If you missed part 1 of hosting a wicked surprise party, you can view it here. Once you’ve decided that you’re the right person to organise this kind of she-bang, it’s time to get planning! Here are a few ideas to keep you on track…

• Have a good think about who you’d like to invite. This may impact on your choice of venue, so best to draft up a list early on. REMEMBER! It’s your surprisee’s friends, not yours that matter on this list. This may sound silly, but one common mistake is to invite your own friends and not enough friends of the guest of honour. Consider a few special guests like old school friends or relatives you know they’d love to see (old flames are probably not a great idea). Really consider who THEY would love to be there.
• Get the word out early enough to secure the date you want but not too early that you are keeping a secret for months and months. Send a “Save the date” e-invite so guests can pencil the date in and you can start to communicate with them in a safe environment without the knowledge of your surprise. You can send reminders and changes through as you like and keep track of RSVP numbers all online.
• Once you have an idea of date and rough numbers, secure your venue. Think about a venue that can handle the noise and vibe of a surprise party and won’t cause you extra stress on the night. What would your guest of honour absolutely love? Do you want to host the party at home, do you want to get food catered or keep the work (and stress) to a minimum and go to a fully serviced venue? Start searching for great venues here
• An important last point at this stage is to make sure your ‘victim’ is able to attend at the date and time you want. Get them to put the time aside by asking a close friend to book the time out with them. Keep this activity as simple as possible to avoid too many complications and stories down the track!