Help, how do I make husbands 70th birthday party a success?

Lots of great ideas thank you for responding. I am not a party person but husband is, so for this special birthday decided to arrange one. I would have preferred a family meal or a holiday. I have decided to ask if venue have a smaller room or if we can somehow partition part of the room off and organise some extra activities. May invite a few of the neighbours as well, it will provide an opportunity to get to know them better. However I am determined that those family and friends who do come will have a good time. Feeling more positive about it now.

I hope you manage to solve your dilemma, appygran. It is my seventieth in November this year and I definitely don't want a party. We'll probably do what we did for DH's and have a family meal somewhere. More of a dilemma for me is what we do for our 50th anniversary this year. We are hopeless at throwing parties and don't know many people outside the family anyway; most of the ones we do know live two or three hours drive away!

I won a GN competition for a Warners break so we went there to celebrate my 70th. DS and DD and their families and uni friends always go to a music festival together in summer and it happened to be the weekend of my birthday. DH and I had a lovely time and flowers and fizz were delivered to the room from them all and they rang up too.

For DH's 70th the year before, we were in France on holiday so just had a special meal out. He doesn't like a fuss so that was his choice.

I used to love big parties when I was younger but seem to have outgrown them and now only want my close family with me - when they are available!

I'm sorry you are having to worry now about what you intended to be a lovely event appygran and I hope it goes well.

I do wonder about parties though as a whole. DH is 70 this year and I was given a dire warning - no parties or special events. I used to be a party girl myself but dread them now I always feel tired and drained for days afterwards and the what to wear problem is dreadful. The last time I gave a small BBQ party quite a few people decided not to come. Party invitations among friends here as whole seem to have dropped off in favour of going out for a meal to a restaurant. I'm at a loss for what to do for DH - he doesn't regard it as in anyway special so I will probably just find a nice place to spend the day in the country.

appygran have you considered contacting the venue and asking if there is a smaller space you can use? or if they have ways of making the space smaller? They may have screens or room dividers you could use. Otherwise tables round the edges of the room or across one end to block off space, with flowers, presents display boards on them to make it seem this was intentional. Alternatively I have seen at weddings an area blocked off with a camera set up, a seat to sit in and a book set out. Guests sit down make a short video message and leave a message for your DH in the book, you can then send this out to all those who failed to turn up! I couldn't do the techno bit but I am sure you have Dcs or DGCs who could handle it.

My husband was 70 last week. He didn't want any presents (never does)! He was happy when his daughter, her partner and our grandson and her partners 2 children came over for a week! We had a "party " on the Sunday with some friends and the family with a cake (home made by yours truly) and then a family meal on the Monday (his birthday). The family bought him a photo frame and some fruit trees (as requested). He was happy with that! A man of simple tastes!!

My husband is 70 in November. Not yet decided what to do on the day, but i gVe told him that during the year I shall be giving him 70 presents. He has had about 16 so far and include tea and cake at garden centre, bottle of gin, cut glass whisky tumbler, Jeeves and Wooster play, cinema, big bar of chocolate, and several lie-ins while I walk the dog, buy a paper and a bacon butty. I have lots more ideas for the rest of the year.

I shall be 70 the following year so I feel the bar has been set!

Thanks PRINTMISS I am doing the ten year thing with photographs and writing a poem(small rhyme) for each decade. The idea of a magician is a really good one I will look into it.

I would start by trying to create a more cosy atmosphere within the room appygran Moving chairs and tables closer together rather than farther apart. (effectively shutting off part of the room) Or else set the buffet table away from the wall which again will help to fill an empty space.

Try to concentrate on the people that are coming rather than dwelling on those who are not. Make sure all those who attend have a special time, then at least they will tell the misery guts people what they missed!

Don't forget there may be people who just turn up on the night and likewise there might be people who say they are coming and then don't for some reason or another.

Try to give off a "all the more for us" vibe rather than looking disappointed. Encourage DH to mingle with the guests rather than taking root in a corner.

I have never had a party in my life so probably not the best person to offer advice. Maybe a party animal gransnetter will be along soon.

I do hope it goes well and wish your DH a very happy day.

We had a really good magician for my husband's 80th birthday party, he kept everyone amused, and I made a list of "10 years" and put this up for people to read, together with photographs. i.e. the first ten years with mum and dad, next with sister and whatever else pertinent. So we had 7 lovely displays of photographs and talking points - probably very much as happens at some wakes, but he was able to reminisce and enjoy with those who were there, some of whom actually remembered events too!