When planning out 18th birthday party ideas, one of the main things to consider is the food you will be offering to guests. This is something that requires careful planning as you don’t want to keep your guests hungry the whole night, or find out that no one can eat what you’ve served due to dietary requirements. This post will give you more insight into providing the best kind of food:
1) Know your guests – by this I don’t mean know there name (if you don’t know this, then you’ve got some work to do). I mean to understand what they are like and what interests them. This will include the type of music they like, what kind of people they hang around, and of course what they like to eat! If you know that most of your friends are health conscious, then you may want to ensure that you include foods that satisfy their needs – not just an assortment of party pies, fish fingers and chips.
2) How many people are coming – getting an estimate on the numbers that will be attending is important for planning how much food to provide. Let the guests know to RSVP by a certain date.
Ok so these are the main 2 things firstly to get started. Now we’ll take a look at the foods we can provide:
- Mini spring rolls – these are great because they can be bought frozen and then just friend on the night to serve. If you choose to make them yourself, then there are many recipes available including this one I came across:
- Sausage Rolls – Ok, there needs to be some junk food. Make sure the sausage rolls are cooked piping hot as they may be left out for a while before anyone eats them. You also want to ensure that the meat inside is cooked properly and is not served raw to prevent any upset stomachs.
- Carrots/Celery/Cucumber Strips – Important to have your dose of veges in there. These 3 mentioned are always great for cocktail parties. They can be served with various dips such as Sour Cream and Chives, French Onion and Hommus. Make sure they are cut into bit size pieces with the ends cut off for easy pickings.
- Dim Sims – To add a bit of cultural flavour, dim sims are delicious Chinese snack food which are always favourites at 18th birthday parties. They are best served with sweet chilli sauce. You can read more about them here.
Ok, so this is enough food for thought (yes, was trying to include the pun) to get you off the ground and get planning around 18th birthday party ideas. If you are going to have a few junk food items, remember to complement this with some healthier options such as vegetable sticks.
Ok, so you’re folks have told you as a gift 16th birthday party idea that you can get a phone of any choice. There’s one problem though: Which one shall I get?
With amount of choices out on the market these days, it can leave any consumer feeling paralyzed. Here, I’ll discuss a few of my favourites which will hopefully make your purchasing decision a little easier:
- Iphone 4S – Well if you haven’t heard of this phone by now, well I’m sorry but you must be living under a rock. This phone (like all previous generation Iphones) has been a hit with its funky design and layout as well as access to the Apple store for downloading apps. An excellent choice for the business user as well as the casual consumer, the Iphone 4s includes Siri which is somewhat like an electronic PA allowing you to schedule meetings, set reminders etc. It also includes an 8MP camera, video to shoot in 1080HD, the latest operating software with iOS 5 and iCloud to use between all your Apple products.
- Samsung Galxy S2 – If you love watching movies or reading books on your phone,then this is the one to get. Operating on Android’s 2.3 Platform, you get access to wonderful world of Android market. This phone pretty much has the works from an 8MP camera and 1080HD video shooting, to your handy business hub with Cisco Webex for scheduling meetings and Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for synchronising your email, contacts and calendar. The Galaxy S2 is great if you’re a gamer with its game hub providing over 20 social network and premium games.
- Galaxy Nexus – This is the world’s first phone which is available on Google’s latest Android platform – Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (yes that does have a funny name). It’s camera isn’t as strong as the ones above being only 5MP for the rear and 1.3 MP for the front one. It has all the other variants a phone has with 1080 video recording, mp3 player etc. I guess the good thing with this beauty is that Google has partnered directly with Samsung to build this so it definately has that good ol’ Google touch to it.
So if a phone is one of the 16th birthday party ideas that your parents are looking to fork out for you, I would consider the above ones.
It is true that many 21st birthday party ideas stem from the resources of people, music and alcohol. These 3 things are kind of like the blood in humans- without it there wouldn’t be any life (at a party of course). However, alcohol is one of those things that must be managed carefully as the consequences can turn sour if one doesn’t control its quantity and who it’s consumed by.
