Case of The Surprise Birthday Party

The Story:
The daughters of a couple in their late 70’s wanted to plan a surprise Birthday Party for their parents, both of whom were born in December.

The Challenge:
The parents and two daughters live in Cleveland, Ohio. Three daughters, 2 sons-in-law and 8 grandchildren lived in 3 other states and the District of Columbia. The challenge of keeping the party a secret was exceeded by the challenge of co-ordinating air and ground transportation and lodging. Additionally, the daughters wanted to include in the celebration non-attending family members and friends.

The Solution:
I proposed a “Birthday Card Shower” to enable family and friends to share in the occasion. Cards were to be addressed to the honorees and mailed to one of the Cleveland daughters. Hotel rooms were secured for out-of-town family who could not be accommodated in the homes of the Cleveland daughters. Air travel was arranged to minimize trips to the airport and one daughter and her family rented a van to drive to Cleveland. The honorees were told that due to their (Cleveland) daughters’ busy schedule, there was only one date that was good for them on which to celebrate the mother’s birthday, the earlier of the two. A large room in the honoree’s favorite restaurant was secured for the party.

The Honorees:
After arriving from another engagement, the honorees were escorted into the large restaurant room and completely surprised by their 16 well wishers. Among the guests was the fiancé of the oldest granddaughter, who they met for the first time.

Surprise 80th Birthday Party "I am writing to let you know how much I enjoyed the surprise 80th birthday party for my Mother, planned and carried out by Majestic Butterfly. Your attention to detail in every aspect of the party was impressive. You truly transformed the idea of celebrating a seminal birthday for a woman who has steadfastly claimed to be “39 and holding” (while having celebrated her 50th and 55th wedding anniversaries and having five daughters who all claim their years over 40), into a wonderful event marking a great milestone in her life and the life of her family. It is a tribute to your organization and desire to make the day special that you were able to frame cards which she received and she did not know were missing, as her gifts. It was worth the look on her face when she saw all her children (5 daughters/2 sons-in-law), grandchildren (8 plus three spouses) and great-grandchildren (4) and her niece and nephew and his wife, along with her husband of 57 years and minister there to celebrate her birthday. My Mother’s genuine surprise and pleasure of the occasion is also a testament to the great work you do because she has had surprise events before but she was still surprised this time too. I would highly recommend you for any celebration, meeting or other occasion which requires follow through and attention to detail. I am sure you will be in much demand when word of your work gets out to people who need your services. Thank you for your standard of excellence."          Carolyn