Getting Personal

                Invitations Decorations - Preparations for Celebration :: 30th Birthday Gifts
            
                When it comes to celebrating the birthday of an adult, a 30 year old, no less, it's good to have some details in advance. Grown-ups are much pickier than children, but they're no less fun! 
30th birthday gifts are all well and good, but what about 30th birthday parties? You'll need to have an idea who to invite, what sort of foods your birthday boy or girl prefers and what to drink. These aren't the only big decisions though and you might be able to ask your birthday man or woman for this information if you're not planning a surprise party. 

If you are planning to surprise the birthday person, you'll need to use a room in the house to stash coats and their 30th birthday gifts, keep the party a surprise until the last second and invite people to it behind their back. Don't be afraid to ask lots of their closest friends and relatives for help, they'll be eager to muck in and make it the best birthday that the person who is turning 30 has ever had!

It can be daunting for a 29 year old to turn 30 and not everyone loves the thought of leaving their 20's behind. 30 years is a milestone and reaching it can be a bit of a scary prospect. The idea of taking your career more seriously and perhaps even having children can come to mind. One of the best remedies for these sorts of concerns is a good old fashioned shin dig.

Invitations

Speaking to people individually and showing them how much you want them to come to a party is possibly the most effective way of getting a good number of people to turn up on the night. A little personal attention reassures them that they'll be missed and do really matter to the party person. 

You can even go so far as to make cute, quirky invitations to give to work mates and friends so they don't forget your address and the date the party is taking place. Or alternatively you can post them on social networking sites for just your friends to see. 

It's even easy to design and print your own invitations using Microsoft Photoshop, or adapt many of the invitation templates available online to your own purposes. If that sounds too complicated why not hand draw your invitations and make as many photocopies as you need and then fill in the invited people's names yourself.

Party decorations

The same thing goes for party decorations. Don't bother buying them when it can be just as fun to make your own. You can print off the letters which spell 'Happy Birthday' and the person's name on A4 printer paper and then stick them to the wall in the right order. You can make streamers, paper chains and cut decorations from crepe paper and coloured sugar paper and you can blow up some ordinary colourful balloons. A kid party theme can be fun for adults too!

Buffet food

Food for a party can be delicious, healthy and inexpensive if you choose to make it yourself at home. Fresh carrot sticks and other raw vegetables are great with dips and full of vitamins, while a chunky fruit salad makes a nice dessert.

Fresh baguette slices can be made in to little open sandwiches. You can make these using as many combinations of filling as you like cream cheese and smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise, cheese and ham or anything else you think would be delicious. 

There are loads of traditional buffet foods which are great at a party, sausage rolls, crisps or tortilla chips, quiche, the list is endless. Baking a birthday cake is also easy if you have the right equipment and can taste much nicer than a bought cake.

30th birthday gifts

When it comes to 30th birthday gifts consider getting your friend or relative something you can enjoy together. For example: there are a few experience days perfect for heralding the start of a new era, such as the hotel and theatre for two package in London's West End. Imagine staying in a 3 star hotel with your birthday gent or lady and taking photographs of the sights then enjoying a day at the theatre! 

If the theatre isn't your cup of tea there are plenty of other experience days out there which make ideal 30th birthday gifts. For spring and summer birthdays you can't really go wrong with a carnival picnic hamper, who doesn't love a picnic in the sun, sitting on long green lawns with a sandwich and a glass of white wine. These are just a few 30th birthday gifts, but think about the recipient and you'll be sure to come up with something memorable and fun!

Related article: Be quirky for their 30th (30th Birthday Gifts)