How To Plan a 40th Birthday Party

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I am at it again! This time it’s not for a kids’ birthday party but rather for an adult birthday party. I get to once again put my creative thinking cap on and plan another momentous occasion in my family. This time it’s hubby’s turn.

Hubby just turned 40! Can you believe it? It was not so long ago that I planned a 30th birthday party and now I am back at it again for the 40th. I wanted to plan a surprise birthday party for him at home with some of his closest friends and family.

I wanted to incorporate a theme that was unique to him from his favorite color to his favorite sport soccer and put it all together to create something quite fitting and unique for his 40th birthday.

This is what I came up with…

If you’re planning a party for a female, then also check out my blog post on:

Chic 40th Birthday Party Ideas

“Planning a milestone birthday party that is unique to that individual.”

Theme

I wanted to incorporate his favorite color which is blue and also incorporate his favorite game which is soccer.

I, therefore, came up with a navy blue and gold, soccer theme 40th birthday party for hubby!

Search for Ideas

Once I decided on a theme, I searched for ideas that will help me to select items that can match my theme.

My first go-to for ideas was Pinterest. Is it me or did Pinterest disappoint this time around? Why does a 40th birthday for a guy have to be centered around drinking alcohol? I was not fond of any of the ideas I was getting back at all.

So I had to do this search on my own. I was also able to get a bit of advice from an aunt of mine who also does event planning and was able to come up with a beautiful birthday surprise fit for a hubby.

Budget

Remember the goal is to stay within budget. Therefore we want to be able to find cost-effective decor for the party. That would include, tablecloth, tableware, favors, food, etc.

I created a list of what I would need for this party and also ideas for table decor and placement.

Amazon was my go-to first for finding good deals on tableware, plates, etc.

I also found another company called Table Cloths Factory which I absolutely love because of their price and speedy shipping. I purchased one of the geometric table runners from them.

Invitations

Canva always is my go-to for party invitations, which I was able to send out to everyone via text messaging.

Canva is also FREE to use and you can also get their PRO account for just $12.99 a month, or $119.99 yearly if you want access to more features, and if you plan on using it for a long time.

40th birthday party invite sent to guest — 40TH BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITE

Banner

I wanted to get a banner that was fitting for my party decor. I was able to find a navy blue and gold banner that was just perfect on Amazon. It really brought life and color to the party.

Decor

For decor, I decided to purchase and use these items that really worked well with my theme and brought everything together perfectly. Most of these items can be purchased on Amazon.

Tableware

The tableware was purchased on Amazon and really worked well with my theme. I loved the geometric plate set that I found and decided that I would incorporate this as well throughout my party to give it a more masculine touch.

Table Cloth And Table Runner

I purchased white tablecloths for both tables that can be found on Amazon.

The geometric runners can also be found on Amazon or Table Cloths Factory.

Eucalyptus foliage garland

The eucalyptus garland was purchased at J oann and added more dimension to the decor.

Centerpieces

The centerpieces were from my aunt’s collection. They consisted of tall and short vases, soccer and tennis balls, and gold and navy blue sticks. I am not sure where she purchased those specific items, however, I was able to find similar ones on Amazon.

Some of the vases can be found at the Dollar Store or on Amazon.

Items used for the table decor — TABLE DECOR

The blue and gold branches which were also from my aunt’s collection can also be purchased on Amazon.

Soccer balls and foosballs can be purchased on Amazon.

Framed Poster and Picture frames

Framed poster of my husband on a picture frame — FRAMED POSTER OF MY HUSBAND

The framed poster was also done on Canva. Canva is also FREE to use and you can also get their PRO account for just $12.99 a month, or 119.99 yearly if you want access to more features and if you plan on using it for a long time.

The poster was printed at Walgreens as a 20×30 poster picture, which I framed.

The 20 x 30 poster frame was purchased in Walmart. A similar poster frame can also be purchased on Amazon.

The picture frames were done using my husband’s baby photo and a photo of him playing soccer as a boy. The navy blue and gold frames were purchased at the dollar store.

Picture of my husband as a baby — PICTURE OF MY HUSBAND AS A BABY

Here are some picture frames that I also found on Amazon that can work as well if they cannot be found in your local Dollar store.

Cake

The cake was actually purchased at Walmart, which unbelievably helped me to save a lot on custom cakes that can become quite costly. Surprisingly enough they had a geometric cake design that tied in perfectly with my theme.

They were also able to customize my cake with my color preference which was amazing!

Geometric themed cake — GEOMETRIC THEMED CAKE

Food

For the food, we served a combination of Jamaican, American, and Ghanaian dishes that is a combination of both our cultures combined (my husband is Ghanaian).

Curry Chicken
Barbecue Chicken
Jamaican style Beef Stew
Jollof Rice
Jerk Chicken Alfredo
Mix Salad

We also had a table that served finger foods that the guest could munch on before dinner was served. These items can be purchased at your local Costco and Walmart.

Teriyaki meatballs
Spring rolls
Quiche
Fruits on a stick

Finger foods served at party — FINGER FOODS SERVED AT PARTY

The white cake trays and rectangular serving trays were purchased at Party City. The blue spandex tablecloth and gold runner were purchased on Amazon.

Favors

For the favors, I decided to serve Jamaican fruit cake (hubby’s favorite cake) that was placed in these cute gold boxes found on Amazon.

Thanks to my amazing baker extraordinaire mom who bake these cakes that were a hit at our party. My mom piped icing on these cakes and assembled them in these gold boxes. They were handed out to guests as they left the party.

Party favor boxes with rum cakes — FAVOR BOXES WITH FRUIT CAKE

Entertainment

For entertainment, I decided to have family and friends that were far away, record their well wishes for my husband, which we played on our television at home. It was a hit and was he surprised to see family and friends sending their love from all around the world.

I also had cards that I placed in a bird cage I reused from our wedding so that guests present could write their well wishes for him.

We also played a mixture of music, which also incorporated some of my husband’s favorite songs that guests were able to dance to all night long.

Well wishes placed in a bird cage — WELL WISHES PLACED IN A BIRDCAGE

Overall, It was a beautiful day filled with fun and laughter that I know my husband will remember for years to come.

If you would like to know more about planning adults’ or kids’ parties visit my blog post on:

Have you also planned a milestone birthday party? Please feel free to comment or ask your questions or concerns below. I would be happy to help you!

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