Having a few drinks can definitely lift the spirits of many people however there must be a line drawn between responsible drinking and binge drinking. THe consequences of binge drinking far outweigh the benefits. Some of the problems include vomiting, seizures, violence, impaired judgement and irregular breathing. There is also the hindrances caused to other people attending the party and also the neighbours who may be affected with outrageous behaviour. People who are heavily intoxicated may also be involved in unprotected sex, which puts such people at higher risk of catching sexually transmitted diseases.
On top of the health and social risks, alcohol is expensive. A huge budget of the 21st birthday party is spent on drinks. Hard drinks such as spirits are more expensive than the so called ‘softer’ drinks such as beer and wine. These also have a higher % of alcohol and can thus increases the likelihood of drunkeness after less quantity is consumed. Hence it is recommended to purchase more beer rather than spirits in order to keep the cost and drunken behaviour to a minimal.
At the end of the day, having alcohol at a party is definitely a great asset however one must be conscious of the ramifications associated with it.
So when planning 21st birthday party ideas, are you going to be responsible?
If you know your mate is into golf, then chipping in for a high quality driver is excellent for 13th birthday party ideas. If your friend has been playing for a while, then it’s important to look past price and ensure you purchase a good quality driver that will not only produce the goods on the fairways, but last a long time too. Let’s take a few different options:
Callaway Diablo Octane Driver – This is one of the hottest new clubs out in 2011. The Diablo Octane comes in 2 sizes: a wide-bodied one which has a deep-rooted centre of gravity allowing for a high ball, or the more forward centre-of-gravity one which allows for a lower trajectory. Both clubs have adopted the latest Callaway technology which caters for slight mis-hits. The recommended retail price for one of these is US$250.
Cleveland SL 290 – Sticking in line with 13th birthday party ideas, this club is gold-star rated. The 2011 model of this 2nd generation club weights approximately 270g (about 25g lower than the 2010 model). The head size of this beast is around 460cc (cubic centimetres) and will set you back US$299. Not a bad option for the serious golfer I must say.
Nike VR Pro – Speaking of quality, nothing goes past this baby. The VR Pro has a variety of features incorporating the latest golfing technology. It has a crown to reduce weight, an adjustable-thickness cupface to cater for the occasional mishits and also a 32 adjustable-setting hosel. Like the Cleveland mentioned above, this one weighs 460cc however is on the pricier end at US$479.
These are just a few handpicked choices for 13th birthday party ideas which I believe will make the day of any keen golfer. Just make sure that you do plenty of research beforehand before making a decision. Speaking to a golf professional to get some advice would certainly help the cause!
Thinking of 18th birthday party ideas for gifts to get your best girlfriend can be quite challenging. Not only is the process a hurdle for yourself but also for all other friends who are invited to the party. A great way around this is to buy a combined gift where everyone chips in say $25 to buy one big gift for the birthday girl. Listed below are some great combined gift ideas for a girl’s 18th birthday:
These are just a few great 18th birthday gift ideas that all the invited friends can chip in for to make the the birthday person flattered. It is important to firstly get all the money from friends before making the purchase otherwise you may have to chip out of your own pocket. So allow plenty of time for buying the combined gift.
For more great resources on places for birthday parties, check out the following links:
Guide to the Best Kids Birthday Party Locations And Places … – Guide to thousands of Great Kid’s Birthday Party Locations and Places in Your
Birthday Party Places and Locations – Birthday party ideas, party locations and places for children’s party fun! See the
Bowling Alleys – Guide to the Best Kids Birthday Party Locations – 349 records … iBirthdayParty.com makes it a snap to find great Kid’s Birthday Party locations in
Most people would assume that the website Places For Birthday Parties would be on birthday party venues and ideas. This is true however I do want to take a step back and look at the question “Why do people celebrate birthdays” I will dive into a few reasons which I personally believe are the main reasons people celebrate.
