Surprise parties are one of the best ways to show people how much you care about them. They’re fun to plan, they make great memories, and they really go above and beyond to shower a special someone with love and appreciation.

It’s worth throwing a surprise party for a birthday, graduation, engagement, and much more. You can plan one for your friend who’s about to move away or your roommate who’s about to achieve a big goal of theirs.

Whatever your reason for planning a surprise party, you have to make sure you get it right. Here are 5 tips to help you plan the ultimate unexpected occasion.

1. Start Planning Well Ahead of Time

A surprise party doesn’t come together overnight. It requires weeks – or even months – of careful planning. Between figuring out a location, headcount, food and drinks, and, of course, how to make the event a surprise, there’s a lot to do. The sooner you get to work, the more likely it is that the party will be a hit.

2. Ask for Help

The good news about having so much planning to do is that you don’t have to do it alone. Involve the close friends and family members of the special person. Ask them for help in coming up with a decoy story or see if they’re willing to distract the person you’re celebrating on their big day.

Other areas you can ask for help include:

• Sending out invitations
• Keeping an accurate headcount
• Setting up decorations on the day-of
• Preparing food
• Introducing guests who don’t know each other

If there’s anything else you think you’ll need help with, don’t hesitate to ask someone you trust to get it done. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

3. Set Clear Expectations

This is one of the most important rules of throwing a surprise party: make sure everyone invited knows it’s a surprise! Be very clear in the invitations you send out and in the conversations you have leading up to the event. Don’t risk talking about the party when the person you’re throwing it for is within earshot.

More so, make sure your planning helpers clearly understand their role in the event.

4. Hide All the Party Items

It’d be a shame to talk everyone into keeping the big secret only for the person you’re celebrating to stumble across party items. If you’re planning the party for someone you share a home with – like your significant other, family member, or roommate – keep all party decor out of the house.

Try keeping decor at another person’s home or maybe don’t stock up on too many party items until the big day. Look into services to help ensure you have everything you need, without risking that anything is found before the big day.

5. Don’t Make It Obvious!

The final thing to keep in mind when throwing a surprise party is to avoid making it obvious. Don’t spend months/weeks planning the event just to lose your cool when out to dinner before going home to a party or when driving to the surprise.

Relax. Pretend like it’s any other day/night and don’t do anything that would make the special person suspicious.

A Surprise Party for Two: Unique Dates to Plan for Your Special Someone

Sometimes, the best surprise party isn’t a party at all. It’s a unique, intimate experience for two instead. If you really want to celebrate your significant other on their birthday, graduation day, or maybe just because, plan a date that’s unlike all your others.

Here are a few amazing date ideas to help you decide on what to do.