Birthday Parties Buying Guide

Birthday hats,  chocolate cake,  numbered candles,  and unopened presents --what could be better than a birthday party?  No matter what your age, there is always time to celebrate and be excited about the day you were brought into the world. Whether you are throwing your own birthday party or planning a surprise for someone else, make sure that you have everything covered to celebrate in style.

Essentials

Invitations : This is the first step to planning any successful party--don't just assume that word of mouth will do the trick. Whether you hand-write your invites or send them out via the Internet, make sure you give people plenty of time to respond, but provide them with an RSVP date so you can get a headcount. Make sure to confirm everyone that's coming; if this is a sit down dinner or a venue with limited space, this is especially important. Supplies : Don't forget the paper cups  and plates  so you can avoid doing lots of clean-up at the end of the night. Also, it's important to remember serving spoons  and plastic cutlery  for whatever type of food you will be serving. Camera : Be sure to have the disposables  or your digital camera  on hand before the festivities start so you can record every moment! Theme : Is this a child's party  or a 60th birthday? If so, it will most likely have themed decorations. Consider balloons,  napkins,  buttons,  plates,  tablecloths  and more when decorating around your theme.

Setting Up

Child's Birthday Party

Obviously your set up for a party involving the younger set will offer kid-friendly foods, entertainment, and probably some type of theme. Below, a few important things to consider.

Entertainment You can't have a party for kids without some way of keeping them occupied, at least for a little while. Consider making crafts, hiring a clown  or a magician, or putting on a fun kid's movie.	Favors  Most kids' parties aren't complete without the goodie bags, so make sure you stock up on party favors! Stickers,  candy,  noisemakers,  jewelry,  crayons,  or cars  are just some of the items to place in this bag of loot.	Snacks  Kid's snacks are pretty simple--salty, sugary, fun! Keep it simple: cookies,  potato chips,  pretzels,  pizza bagels,  popcorn  and more. Get some fun snack bowls  and place them around your party space so kids can grab and munch.	Juice  Giving kids juice at a party is usually your best bet; soda may get them too hyped up and most young kids don't like to drink water. If you're worried about the sugar content, try a natural juice and consider sips  for the younger kids--there will be less spills this way.

Adult's Birthday Party

Throwing a party for the older crowd can be a bit nerve-wracking since adults are slightly harder to entertain than children. See a few ideas below.

Games  If you're having a party at home and you have a decent sized group of people, consider having some board games on hand. Games can help to keep the party interesting and fun.	Food  Serving dinner or just appetizers?  Keep it simple-- pizza  is always a crowd pleaser, as well as a sub.  If it's a sit down dinner, make something that's easy for you to manage and that everyone will like. For snacks, small appetizers like bruschetta,  veggies and dip  or cheese and crackers  always work well.	Beverages  Find out if your friends lean more towards beer  or wine  (or possibly both) and make sure you are well stocked. Soda  and water  should also be on hand also for the non-drinkers.	Music  Some nice background music can help to set the tone of a party. Is this a refined gathering that requires classical music  or a fun get together that needs party music?  Whatever your choice, make sure the volume is loud enough to be heard by the guests, but not too loud to bother the neighbors.

Let Them Eat Cake!

The best part of a birthday party is serving and eating the cake.  First, you need to decide what type of cake you want. Is it going to be a theme cake?  Are you planning to make it very decorative, or even animated? Cakes can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make them. Whether you are making the cake yourself or getting it from a bakery, consider all of your options.

• Cake Filling : Most birthday cakes have some type of filling that makes it taste delicious. Make sure that no one at your party has any specific allergies and then consider some of these fun options.
• Fruit : From strawberry  to raspberry  to even apple,  cakes can be filled with all kinds of fruit.
• Custard : This works well as a cake filling since it holds shape well and has a rich but not too sweet taste.
• Chocolate Ganache : The recipe calls for chocolate, cream and butter. Without even tasting it, you know this will be delicious!
• Pudding : Chocolate, vanilla, or both? You decide!
• Cannoli : A cannoli is typically filled with ricotta cheese,  sugar,  vanilla  and chocolate chips.  This filling can also be used in cakes to create a delicious treat.
• Cake Icing : After the cake has been finished, decisions must be made about what type of icing to use. Make sure that the flavor matches up with the rest of the cake and complements all of your hard work.
• Chocolate : A popular favorite when it comes to icing cakes. Keep in mind that with an already rich, chocolaty cake this might be overkill.
• Vanilla : This type of icing appeals to just about everyone and also has a flavor that compliments many different cake styles. 
• Cream Cheese : Cream cheese icing is best used on specific baked goods like carrot cake. 
• Buttercream : This is an extremely rich frosting that is used on many designer and gourmet cakes.
• Peanut Butter : Made with peanut butter  and sugar, this gives your cake a light, peanut buttery taste.
• Alternatives: Not interested in making a standard cake? Below, a few more ideas.
• Animated Cake : Yes, cakes with animated action are possible. However, keep in mind that it will take a lot of work and patience. See below for some helpful links and pointers when making these cakes.
• Cupcakes : Many people veer away from the standard cake and decide to go with decorative cupcakes instead. These can be decorated any way you like and filled with just about anything. Plus, they are much easier to serve than a cake.
• Ice Cream Cake : What's better than getting your favorite ice cream flavor inside of a cake? Many places will let you customize your ice cream cake and in some cases, you can choose to have an all ice cream cake or half ice cream, half cake.

Related Guides

Seasonal Guides	Birthday Gifts	Chocolate Birthday Gifts	Cookbooks	Party Gifts

External Links

• Chiff.com: Fun children's birthday party ideas.
• Coolest-birthday-cakes.com: Some great animated cake ideas.
• Parenting.com: This site breaks down 31 different cake ideas and how to make each one.