How to Plan a Milestone Birthday Bash: From 30th to 90th Celebrations
Regardless of what milestone you’re celebrating, when hosting a birthday party, you want it to stand out and reflect the personality and life of the guest of honour. In this article, we will share our best Vaughan banquet hall pro tips to plan a blow-out birthday bash from ages 30 to 90 and above!
Consider the Milestones
Milestone birthdays are those key life stages that mark the years that feel more significant. Each milestone is unique to the person’s life experiences, providing inspiration for the theme and tone of the event. It also marks a different stage of a person’s life and, therefore, requires different considerations.
Age 30: Known as “dirty 30” for women, this is a kick-off to the freedom that comes as we enter our 30s. This is often the most successful age of our lives, when we focus on our careers before family life takes over. People turning 30 are often more established and independent in their lives, and are out for a good time to celebrate this milestone.
Age 40: This age is often associated with a reflective time of life when that infamous crisis kicks in. At a 40 party, things tend to be a bit more refined, although you always have to keep the guest of honour’s personality in mind.
Age 50: Celebrating half a century of life is a major milestone steeped in reminiscences of the carefree 20s and 30s. This makes retro parties a fun idea for this milestone, looking back on the trends, music, and fashions of their “best years.” However, half a century is also the perfect time to raise the bar a little and consider a black-tie affair!
Age 60: With age comes wisdom, particularly starting in our 60s. These parties are often family-oriented as the guest of honour often has multiple generations present, including their kids’ spouses and grandkids.
As people reach 70, 80, 90, and beyond, the party is a celebration of long life and love, with more generations joining the guest list! However, accessibility might also become an issue, so be sure to consider this when choosing your venue.
Think About the Guest of Honour
The main consideration for any milestone birthday bash is the guest of honour. What are their interests? Are they introverted and would prefer something low-key and intimate, or extroverted and love being the centre of attention in a room full of family and friends?
Also, what are their favourite foods? Who are their favourite people? All of these things contribute to the tone of the party, guest list, activities (if any), and theme.
Theme or No Theme
Adult birthday parties can go either way when it comes to themes. Themes certainly help pull a party together with inspiration for decor, activities, cake, food, music, and whether you would like costumes or not. If you’re choosing a theme, some popular milestone themes might include:
Retro parties based on the guest of honour’s college days
Dirty 30s for female-based 30 milestones
Movies
Music genres such as Country, Hard Rock, or New Wave
Hobbies
Aspirations such as travelling to France
Tastings based on their preference, such as wine, whisky, or cocktails
Dance party
If you want to avoid too obvious a theme, you can opt for a specific tone and vibe, such as:
Intimate and low-key
Chic and sophisticated
Casual and fun
Black tie
Vintage elegance
Cuisine can also be your inspiration, such as:
BBQ
Global
Carving tables
Shared plates and appetizers
Family-style sit-down meals
Fancy multi-course meals
Choosing the Venue
The right venue can make or break your birthday bash. Some important considerations include the following:
Location: You want a venue that is easy to access via highways and transportation, and preferably in proximity to the guest of honour and key guests. For example, if most people live in the west end, a Vaughan banquet hall would be ideal, whereas if most people live downtown, then a Toronto hotel, gallery, or restaurant would work better.
Services: Not all venues offer the same types of services. This can leave you scrambling to find multiple vendors, which can push up prices and make life stressful. A Vaughan banquet hall offering in-house services such as catering, event planners, audio-visual equipment, and assistance with things such as decor will help ensure flawless execution with everything managed under one roof.
Catering: A venue with in-house catering and world-class chefs to assist with menu planning is a must if you want to make this a memorable occasion. Onsite catering ensures food is served hot and fresh. However, there’s more to catering than the menu. You also want your choice of service options, whether it’s a buffet, outdoor BBQ, carving stations, family-style shared plates, circulating appetizers, or a formal sit-down meal with multiple courses.
Bar service: A venue that offers superior bar service with exceptional top-shelf spirits, impressive wine selection, and mixologists to create customized cocktails will mark the occasion with toastable moments that celebrate the guest of honour.
Private entry and reception hall: A private entry for your guests sets the event apart. It provides a place to greet guests, hang up coats, and mingle with cocktails before the guest of honour arrives.
The Cake
Much like a wedding, the cake at a milestone birthday takes centre stage in your party decor. The cake should, of course, be the favourite flavour of the guest of honour and match perfectly with the theme or party vibe. Be sure to finalize the guest count before ordering to ensure everyone gets their own slice of heaven.
The Guest List
As with any celebration, the guest list plays an important role in the party’s success. For milestones, party plans often include unexpected guest appearances such as an old childhood friend, favourite teacher, or flying in a family member greatly missed by the guest of honour.
You also have to consider who they would want to join their celebration, and be sure to prioritize these people when making the guest list over the nice-to-have guests you might want to invite. This will help keep you from going over the budget.
Contact Château Le Jardin for a Banquet Hall in Vaughan
Our Vaughan banquet hall pro tips will help you mark these momentous milestones in style to show the birthday gal or guy just how much they are truly loved.
For more information about the event space available at Château Le Jardin’s Vaughan banquet hall, call us at 1-888-529-8573 or contact us online.