Celebrating a birthday is a way of realising the success of achieving a certain milestone in our evolution as humans. Birthdays are celebrated in terms of years which are made up by the number of revolutions the earth does around the sun. So when we celebrate a 16th birthday, we are celebrating the fact we have revolved around the sun 16 times! Now if we stick with a 16th birthday, celebrating 16 years of life is quite a big achievement. In that time, people would have gone through pre-school and then about 11 years of schooling. They would have had ups and downs, moments of sadness and joy throughout these years. Most of the time, we are caught up in the daily grind of doing things and rarely spend the time to reflect on the bigger picture and that is exactly what birthdays are for. They give us a moment to stop and look at what we have achieved. The celebrations are normally with our closest family and friends. It is moments like that these that allow us to appreciate all the successes and failures we have endured over the past year and also through our life. If we couldn’t take time to appreciate this, there probably wouldn’t be any point in living?
A religious take on celebrating birthdays takes into account the celebration of humanity. Many large religions have national holidays assigned to the birth or death of their godly figure. For example, Christmas Day (Dec 25) is a celebration of Jesus’ birthday (the founding father of Christianity). Across most countries, Christmas is a national holiday for everyone allowing families to reunite and celebrate with food and gifts.
Probably the biggest underlying reason behind why people celebrate birthdays is to create the feeling of happiness. After all, that is the feeling that we are all striving for and thus birthdays provide a vehicle to temporarily feel joy. As depression rates increase across most western countries, celebrations are becoming more important to keep one level headed and sane amidst the turbulence of their surrounding environments.
Diving into the reasons to answer the question “Why do people celebrate birthdays” brings a new perspective to the whole theme of Places For Birthday Parties. You’ve got no excuse now to put on your party hat and celebrate!
Forget thinking about 18th Birthday Party Ideas and enjoy the company of your loved ones. Yes, celebrating with your family can be as enjoyable and fulfilling (if not more) than having a party with many friends. Here are 5 great ways to celebrate your 18th birthday with the family:
- Go out for dinner – As cliched as this might seem, enjoying a fine meal with your parents and siblings create that warmth within you. Sometimes going through life, we forget that it is our own immediate family that has had the greatest influence on our lives. Make it a special occasion by making a booking at your favourite restaurant (don’t worry about the bill – dad’s got this covered).
- Go for a bushwalk – As non-celebratory of an activity this might seem, going for a walk in the wilderness with the family is an excellent way of calming stresses from daily life. The fact that it is in a remote location away from other people and general distractions of city life, will allow you and your family to connect on a deeper level. You may find out a few things on this walk about your parents or siblings that you wouldn’t have realised otherwise. It can truly be a rewarding experience.
- Skydiving – Yep, I know what you’re thinking. I ain’t doing that. I can assure you from experience that the scariest part of skydiving is going up in the plane. Once you jump out, it’s actually not that scary. It feels like you’re floating in mid-air until you suddenly realise that the trees on the ground (which initally seemed like the size of a pea) turn into the size of a beachball. Not to fear as this is the part when you’re partner releases the parachute and all is good.
- Playing a board game – Pulling out a classic board game such as Monopoly or Scrabble from the cupboards can be the perfect 18th birthday party idea with the family. This is another great and intimate way of celebrating and getting to know your family a bit better. You can get mum to cook up a lovely feast for lunch before or after you play. You might want to let her win just to make sure you get a good feed.
- Watching a movie – If your birthday lies in the middle of winter, another great idea is pulling out an all-time classic movie that you’ve enjoyed wathcing over the years with the fireplace buring in the background. I remember some of my classics growing up included Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and Richie Rich – gotta love Macaulay as a kid. Get the dog in as well to celebrate – you’ll feel more loved.
Celebrating with the family can be one of the simplest yet most satisfying ways of enjoying your 18th birthday. It may be different to the ones from your friends however it will surely be one to be remembered. The emotional ties you have with your family are stronger than the ones you have with anyone else.
