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

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01 entrance decorations

Surprise party decoration ideas to help identify the party location, direct guests to the entrance, and create a warm welcome

custom yard card spelling out Welcome Home Sgt Soria outside a house for a surprise party
paper luminaries lining the pathway to the front door of a house with party guests arriving
pink, purple and turquoise balloon garland framing house door entrance
Welcome Home surprise party custom photo vertical banners with photos of a man at different ages either side of house door
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02 WELCOME AREA DeCOR

Greet guests with signage, decor, arrival drinks, activities, photo ops, and party favors

illustrated custom 30th birthday party welcome sign on an easel
man and woman standing next to a life size custom cutout standee of the man in a suit
woman's hand placing a card into a custom wood card box with the name Wilson on it
Grab a Drink illustrated surprise party bar menu sign
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03 DESSERT TABLE DeCOR

Maximize your budget by concentrating your surprise party decorations around a dessert / buffet table

'celebrating 50 years' 50th birthday party dessert table tapestry backdrop with photos showing the guest of honor 'through the years'
blue ombre effect paper circles garland backdrop behind a surprise party dessert table
black and gold striped custom surprise party dessert table backdrop
gold sequin shimmer party backdrop behind a dessert table
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04 ROOM DECORATIONS

How to add creative twists and personal touches to your surprise party decorations

'Welcome Home' surprise party custom photo banner showing photos of the guest of honor
surprise party photo collage in the shape of the numbers 65 on a party dessert table
custom face photo garland banner for a surprise party
balloon mosaic letters spelling Mom for party decorations
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ADVICE FROM A PRO

surprise party decoration ideas

summary
  • Avoid obvious, generic, store-bought decorations; it’s lazy and unimaginative.
  • Customize your surprise party decorations with cute, funny, and embarrassing old photos of the guest of honor.
  • Add creative twists, clever details, and personal touches to create talking points and photo ops that guests will share.
  • Engagement generates buzz and atmosphere that will make your surprise party a success.
  • Don’t try to dress the entire room, this will spread decorations too thinly.
  • Focus on four key areas: entrance, welcome area, dessert / buffet table or bar, and room decor.
  • Entrance decorations should identify the location of the party, direct guests to the entrance, and create a warm welcome.
  • Create a welcome area to greet guests with signage, activities, and self-service drinks.
  • Maximize budget by concentrating your surprise party decorations around a dessert / buffet table or bar to create a focal point.
  • It’s better to invest your budget in one well-dressed feature wall / large display.
  • Then use a few general decorations around the room to tie everything together.
  • When choosing surprise party decorations, consider how the room will look when it’s full of people, rather than empty.
  • Concentrate on dressing perimeter walls, space above head height, and bar / table decor that adds height.
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MATT’S TIPs

Matt James professional event planner
in this section

01 entrance decorations

WHY YOU NEED entrance decorations

  • We’ve all turned up to a party where it’s just a cold front door awaiting you…
  • You can’t hear any music or see people inside, so you immediately feel a sense of dread…
  • What if there’s hardly anyone there?
  • Will I be stuck making awkward small talk with people I don’t know?
  • Am I going to be itching to leave in five minutes?
  • Heck, am I even in the right place?
  • Grrr….I knew I should’ve stayed on the sofa!
  • Entrance decorations need to be both welcoming and functional.
  • They should identify the location of the party, direct guests to the entrance, create a warm welcome, and put guests at ease.
  • The initial moments of a party set the tone and reassure your guests it’s going to be fun event, so first impressions matter.
the idea

custom yard heads

Bring a smile to guests’ faces as they arrive with custom yard head decorations showing the guest of honor 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

custom yard cards

Create a warm welcome for guests and ensure your party venue stands out and is easy to find with custom yard card decorations

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custom name and age happy birthday yard card set up on front lawn outside house
the idea

half body / group cutouts

Create a big first impression by greeting guests with a half body or group cutout decorations of the guest of honor 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
the idea

balloon walkway

For a simple yet eye-catching decorative feature, create an avenue of balloons to line the route to your party like this great example by Balloons by Tommy

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pink helium-filled balloons on strings staked into grass either side of a pathway
the idea

entrance runner

Give guests the red carpet treatment with a personalized or decorative walkway runner to highlight the entrance to your surprise party

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blue and white petal entrance runner leading up to party entrance surrounded by balloon garland
the idea

paper luminaries

For evening events, give guests a warm welcome by lining the route to your entrance with glowing paper luminaries

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guests arriving at a surprise party at home with a pathway to the front door lined with paper luminaries
the idea

‘through the years’ banners

Ensure your entrance stands out while making guests smile with vertical banners showing the guest of honor ‘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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Matt James professional event planner
the idea

balloon garland

Make a dramatic first impression and wow guests by decorating the entrance to your surprise party with a striking balloon garland

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red and purple balloon garland draped around entrance doors to a house
the idea

big head cutouts

Turn heads by decorating the entrance to your surprise party with giant face cutouts of the guest of honor at different stages of their life

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giant face cutouts of a man decorating the entrance to a house
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more surprise party decoration ideas

custom birthday party welcome sign on an easel
man and woman standing next to a life size custom cutout standee of the man in a suit
woman's hand placing a card into a custom wood card box with the name Wilson on it
Grab a Drink illustrated surprise party bar menu sign
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