Birthday Party Supplies

From LoveToKnow Party

When you are planning a birthday party, the array of birthday party supplies available can be overwhelming. What do you need for a basic, simple party, and what additions should you consider for a more elaborate setup?

The Bare Necessities in Birthday Party Supplies

The crucial supplies for any party are the things that make up the table setting: plates, napkins and table-cover, forks, spoons, knives, and cups. Any party store, and many supermarkets, will have a representative selection of solid colors, patterns, and thematic table settings.

Add a Centerpiece

Centerpieces emphasize the party's theme or purpose, so they should be on the list of birthday party supplies you plan to purchase. The possibilities are endless. Balloons or toys for children, flowers for a teen or adult woman's party, sports related items for a men's party -- all are good choices and varying types of birthday party supplies will be available almost anywhere. Balloons are actually a good choice for any party, as they can be printed with "happy birthday" or the appropriate age, or any number of other appropriate decorations.

Invitations and Thank You Notes

If you're going to have a party, you have to get people there. So invitations are of nearly as much importance as the plates and the cake. And if people give you gifts, you have to thank them -- and it's a lot more fun to thank them in style. Coordinating your invitations and thank-you notes with your party's theme or color-scheme is easy, as most party stores carry a full line of party stationery.

Birthday Party Supplies: Party Favors

Goodie bags or small party favors are a nice gesture to provide guests with a keepsake of the party. At a children's party, they help all the children feel as if they got something -- rather than just getting to watch someone else open piles of presents. Possibilities for favors include small portions of candy, petit fours, toys, small items of jewelry, or sports items like golf tees. Party stores like Party City, and catalogue merchants like Oriental Trading Company, have myriad items that make great favors, and they have gift bags and boxes that make the favors more attractive.

Noisemakers

Birthday parties are a lot more fun when there's a bit of noise going on. Blowers, spinning noisemakers, kazoos, and other noisy party favors are always a hit, with nearly any age group. Everyone seems to like the blowers that are a coiled tube of colorful oiled paper and that unfurl while making a "honking" sound when blown into.

Balloons

In addition to making great centerpieces, balloons can be used as decorations, as party favors, as party games, even as gifts. Most people choose to have their balloons helium-filled rather than blowing them up. Some large apartment complexes and hotels have a helium tank, and the manager may allow you to fill some balloons if you offer to pay a reasonable amount for the helium that you use. Unless you are planning to drop the balloons out of a net or release them into the air, balloons should have a ribbon or string attached to the neck. Curly ribbon is a perennial favorite, but simple colored twine or yarn can make a nice complement to your decor.

Party Hats

The birthday person should always have a party hat. Its fun to give the guests hats too and most birthday party supply stores have a good selection of the conical hats with thin elastic chin-bands in various sizes and patterns. Have some fun with the birthday person's hat. Rather than the traditional paper hat, perhaps a crown or tiara for a birthday "girl," and a crown, top hat, or admiral's hat for a birthday "boy."

Making It Easy

If the thought of going to a party supply store or selecting birthday party supplies from a catalogue is just too overwhelming, there is another alternative to putting it all together yourself. Various companies have a birthday party kit that can be personalized for your chosen theme and honoree. The basic kit can be customized to your specifications, and you can choose from dozens of themes. Birthday in a Box is one such online service that is reliable and easy to use.