i’m matt james

professional event producer

  • 27 years event-planning experience
  • Winner of 30 industry awards
  • Clients include:
  • Elton John,
  • Stella McCartney,
  • Sarah Jessica Parker,
  • Kevin Spacey……and more

welcome

Matt James professional event planner
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CONTENTS

ON THIS PAGE

01 personalized birthday decorations

Unusual, personalized, and unique birthday ideas for adults to make your celebration more special

a unique birthday idea for adults: a dessert table tapestry backdrop personalized with 3 photos of a man 'through the years'
man surprised with a unique birthday idea: a life size custom cutout standee of himself
This Kid is Turning 45 and Look Who's 45 custom photo personalized birthday party balloon decorations
personalized birthday decorations for adults: custom face photo garland banner showing a man 'through the years' as a baby, kid, and adult
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02 unique birthday gift ideas

Creative, unforgettable, and unique birthday gift ideas for adults

woman standing next to a custom muppet-style puppet of herself; a unique birthday gift idea for adults
a unique birthday gift idea for adults: a personalized comic book
custom bobblehead of a man alongside his photo for a unique birthday gift idea
personalized viewmaster reel viewer unique birthday gift idea
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03 unique birthday activities

Personalized activities, entertainment, and games to engage party guests, create atmosphere, and make a birthday memorable

a unique birthday idea for adults: a man standing next to a custom pinata of himself
retro telephone audio guest book set up next to an instructions sign inviting party guests to record personalized voice messages
a unique birthday idea for adults: senior woman standing with a group of friends at a party holding up fan faces of her face in front of theirs
35 Reasons We Love You signing poster a unique birthday idea for a guest book alternative.
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in this section

01 personalized birthday decorations

avoid the obvious

  • Birthdays—especially milestones—are a big deal, so you need to make an effort.
  • A special occasion needs to look and feel special.
  • This won’t happen if you just type ‘birthday party decorations’ into Amazon and buy a whole bunch of generic ‘off the self’ party supplies.
  • Cheap, shiny, and mass-produced in China doesn’t exactly say ‘special’ does it?
  • These types of decorations are just lazy and unimaginative—and I guarantee your guests will have seen them all before and know exactly where you got them.
  • Instead, ensure your party includes unique birthday ideas; decorations, gifts, and party supplies that are personalized.

make your birthday memorable

  • That’s not to say you need to spend a fortune on fancy decorations.
  • Instead, opt for everyday party supplies, such as backdrops, banners, and balloons, that can be personalized.
  • An easy way to create unique and memorable birthday decorations is to customize them with cute, funny, and embarrassing old photos showing the birthday boy / girl at different stages of their life.
  • You can tie all these together by adopting a ‘Through the Years’ theme for your party.
  • Alternatively, give it a festival theme customized with the guest of honor’s name e.g Gloria-palooza, Miranda-fest, Matt-stock.

why you need unique party decorations

  • Adding a personal touch makes them far more interesting and demonstrates that you took the time to create something unique; just for the birthday boy or girl.
  • Customization adds a point of difference. It grabs people’s attention and encourages them to ‘lean in’; to inspect, engage with, photograph, and discuss—rather than just passively glance at.
  • It’s these creative twists, clever little details, and personal touches that guests discuss, photograph, share, and remember.
  • All of which generates buzz and atmosphere that will make your birthday party a success.
  • It also shows that a bit of love, thought, and care has gone into everything, which will make the guest of honor feel loved and appreciated on a day they might be feeling a little sensitive about getting older.
  • Remember that phrase, ‘it’s the thought that counts’?
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the idea

custom face banners

Personalize your birthday party decorations with custom face banners of the birthday boy / girl at different ages

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45th birthday custom face photo banners showing birthday boy at different ages hung above party dessert table
the idea

custom photo balloons

Personalize your decorations with photo balloons showing the guest of honor at different stages of their life

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This Kid is Turning 45 and Look Who's 45 custom photo birthday balloons
the idea

life-size talking cutout

Have the birthday boy / girl greet guests at the entrance with a life-size cutout paired with a motion-activated voice recorder

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man in a suit standing next to a life-size cutout standee of himself
the idea

‘through the years’ banners

Ensure your entrance stands out while making guests smile with vertical banners showing the birthday boy / girl ‘through the years’

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Look Who's Fifty custom photo vertical banners showing the birthday boy 'through the years' hung either side of house door
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fun facts balloons

Hang photos with ‘fun facts you may not know about the birthday boy / girl’ from helium balloons to entertain guests

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Photos and 'Fun Facts' about the birthday boy/girl hanging from helium balloon strings used as party room decorations
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custom yard heads

Bring a smile to guests’ faces as they arrive with custom yard heads showing the birthday boy or girl at different stages of their life

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custom photo yard heads of a mans face arranged on a front lawn outside a house
the idea

‘through the years’ backdrop

Create a custom backdrop for a dessert/buffet table featuring pictures of the birthday boy / girl ‘through the years’

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Celebrating 45 Years custom photo birthday backdrop behind a party dessert table
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Matt James professional event planner
the idea

custom printed balloons

Personalize your birthday party decorations with custom printed latex balloons featuring images of the guest of honor

