5 Tips For Organising A Virtual Birthday Party

As a lot of us might have realized in the past 60 days, we humans might be cooped up in our bedrooms temporarily, but the important occasions of our life did not get the lockdown memo. The age-old adage of time waits for no one, has proven to be especially true during this pandemic, considering birthdays, anniversaries and milestones have all come and gone, regardless of our inability to step out. Besides, if you're completing 24 years on Planet Earth next month, or your parents' marriage is entering its silver jubilee year, or even if your pet just got a year older, it's a cause for celebration, albeit from your quarantine haven. 

 

 

But let's talk about birthdays, shall we? During the pre-coronavirus era, selecting a perfect venue was the most critical decision in organising a happening birthday party. But right now, when your favourite bar, a high-end restaurant in the city or a farm-house, no longer fall under viable party location options, and your only recourse is to stay at home, how do we even celebrate an event? Obviously, the only choice now, is to watch The Notebook in bed alone and scream into your pillow, right? Wrong! We are taking things virtual! 

 

A virtual birthday party, is not only remarkably cheaper and easier to organise, but it's also a great way to gather your closed ones and celebrate an important milestone, all while doing the one thing humanity needs right now. Staying at home. So, on that note, here are 5 tips for organising an epic virtual birthday party! 

Image Courtesy - Ochsner Blog

 

1. Prepare A Close-Knit Guest List

The one limitation in the case of a virtual birthday party is, you can't invite that guy you barely know but once shared a beer with or your friend's boyfriend you can't stand. If that sounds more like a perk, I don't blame you! For your virtual birthday party, thoughtfully prepare a list of your closest circle, including only people you truly want to celebrate with. Keep your guest list as short as possible, to avoid people talking over one another and paving the way for chaos, during the video party call. 

 

2. Send Out E-Invites Well In Advance

For a virtual birthday party, you will need some details that are different from the ones you'd collect for your previous birthday celebrations, like Skype or Zoom IDs. So make sure you get these particulars sufficiently before the date of the party. Additionally, you should bear in mind that it's much easier to bail out on an online party than it is in the case of a physical celebration. So it's highly advisable to block a specific party date and time and send out e-invites, well in advances. 

 

3. Make A List Of Things Everybody Should Have 

If you plan on going with a specific theme for your virtual birthday party, make sure you ask everybody to keep the things they might need, close at hand. For instance, if you want to organise a wine tasting virtual birthday party, request your guests to make arrangements for a wine bottle or two. Regardless, there are certain things every virtual party must have, like snacks and tidbits and depending on your age, some alcohol. So prepare a list of essentials for your virtual birthday celebration, and include it in the e-invite you send out to your guests. 

 

 

4. Let Your Guests Know It's BYOC 

We mean Bring Your Own Cake, of course! Blowing out candles and making a wish with your friends cheering in the background, is still a possibility. The only thing you can't do in a virtual birthday celebration is, feed your loved-ones a slice of the birthday cake with your own hands. So ask your guests to gather a cake of their own, or any kind of dessert really. And once you cut the cake in front of you, ask them to take a bite of the sweet, available to them. P.S. nobody can ruin your look by smearing cake on your face. Maybe we should just stick with virtual birthday parties, forever. 

 

5. Set A Dress Code, & Get Decked Up! 

Virtual or not, it is your birthday, and you have all the right to dress up like you're celebrating. Ladies, get decked up in a birthday-worthy dress, and men, put your best shirts on! You can also ask your virtual guests to dress up like it's a party. Because it is! 

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Birthday, or birth-yay?