Whether it’s a celebration for a 30th birthday or a 100th birthday (or anywhere in between!), a milestone birthday party is a special birthday party! The festivities surrounding another decade of life deserve extra attention, no matter how simple or elaborate the actual party is. With thoughtful planning and preparation (and organization! Check out my helpful Party Planner Pro organizer download), a party can make the birthday boy or girl feel appreciated and celebrated, and these tips for hosting a memorable milestone birthday party will help ensure that the special day goes off without a hitch! 
Thank you to Celebration Stadium for sponsoring this post. Celebration Stadium reminds you to always use care and caution when lighting candles and celebrating around open flames. Celebration Stadium advises you to remove all flammable items (including added decorations such as those featured in this post) from the Celebration Stadium prior to lighting candles. The projects and opinions are all my own.
Tip No. 1 – Involve the Guest of Honor (If Possible)
Unless you’re planning a surprise birthday party, the guest of honor should be in the loop on what’s happening for his or her party. (If you are planning a surprise party – keep reading!) At the very least, he or she will be able to give you names and contact information for important people that should be invited to the birthday celebration – making your life significantly easier when it comes time to send out the invitations!
Further, the guest of honor will be able to help you figure out essential details of his or her milestone birthday party, such as the overall feel of the party (formal or casual), location (at a venue or someone’s home), and theme. Involving the guest of honor will make the party one that is truly meaningful for him or her!
Now, if you are planning a surprise party, don’t despair! You can still make a milestone birthday party everything the birthday boy or girl ever dreamed of by simply involving a person or two that are close to the guest of honor. Use these people to conjure up a guest list and contacts, and put your heads together to come up with party details that fit the guest of honor. Even if the birthday boy or girl would have done things slightly different than you do, he or she will be flattered and excited to have such a special party planned for him or her by a special person.
Tip No. 2 – Start Planning Early
Typically for milestone birthday parties, close friends and family will not want to miss the party. Because of that, it’s important to give guests enough notice so that they can save dates and plan travel, if necessary. For my grandma’s 90th birthday last year, for example, my aunts notified us of the party date three months in advance, and followed up with a formal invitation closer to the date. (P.S. I can only HOPE to look as good as my grandma does at 90!)
Early planning is also very helpful if you plan to have the birthday party at a venue other than a private home. Booking earlier gives you more location choices and you’ll have more time to research and buy things like party decor, food, beverages, etc. (You’ll also have more time to read my post on How to Plan a Big Party on a Little Budget!)
Tip No. 3 – Go for the WOW Factor
When planning a milestone birthday party, a good rule of thumb is to “go big or go home!” Now, I’m not talking about “going big” in the sense of have a gigantic party and spending a million dollars on it like the Kardashians – I’m talking about incorporating details that pop and make an impression! Add some “wow factor” to the party to make the milestone party even more memorable! Your photos and memories will thank you.
One of my favorite ways to do that is by using the Celebration Stadium to create a beautiful centerpiece on the cake table and a stunning visual display when the candles are lit. The Celebration Stadium is a flame-resistant three-tiered structure placed around a cake (or pizza or cupcakes or any other treat you want!), that holds up to 100 candles in a safe and convenient way that makes it easier to light lots of candles all at once (and without dripping wax all over your cake – YUCK!). Because the candles aren’t actually IN the cake – you get to the important part of any celebration much faster – EATING the cake! (No time spent removing candles and scraping wax off the frosting.) Plus, the high-quality metal construction makes it reusable for any future birthday parties (milestone or not), anniversaries, or events that need celebrating!
Don’t worry if you’re not celebrating a 100th birthday – you don’t have to fill all of the holes with candles! The beauty of the Celebration Stadium is that you can leave holes empty and/or use empty holes for decorations that will customize the look of the Celebration Stadium to fit the theme of your party.
The Celebration Stadium works right out of the box, or you can customize it with inexpensive items like washi tape, stickers, mini buntings and banners, photo props on sticks, and more. For this black and gold milestone birthday party, I decorated the sides of the full-size Celebration Stadium with dollar store rhinestone wrap attached with double-sided tape, added black and gold pom pom sticks along the upper tier, and made a custom chalkboard-look Happy Birthday banner with scrapbook paper to display in the center of the stadium. I used Celebration Stadium’s Customizable Flagpole Kit pieces to fit the pom pom sticks in the candle holes and to support the Happy Birthday banner.
My tricked out Celebration Stadium made the cake table extra special for the party . . . 
but the real WOW factor came into play when the candles were lit. 
The magic of all of those candles glowing in such a beautiful setting with friends and family gives you “all the feels” as kids these days say. 
It’s hard not to feel like you’re part of something special when so many candles are lit in such a dramatic fashion!
If your milestone birthday party celebration doesn’t require a full-size cake or treat, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun. Celebration Stadium also makes a smaller size version of the stadium that also holds up to 100 candles! 
The entire line of Celebration Stadium products are the perfect way to bring the wow to any milestone birthday party!
Tip No. 4 – Personalize the Party
After you’ve determined how to bring some eye-catching elements to the atmosphere, think about how to add personal touches, too! The party is, after all, about one special person, so make it reflect special qualities and/or memories about him or her.
Incorporating photos from throughout the person’s life is a great way to do this – whether you work them into party decor (like in pretty frames on the tables, in a photo banner hanging on the wall, or attached to poles on a Celebration Stadium around your cake, for example), or in a video montage presented at the party. For my grandma’s 90th birthday party, we all filmed video messages to her, and my brother used them to create a longer video with them and photos. It was truly touching to watch at the party!
