It can be fun to plan a party for yourself, or even plan a party with a friend or a family member. But some special occasions, are worth making a surprise.

So whether you are pulling the kind of surprise where you tell your subject to save the date but keep all the other details a secret; or you decide to put on the full show where you pretend you forgot your subject’s special day, only to pop out from behind the furniture later; here are five celebrations where you should plan and scheme to surprise someone you love with!

Milestone birthday

Is someone you know about to turn 21 and become legal? Is your sibling about to turn the big 4-0? Or maybe your bestie is celebrating milestone double digits and turning 33?

These are the once-in-a-lifetime milestone ages that are the perfect excuse to throw a big bash, complete with numbered balloons, numbered candles, and any other birthday paraphernalia like numbered glasses, hairbands and even printed-for-the-occasion t-shirts!

Milestone anniversary

The truth about everlasting love is – relationships are a lot of hard work! That’s why key anniversaries are always worth celebrating, not just for the romance or for the Instagram pictures, but for the acknowledgment of the effort and trust that a couple puts in for their relationship.

So whether you are celebrating your parents’ 60^th diamond anniversary with a big party with family and friends, or you’re marking your 10^th year relationship anniversary with your partner – make the milestone count by throwing a surprise to celebrate love and make the date evermore memorable.

Marriage proposal

Speaking of relationships, one event that is pretty much obligatorily a surprise occasion is marriage proposals!

Most times for the member of the couple proposing (it could be ‘him’ OR ‘her’!), there are 2 choices to make: Whether the proposal will involve friends, or if it will be a private moment between the couple alone; and if it will be a recorded or photographed event, or a proposal that only the couple will ever get to witness.

Whatever you decide, proposals are once in a lifetime. And while throwing a grand surprise proposal may seem rather conventional, the effort of planning will be worth it simply for the look on the face of your other half.

Bachelor / Bachelorette Party

Following proposals, come the bachelor and bachelorette dos!

Typically, the ‘Stag Do’ and ‘Hen’s Night’ are planned by the ones appointed ‘Best Man’ and ‘Maid of Honour’, usually a sibling or best friend of the couple. And there are multiple ways in which you can incorporate an element of surprise for the bride and groom, such as

• Staging a ‘kidnapping’ by whisking them away from work or picking them up at home unexpectedly to a party venue or even straight to the airport for an unexpected trip!
• Taking them out to dinner for a seemingly regular night out, only for the night to make a sudden turn and for close friends to show up and for the bachelor/bachelorette do to take over!

Don’t forget to also spoil the beloved bride- or groom-to-be with more surprise elements like games, decorations, dedications, and even food choices that reflect their journey into married life.

Pregnancy announcement

Unlike other surprise occasions, a pregnancy announcement may be the only one where the subjects of the celebration instead surprise their loved ones with the news!

As we have seen on social media, couples are finding increasingly creative ways to surprise their families and friends with a pregnancy announcement, such as during an unexpected moment like incorporating the revelation into a game, or by hiding an ultrasound picture or pregnancy test for family members to find via a treasure hunt or unwrap from a present box.

The possibilities are endless, and a baby on the way is the ultimate surprise for parents who can’t wait to be grandparents, and family members and best friends who can’t wait to be aunties and uncles.

Want GemSpot to plan your surprise parties for you? Just use the Party Planning options on our platform and find everything you need from venues, food, decorations, flowers and gifts!