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couple standing next to a green custom printed balloon with their faces on
the idea

big head cutouts

Decorate large spaces by hanging or lining the walls with custom head cutouts of the birthday boy / girl at different stages of their life

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giant custom face cutouts showing a woman at different ages used as hanging decorations above a crowd of dancing party guests
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The Man, The myth, the legend

Big up the big man on his birthday with this range of custom ‘The Man, The Myth, The Legend’ birthday party supplies

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Custom The Man, The Myth, The Legend birthday backdrop behind a party dessert table
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photo collage cutouts

Create a tabletop dessert table display with a photo collage number cutout showing the birthday boy / girl at different ages

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number 30 'through the years' photo collage cutout decorations standing on a party dessert table showing photos of the 30th birthday boy
the idea

‘through the years’ photo garlands

Create interactive party decorations by asking guests to bring their favorite pictures of the birthday boy / girl to add to photo garland decorations

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birthday photo garland party decorations showing the birthday boy 'Through the Years'
the idea

‘then & now’ photo banners

Give party guests a glimpse of the birthday boy / girl back in the day by decorating walls with ‘Then & Now’ style photo banners

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Cheers to 60 Years custom 'Then & Now' photo birthday banner decorations hung above party food table
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FUN FACTS FILLED BALLOONS

Fill balloons with ‘fun facts you may not know about the birthday boy / girl’ and encourage guests to pop to reveal

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Fun facts filled 'Pop Me' balloons for a birthday party
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‘through the years’ welcome sign

Entertain guests by placing a photo collage showing the birthday / girl at different stages of their life on welcome desks or bars

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celebrating 70 years birthday photo collage sign set up on a party drinks table bar
the idea

photo collage board

Entertain party guest with a photo collage board showing the birthday boy / girl at different stages of their life

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Look who's 50 freestanding birthday photo collage board decoration showing photos of the birthday boy through the years
the idea

balloon decals

Personalize your birthday party decorations with custom balloon decals that allow you to choose the right words for the occasion

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'Congratulations George' custom name balloon decals applied to gold balloons for a birthday party
the idea

‘through the years’ photo banners

Personalize your birthday party decorations and entertain guests with photo banners showing the birthday boy / girl ‘through the years’

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birthday photo garland banners showing the birthday girl 'through the years'
the idea

half body / group cutouts

Create a big first impression by greeting guests with a half body or group cutout decorations of the birthday boy / girl at different stages of their life

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half body and group cutouts of family members lining the pathway to the front door of a house

fantastic finds

great Ideas i wish i’d thought of…

Check out this great idea below from Marta Dansie of Marta Writes

the idea

fun facts garland banners

Personalize your party decorations and entertain guests with garland banners highlighting fun facts about the birthday boy / girl

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fun facts about the birthday boy/girl garland banner party decorations hanging from tree at garden party
in this section

02 unique birthday gift ideas

Personal v Personalized birthday gifts

  • Don’t be fooled into thinking that a gift with someone’s name on it makes it personal.
  • No man really wants monogrammed golf balls or engraved grilling tongs as a birthday gift.
  • In the same way no woman needs another vase, scented candle, or ‘World’s Best Mum’ mug.
  • The truth is, most people—men and women—would far prefer a meaningful birthday gift over any store-bought alternative…
  • no matter how luxurious or expensive the store-bought gift might be!

it’s the thought that counts

  • A truly unique and personal gift is one where some real thought has gone into it…
  • something you know they’d love but would never treat themselves to,
  • something meaningful with sentimental value,
  • or something quirky, unusual, or unique tailored to the recipient.

Unique birthday gift ideas

  • Some of the best gifts are often ones that cost the least; memories, photographs, and heartfelt thoughts shared by friends and family.
  • It’s the simplest things that are often the most priceless, like love, gratitude, and intimacy.
  • So, ditch the obvious and stereotypical gifts and check out some of the truly unique birthday gift ideas below.
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the idea

reasons we love you

Invite friends and family to highlight the admirable qualities, notable traits, or amusing quirks that make the birthday boy or girl so loved

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framed reasons we love you poster with photo of the 45 year old birthday boy
the idea

custom puppet

For a truly unique and personal gift have a custom Muppet-style puppet made of the birthday boy / girl

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woman standing next to a custom muppet-style puppet of herself for a adult birthday gift
the idea

custom reel viewer

Ask friends an family for photos of their favorite memory of the birthday boy / girl to collect together in a custom reel viewer

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custom reel viewer / viewfinder made with your own photos for a adult birthday gift
the idea

custom comic book

Tell the birthday boy / girl’s life story (so far) by creating a custom comic book featuring photos of them ‘through the years’

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'Super Dad' custom comic book featuring cartoon versions of family photos for a adult birthday gift
the idea

reasons we love you photo book

Invite friends and family to take photos expressing all the things they love about the birthday boy / girl to collect together in a keepsake photo book to celebrate their birthday

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reasons we love you birthday photo book
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more unique birthday ideas for adults

a unique 40th birthday idea: a 40 year old man standing next to a custom pinata of himself
custom photo cone hats showing a man as an adult and as a baby
custom bobblehead of a man alongside his photo for a unique 40th birthday gift idea
surprise the birthday boy / girl with a unique birthday idea: a stack of numbered '45 years of memory' letters in air mail envelopes
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