Reflecting the guest of honor’s interests and milestone age in the party theme and decor is another fabulous way to add a personal touch. Think about the person’s favorite colors, activities or hobbies, musical tastes, food preferences, etc., and work those things into your plan. Adding a playful nod to the person’s milestone age is another great way to personalize. For example, add sixty sticky rhinestones to a Celebration Stadium if the person is turning sixty, or thirty customized pennant flags if the person is turning thirty. Using these types of things will help make the party feel like the guest of honor planned it himself or herself! 
Tip No. 5 – Give the Gift of Memories and Appreciation
Although many people (my husband included) think of birthdays as prime gift receiving times, milestone birthdays tend to be a little different as they are typically a time of reflection for the person celebrating the birthday. With each new decade, people usually pause to think about where they’ve been and where they’re going – these birthdays are much less likely to be focused on the material things.
Because of that, the time spent with family and friends at a milestone birthday party is the best gift that can be given and received. People cherish the memories and photographs from that special day, so it makes sense to plan, personalize, and party like you mean it! Adding in the special touches – like inviting an old friend not seen in a while, a beautiful cake surrounded by so many candles on a Celebration Stadium, or a party theme perfectly selected for the guest of honor – will make the birthday boy or girl feel so much love and appreciation, and will give all of the guests a feeling of honor to have been present to celebrate. Make sure to take lots of photos and videos of the celebration (and especially blowing out the candles!), so the memories can truly last a lifetime. 
Let the reason you’re celebrating guide your planning, and the milestone birthday party will be a huge success!
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Audrey Stewart says
For a milestone birthday, take plenty of photos and make them into a keepsake book.
Bre says
YES!! Brilliant suggestion! Thanks, Audrey.
Norma says
Oh such a beautiful way to celebrate someone! Oh did not know there was a place with great items! Your grandmother is a beautiful lady God bless
Bre says
Hi, Norma! Aw, thank you!! My grandma is beautiful inside and out. And yes – the Celebration Stadium is BRAND new and it’s a fantastic addition to any party! Thanks for your sweet note. Have a great night!
Antoinette M says
Take lots of photos & video!
Bre says
YES!!! 🙂
Jana says
Love your blog but with all the pop up advertisements I cannot read it without getting frustrated. I know that is how you are supported, but I am ready to drop my subscription to you because of having to close sooo many pop-ups to read what you have written. If there is anyway to make them less intrusive it would benefit your readers greatly. Sorry for complaining, but wanted to let you know how it affects your readers. Thanks
Bre says
Hi, Jana – thank you so much for your feedback!! Can you help me with one thing please – are you seeing actual pop up ads (like ads that show up in the middle of your screen out of nowhere)? Those absolutely shouldn’t be there, and I will work on figuring out what’s going on if they truly are pop up ads – yikes! As for other ads placed in the body of the post, thank you for your feedback. I value my readers’ input and will look into the settings put in place by my ad network and will see what I can do to make it a better experience! Thanks again, Jana! – Bre
julie Redden says
Make detailed plans ahead of time.
Tracey Alvernaz says
Of course, planning ahead is a must! Find a theme (we just did a Mexico theme and a pinata filled with money for our 90 year old friend). It needs to special and memorable!
Surinder gurm says
Request messages from long distance guests who cannot attend
Bre says
This is an awesome idea!!!
joy beemer says
Lots and Lots of pictures
Bre says
Yes!
Wendy R. says
Wow, not sure I have any tips to add. Maybe remember to not stress and plan so much that you forget to enjoy the moment!
Bre says
Great tips! Thank you!
Julie R says
Hiring a photographer might be a good idea. Get the word out early so all the important people can make it.
Bre says
Love the photographer idea!!! Thanks, Julie!
Helen says
You should always have fun and make it for the person who is having the birthday- not you.
Bre says
Yes, you’re absolutely right, Helen!
Trisha McKee says
To remember to enjoy the process. Do not stress. This is for you.
Bre says
Great tips!!
Monique S says
I would suggest to include photos of memories from years past
Bre says
Yes – always fun to walk down memory lane!
Leah Shumack says
Definitely make sure you take lots of pictures! And include lots of pictures from their past!
Bre says
Yes! Great tips, Leah!
Darlene Owen says
My tip is that age is not important.
Bre says
Right on! 🙂
Shirley Emitt says
Start planing way ahead of time,lots of pictures.
Bre says
Yes, Shirley! Planning time is key!
kelly woods says
Take lots of pictures and try not to stress to much about everything. Just enjoy your self and let everything go with the flow.
Bre says
YES!!! Perfect suggestion!
Shakeia Rieux says
Besides taking a lot of pictures, and making a video if you decide to go with a theme make sure the ideas you use pertains to that. With those pictures make a scrapbook , and add stickers or something else that has to do with the theme.
Bre says
This is a great suggestion! Thank you!
Sariah Meagle says
As far as I know, going for black and gold birthday decorations would bring the wow factor that I’m looking to use for my daughter’s sweet 16 birthday party. Thanks for the tip that I should start early while I can so I won’t need to rush things. Maybe I’ll involve the guest of honor so that she can have a say on what the decorations I should buy for her party if we look for some online.
Bre says
Hi, Sariah! What a lucky daughter you have!! I hope her party is amazing! 🙂
Melinda Mitchell says
Memories is the key! Your grandma is gorgeous!
Bre says
Yes you are right that they are the key! And thank you re: my grandma – I think she is, too!! 🙂
David Johnson says
That’s a great point that friends and family won’t want to miss the party so plan early. My son is turning twelve this year and we want to celebrate that because it’s a good milestone for him. We’ll have to look at finding an animal show because that’s what he loves.
Bre says
Awesome! What a great way to personalize the party just for him. 🙂