Throwing a surprise birthday party can be both an exciting and challenging task. But don’t worry; this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to throw the ultimate 18th birthday party for your child!

From picking the location and planning the activities to sending out the invitations and catering the event, we have you covered. So, get ready to celebrate in style and make your child’s 18th birthday one they’ll never forget!

Plan Far in Advance

The first thing you will need to do to throw the best surprise party would be to plan far in advance. If you begin planning a surprise party a week before the birthday, you will feel incredibly stressed; more importantly, many things will go wrong.

You will need to consider many things when planning a surprise party, such as who is invited, what the theme will be and where you will get the decorations from, who will be catering the food and drinks, what the entertainment will be, and more.

Get the Perfect Gift

Knowing where to start when choosing the perfect 18th birthday gift for your daughter can be difficult. However, there are a few things that you can keep in mind to help you choose a gift she will love.

First, think about her interests and hobbies. What does she enjoy doing in her free time? Is she creative or more of a practical type? This can help you narrow down your options and choose a gift that is both meaningful and useful.

Another thing to consider is her personality. Is she outgoing or introverted? Does she prefer classic or trendy items? Knowing these things about her can help you pick out a gift that perfectly suits her. If you have difficulty deciding, look at these gift ideas that can help you out big time. Whether you choose something sentimental or something she’s been wanting for a long time, make sure it’s wrapped up and ready to go!

Send Out Invitations

Once you have started planning, you will need to decide who will be invited to the party; obviously, her closest friends should be involved with the party planning since they know her best. It would also be a good idea to identify who is most likely to tell a secret and invite them last; loose lips sink ships.

When it comes to the invitations, it needs to be stressed that this is a surprise party and should indicate when the guests should arrive to prevent the birthday girl from being alerted. You can decide whether or not gifts should be given a day prior so they can be hidden, or if there is an easy, out-of-the-way place they can be hidden when guests arrive.

Choose a Theme and Decorate

The most important thing you will need to do when planning a surprise party for your 18-year-old daughter would be what the theme is. Remember, she is on the cusp of adulthood and isn’t a little girl anymore, so don’t choose a theme that will be embarrassing.

One of the best themes would be a music era theme based on her favorite music; you can then do a karaoke night, which will be entertainment within itself. If she is outdoorsy, a scavenger hunt could also be really fun, especially if it’s to find the presents.

Food and Drinks

Another incredibly important aspect to consider would be what the food and drinks are. This will also be dependent on the activity; having a ton of pizza during an outdoorsy activity isn’t the best idea since it can make many people feel bloated and lazy.

If you are having the party at a venue, perhaps you should hire a catering service to have the food cooked to perfection so that you don’t need to worry about a thing. In terms of alcohol, this will be up to your discretion. Your daughter may be legally allowed to drink, but some of her friends might not be.

Choose the Entertainment

You need to decide on entertainment to ensure the evening is not boring after she has been surprised and opening the presents isn’t the highlight of the evening. As mentioned above, you could make it a karaoke night, and the entertainment for the evening would be everyone getting a turn to sing.

Alternatively, even though your daughter and her friends can’t go to a club, you could bring a club to them. Hiring a DJ for a birthday party is becoming quite popular, and if you clear the garden, you can have a usable dance floor.

Set Up a Photo booth or Hire Photographer

Finally, the final thing you could do would be to ensure that the evening is never forgotten, and the best way to do that would be to either set up a photo booth with tons of props or hire a professional photographer.

The photographer will take candid photos throughout the evening and will even take group photos and family photos. Paired with the photo booth, this could let your daughter and her friends get a bit silly, which is always fun.