An Easy Birthday Party Planning Checklist for Michiganders

Trying to plan the ultimate party for a friend or relative? This adult birthday party planning checklist covers all the basics for throwing a bash that your guest of honor and their friends won’t soon forget. Check out this basic birthday party checklist for adults, along with some options for party venues in Michigan to make it the event of the year.

The Basics: When, Where, and Who

▢ When: Date and Time

While it would be ideal to have a birthday bash on the guest of honor’s actual big day, sometimes they might want to throw the party on the weekend instead. Set up the date and time in advance so you can find a venue for everyone.

▢ Where: Party Venues in Michigan

There are tons of great party venues in Michigan. We’re a bit biased in saying so, but we also offer nine of the best locations in West Michigan that add a touch of class to any event. Even more, we offer catering and bar services in-house, so you can take booking those off your plate by choosing one of our venues.

▢ Who: Putting Together a Guest List

Who will be invited to this birthday party? All told birthday parties can be expensive depending on the activities and catering you have planned, so it pays to know how many people you’ll be inviting, depending on how many people your venue can accommodate. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to invite close friends and family at a minimum, especially if it’s a milestone birthday. However, if you’re planning to make this a blowout event, you can potentially expand the guest list even further.

Themes and Decor

▢ Birthday Party Theme Recommendations

There are endless different birthday party theme ideas that can work for adult guests. All it takes is knowing what the guest of honor likes and using that idea as a springboard. Otherwise, the birthday party could be a celebration for its own sake. Many people are content to get together with friends and family to celebrate the person in their life, and it’s a great way to go. However, if the guest of honor is a sucker for a good themed birthday party, here are just a few suggestions to start planning:

• Great Gatsby: What better way to celebrate than with a blowout party celebrating everyone’s favorite disaster of a man? Have your guests come in flapper dresses and pinstripe suits, serve cocktails befitting a speakeasy, and have a DJ ready to play neo-swing. Just don’t let anyone near a pool if you’re really committing to the Great Gatsby theme.

• Black and White Night: This one encourages people to get creative with their outfit choices, whether it’s with Dalmatian-pattern pants or a little black dress with black lipstick.

• Fantasy: If the birthday guest likes Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, this is the way to go. Have everyone arrive dressed up in their fantasy finery. They can come as elves, dwarves, or other creatures, and serve appetizers and a multi-course feast befitting a hobbit.

• Monte Carlo Night: Or Vegas Night, or Casino Night. Whatever you want to call it, this birthday party theme involves playing classic card games like blackjack and poker, having your guests come in their finest cocktail attire, and providing sophisticated hors d’oeuvres and mixed drinks for an event they won’t forget.

• ‘80s Night: Finally, a socially acceptable reason for your friend Steve to rock that mullet he decided to get last year! Bust out the legwarmers, blue eyeshadow, and acid-wash jeans, and have a decade-appropriate birthday mixtape ready for this party. You can even make it spooky with it by making it Stranger Things-themed or setting up a Cold War-style spy mystery game for the guests.

• Pirates: This one will make your friends shiver their timbers! Have everyone dress up in their best pirate costumes. This is the perfect opportunity to offer treasure chests full of tasty finger foods and set up a scavenger hunt.

▢ Matching the Venue to the Theme

If you have a set theme, finding a venue that complements it can go a long way in elevating the experience for your guests. For example, if you opt for a pirate- or nautical-themed celebration, it may be helpful to choose a waterfront venue like the Muskegon Country Club or Boatwerks. We offer both indoor and outdoor venue options with different views that can help match the theme even further.

▢ Entertainment to Fit Your Theme

This includes anything from party games like Pictionary or Apples to Apples to scavenger hunts or mystery games involving all the guests. Sometimes, it’s just as easy as having a theme-appropriate playlist and a set of speakers. If you want to take the over-the-top route, you can also book live entertainment. There are plenty of bands that can match the theme of almost any party, comedians, and more depending on your tastes. There are also photo booth services to make the night even more fun for guests with props and costumes.

▢ Decorations for the Theme

This one will depend on the theme you chose. If you decide to go with a Great Gatsby-themed event, you may want to find black and gold balloons, feathers, and Art Deco backdrops to fit the event. Otherwise, you may also want to invest in some inflatable palm trees or pirate ship props for a pirate-themed event, black and white streamers, or monochrome cutouts of famous celebrities. The only limit here is your imagination.

Other Needs for an Adult Birthday Party

▢ Catering Menu

Nothing says “immediate party foul” like not offering food to your guests. This is a must, especially if your party will take place during dinner hours. If you work with a venue like RedWater Events, you can have your event catered in-house with menus that accommodate all sorts of dietary requirements. We even offer cutting cakes so your guest of honor can blow out the candles in style.

▢ Bar Service

For some people, no birthday bash is complete without a few adult beverages to toast to the guest of the hour. This is especially true if you’re going for a pirate-themed party complete with ale and beer or a casino night where cocktails reign supreme. RedWater also offers cash bars and other liquor services ranging from mimosas to bloody marys and everything in between, so you’ll be able to ply the guests as much as you want!

▢ Easy Agenda

You don’t necessarily need to have your party planned down to five-minute increments, but it is a good idea to have a loose schedule in place. This is especially true if you’re including a scavenger hunt, mystery games, or other activities. This gives your guests time to dance and socialize between events.

▢ Celebrate!

Let the good times roll! Once the day of the party has come, you’ve earned the right to celebrate alongside the birthday guest and can enjoy the fruits of your labor in style. Meanwhile, the staff at RedWater can handle things during the event so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Book One of Our Birthday Party Venues in Michigan

Ready to find the best birthday party venue near you? Book your event today and let us know which venue interests you, so  we can help you get the celebration started.