Ok, so your best mate’s 16th birthday party is only a week away and you haven’t got him a gift yet. Everyone’s been asking how much they need to chip in as you are responsible for buying a combined gift. What do you do? Not to worry as this article will list awesome gift ideas for guys for their sweet 16th birthday party:
- Shaving Kit – Turning 16 is when puberty kicks in with most guys, and this brings along facial hair growth. Anexcellent idea thus is buying an electric shaver. You could even buy a book on shaving so that they aren’t left with cuts over their face after the first shave.
- Ticket to a sporting event or concert – Put simply, guys love sport. Being a good friend, you would know which are your friend’s favourite sports and the team he follows. Be sure to get one that you know he wouldn’t normally goto otherwise it won’t be as exciting. For example, if he’s an NFL fan, then getting him a ticket to the Superbowl would send shivers down his spine. Another idea would be getting a concert ticket to his favourite artist or band. Some of these tickets may be quite costly, so do the sums before you buy.
- Sporting equipment – Being a guy, he will most likely be passionate about a particular sport. For example, if he is a keen basketballer, why not buy him a new pair of basketball shoes or even a basketball? If he’s into ice hockey, you may consider buying him a hockey stick and if tennis, then a tennis racquet would be great. Try and suss out exactly what he needs before you buy as you don’t want to get him something he doesn’t want. You could also buy him a bicycle if you think that interests him or if he’s into motorbikes, getting him a leather jacket or helmet might go down well. The key though with any equipment is to make sure your mate REALLY needs it otherwise he may not be a happy chap.
- Watch – when guys reach 16, it marks a new realm in their growth. They develop an interest in girls and hence are more conscious about their physical apperance. Buying a watch could be a perfect gift symbolising your friend’s transition to adulthood. You don’t need to get him a gold-encrusted one but get one which has a bit of style to it. It’s best to take a girl along with you when buying one as she may be able to offer suitable recommendations.
Handy Tips
- Ensure that the gift works out for everyone to chip in around $20-$25.
- Get the money BEFORE you buy otherwise you may have to fork out of your own pocket if some people don’t pay later on.
- Send a group email to all friends informing them of what you intend to buy and how much it will cost. Inform them of how they can pay you. Also let your friends know to keep it a secret until your friend’s birthday.
These are just some great 16th birthday party ideas for a combined gift for your friend’s birthday.
Many people think that brainstorming for places for birthday parties is the most stressful part in organising a party. They forget about the cleaning up process that is required after the party is finished. This article will outline the major steps required to ensure a stress-free cleaning process and a tidy place after the party has ended:
- First step is to get a large garbage bag and pick up all the food, cups and other scraps.
- Next is to get a broom and sweep all broken glass and crumbs to one area. Get a dustpan and throw all this into the garbage bag. Doing this clearing will make it easier to vacuum later on.
- After this, it is best to get a sponge and clean all spilled drinks. The sooner this is done the better as spillages may be harder to clean after they have been absorbed.
- It is then important to get a vacuum and go over the whole floor. Be careful not vacuum large items as this may damage the vacuum cleaner. Larger chunks may be thrown away in a garbage bag.
- After the vacuum is complete, mix a bit of detergent with water and use this to mop the floor. Many people forgo this step however not using a disinfectant is the cause of mould, bacteria and pests. Remember to go over all wooden boards and tiles so that the entire floor space is wet. Leave to dry for at least an hour before you may walk over it.
Handy Tips
- Get a close friend to stay behind and help out. Having just one extra person help out will reduce the load for you significantly and will make it make the cleaning process more enjoyable. I know what your thinking – trust me. It does! As a reward, you can give him/her some left over food and cake to take with them.
- It is best to get cleaning straight after the party has ended as you will still be buzzing with energy from the party. The longer you wait, the more tired you will feel and the longer the cleaning up process will take. So get cracking straight away.
Doing these steps immediately after a party has ended will allow one to be in peace of mind when they goto sleep. Even though there may be a few bits and pieces left in the morning, knowing the majority of work has been completed is a rewarding feeling.