A surprise party is one of the best ways to show someone how much you care about them.

Picking a time, inviting all of their friends around, decorating their home to show the party atmosphere and surprising them with all of this when they get home is a great, positive way to treat a friend or a loved one to a night with all of their friends.

The planning of a surprise party can be tricky, and sometimes it can seem like there’s no way to get it exactly right, but all sorts of decorations and gift ideas can be found at Yellow Octopus, and we’re here to walk you through our six step guide to planning the perfect surprise party.

Guests

First of all, you have to pick the guests.

If you’re planning the surprise party, you probably know the recipient fairly well, and you know what kind of party they’d like and what kind they wouldn’t, so a normally introverted person won’t be too excited about coming home to a house filled to the brim with acquaintances and friends, and an extrovert won’t be too excited about two or three of their closest friends and a few bottles of wine. Pick your guestlist and guest numbers based on what your friend would like, not what you think will make a good party.

Decorations

Decking out their home top to bottom in tinsel and christmas lights can give a great effect to a party – lots of warm light and shiny things, but whether or not it’s the right decoration for a surprise party is another story.

Try for something that shows effort has gone into the decorating, but won’t take six hours to take down afterwards. You will likely be the one cleaning the whole place up afterwards, so make sure it’s nice to look at and easy to clean up.

Food

Food to eat for your surprise host and all of your guests is always a must-have for a party, and that can be anything from finger food like sausage rolls or cocktail hotdogs to full sized meals, like pizza. Being able to provide for many people all at once is important, so it’s probably best if you don’t do the cooking yourself, so ordering takeaway and having it delivered is the easiest course of action.

Drink

Stocking the fridge and all available sinks with drinks and ice is a good way to make sure everyone knows where and how to get a drink. It’s a party for the surprise host, but everyone there will still be guests, so they’ll still need drinks. A good mixture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is recommended, as there will likely be designated drivers or people who don’t drink present, and pitchers of water in areas away from electronics is also recommended.

Music

The music for your party should be phenomenal, but also to the taste of the surprise host.

Attending a party at your own house as a surprise is great fun, but less so if you’re not fond of the music they’re playing through what is likely your own soundsystem. Try to keep the songs upbeat with a good tempo, but don’t stress too much about it. As long as the surprise host is happy, the party is successful.

Surprise!

Finally, it’s time for the surprise!

Turn out all the lights, turn the music down, and wait for your surprise host to open that door! For anyone with heart problems, it’s a good idea to shout “surprise” when they start unlocking the door from the other side, this way they aren’t shocked violently by sudden lights and sounds. By this point, the party is in full swing, and you can kick back and have a great time!

With these tips, you’re ready to throw the perfect surprise party, and all you need is a willing and deserving host to surprise. Now is the time for action, so wait no longer, and get planning.