of 40, you have matured enough to know what you want. The decade ahead is an exciting prospect of focus, opportunity and an appreciation of the good things in life, although it can bring its struggles and thankfully spaces are opening up to talk about life when you’re hitting 40.

Get ready to throw the party of the century! Dakota Murphey shares how to give your 40^th birthday party a whole load of wow factor.

A visually stunning venue

The venue needs careful planning. You want it to be jaw-droppingly awesome and the right size for the number of guests you are inviting. Get the venue size wrong and your party will either be too cramped or look empty. For an unforgettable celebration, you’ll want a party space with unique characters. These luxury-themed tents are perfect for a 40^th with a wow factor.

Unusual invites

Crank up excitement with some unusual party invites. Make your 40^th the party EVERYONE wants to go to. A series of postcards announcing the date (and psst more details to follow), followed a week later by the theme, and then finally the venue will get everyone talking. Need inspiration? Then see here.

Make a dramatic impact with décor

You may have chosen a theme or your venue may come already decked out. If you have a blank canvas, go to town. For instance, if you’re interested in historical clothing and outfits, consider incorporating medieval costumes as part of your event’s dress code. This unique theme will surely attract attention and create a memorable experience for your guests.

If you want to make your party an outstanding one, you can place custom inflatables matching your theme and the venue. Today, inflatables can be of various sizes and designs, so you can even make them of the celebrant’s appearance for fun. Think of any creative ideas and get them realised. The more dramatic the better. Glamorous and ritzy is the order of the day.

An element of surprise

You’ve wowed everyone with your invites and with the venue, but you don’t want the wow factor to stop there. Organise something extra to keep your guests cooing. Anything unusual from a flash mob choir, living statues, ice sculptures, power racing simulators, and fairground rides, to a burlesque cabaret, bring everything to the party to make it a night you and your guests will never forget.

Quirky food and drinks

It’s unlikely you will be organising a lengthy sit-down meal at your 40^th, but you will need to provide some food, if only to soak up the alcohol and stop your guests from disappearing for a bite to eat. Delight your guests with exciting food and a cool bar serving sophisticated drinks. As it’s your birthday, it would be rude not to have a dessert table. If your party is all set for the height of summer, an ice-cream parlour will cool down your partying guests.

Live music (or an exceptionally good DJ who knows how to rock a party)

We often reserve the extravagance of live music for weddings. Why not get a funky band to rock out some tunes at your 40^th party? The band must be exceptionally good, otherwise, your party atmosphere will dwindle. A rocking DJ who knows how to work a crowd will be just as good.

Personal touches

If you really want to bring a wow factor to your special birthday party, personal touches will really add to the icing on the cake. Pictures of you and your friends over the years tastefully framed and artfully placed around your venue will show everyone how far you’ve come and how great you still look. Custom drink bottle labels with your name and 40th party on them are another quirky touch. You could even create custom coasters with all of your guests’ names to brighten up your table plan. Bring a bit of you to the venue décor. It is your party after all.

Party bags for grown-ups

We know it’s your birthday so technically you should be the only one getting the gifts. But wouldn’t it be nice to give your party guests a memento to take home with them. Luscious cupcakes in boxes (instead of a birthday cake) or personalised beer and miniature champagne bottles (guys and gals) are birthdays favours your guests will appreciate.

How about retro candy in cool sweetie bags? Or hangover recovery bags? Take a look at these unusual favours for some ideas (yes some are wedding ones, but lots are suitable for any party). We love the gold pineapple bottle stoppers! Yes, they are kitsch, but so fun and cute. Custom-mixed CDs with your favourite party tunes are another great idea.

Good Luck organising a magnificent do – we hope your 40^th birthday party is brimming with all the wow factor you hoped for and more.

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