By Dupé Aleru|Ed Enterprise|September 25, 2013
Let’s take a look back into the past. In the early
1990’s, birthday parties consisted of a local grocery store birthday cake,
colorful latex balloons, a few gifts from friends and of course a birthday card
with money from grandma and grandpa. Children were entertained by merely
dancing to music streaming from a boom box, pinning the tail on a donkey, and
let’s not forget hitting that piñata filled with every child’s favorite candy. Oh
yes, those were the good old days.
Flash forward to 2013, birthday parties are now a
gala event. Living in cities such as Los Angeles, Orange County and Dallas Texas,
parents compete to have the most hip party of the year—we’re talking about 2,
3, 4, and 5-year-old birthdays.
Spending $10,000 for a birthday may seem outrageous
to some, but for others, it’s a norm. Birthday planners are called to save the
day as they are seen as the new superheroes of the century. From snow machines
in the summer to a petting zoo in the backyard, there’s nothing they can’t pull
off.
Invites set the tone for a child’s birthday. Picture
an invitation as the first impression for the gala event. Parents as well as
children like to know, who, what, where, when and how. Creating a fun and
innovative invitation will create buzz about the future extravaganza that will
have parents talking about it for months.
The best parties usually have a common theme.
Whether it’s a costume character or a destination location (ex. Disneyland),
parties can be extremely fun and entertaining. The key is to choose a theme and
plan around it.
A hot trend today, that you see at birthday parties
are photo booths. There’s not a better way to make a child’s special day most
memorable, other than taking lots and lots of pictures. Photo booths are a fun
and creative way that allow children to make their own memories as they play
dress up before they say “cheese”.
As guests are starting to leave the event, a great
way to say thank you is to give them a parting favor. Who wouldn't like a party
favor from the most amazing birthday event of the year? Absolutely no one! Children
love to go home with gifts so trendy parties surely must have goodie bags for
their guests as a parting favor.
I’m sure twenty years from now, parents will up the
ante. As for now, enjoy celebrating your child’s most precious moments with
love, family, friends and entertainment.
