30Th B-day Party Ideas

Happy birthday to you both!

How about game night? You could invite fun people over for nibblies and drinks and play silly games - Pictionary, word games, Scene It. If it's a lively group it can be fun. Or Karaoke!

Have fun!

How about throwing an 80's theme party since ya'll were born in 1980? I think that would be so cool. You could play all 80's music, have people come dressed from back in the day (think Miami Vice, Madonna, Mullet haircuts, sunglasses), use bright neon colors, etc. Have a scavenger hunt and have people find things related to the 80's and use those for decorations.

Or have a theme party related to something both you and your hubby like.

HTH!

I read the post about an 80s theme party. My 20 year old college son just went to one in one of the dorms, and the kids had a great time dressing up. I have a friend who taught me how to make "record bowls" - if you and your friends have a supply of now-obsolete albums, you can put an individual record on a cookie sheet (use foil if you want) in a low oven of about 250 degrees for about 5 minutes. The record gets sort of soft, and when you take it out, you can lift up the edges into a bowl with a wavy edge. The center label becomes the bottom on the bowl, and then you just lift the edges and kind of form it into an irregularly shaped bowl. You can wear gloves (the bowl is hot!) or even lift the record and push it down into another large bowl to give it a shape. It hardens almost immediately as it cools - if you make a mistake, just re-heat it!

These make cute party favors - we use one on a desk for sticky notes and other junk, one at the door for keys and coupons, one to hold the tv remotes, and so on. You could just give them out "as is", or put something in it (chocolate, a candle, whatever), or let people choose their own based on their favorite 80s artists.

Another way to go - depending on your timing - is what we're doing. My friend and I share a birthday, and we are having a joint party this year (end of January). Instead of people bringing gifts (especially because there are 2 of us), we are asking people to consider bringing a gift to auction off. It could be home-baked goodies, a bottle of wine, or a gift certificate for a service or talent they can provide (clean your garage, tutor your kid, give a tennis lesson or a massage, a gourmet dinner for 4, a kid's birthday party, whatever) - people can bid on them (either silent auction or live). We are then donating the money to charity. We have chosen the Kalogris Foundation which is an established presence in Haiti, with powdered food products and numerous feeding stations and water treatment equipment. They need more products to feed the earthquake victims, and 100% of the donations go to the foundation. So if I contribute $50, the foundation gets $50 worth of food products - the parent company doesn't take a dime for administration. You could do the same thing, like choose them or the Red Cross, or donate to a local food pantry, or anything else that would appeal to your guests. You have a big party, everyone comes and feels good about it, the auction becomes the "entertainment" and you do some good for the world.

Good luck and enjoy your mutual birthdays!

Maybe a Wildtree Cooking party - where a chef comes to your house to show you healthy and quick cooking tips in the spirit of a wine tasting party. Would be great for those expecting or already with kids too! http://katedamigella.mywildtree.com/Pages/HostAParty.aspx

You could do a wine tasting at home. It's a great way to have an adult-themed party to welcome in your 30's! I did this for my husband in our home and you can either have the wine delivered and you set is up yourself or they have experts that come in and teach you about the different wines. Some wine shops will have the notes already put together and all you have to do is print them up. Although, I might wait until this summer so you can both partake. :)

Medieval Manor is super fun--that was a good suggestion. Another would be Jillian's? Have fun, and happy birthday to you both! It's ain't so bad bein' 30. :)

This is what my husband and I did for our anniversary, but it would be good for any occasion. We had a 30-minute couple's massage. It was wonderful! Then we went out to dinner. It was such a treat to be pampered like that.

Belly casting party!

Hey Nichole! My husband and I are turning 30 this year too!! We are having a joint party, but since we are on opposite ends of the year, it will be late summer. We figured that was a good time for everyone to be in party-mode, and we wanted to have it outside. You said you'll be pregnant during the b-day month, so why not think about celebrating it when you both can really enjoy it? We have a 2 1/2 yr old too, so it actually might be easier for you before you're waking up with a newborn! =)

We're planning on having a big BBQ outside, with a live band. We're lucky enough to have a big basketball court in our neighborhood that we will use, but my friend had a party with a band right in her back-yard. I'm picturing lots of food (potluck), fun (prob some games like "how well do you know?"), dancing and friends. We are thinking of doing an 80's theme, but haven't decided yet. Seems like lots of people have had/been to them lately, and I don't want to look played out. Good luck w/ your planning, and let us know what you decide!! Have a happy pregnancy!

Any of these can be really fun:
Comedy Club (many have dinner options onsite)
Museum (many have evening exhibit hours on certain days)
Bingo (fun and funny if you go with the proper spirit!)
Mystery dinner (guests come in costume, have been assigned a character, someone is 'murdered', figure out the perp - find in toy section of dept. stores)
Have a happy one!
-L.