How many birthday parties would you guess you've been to in your lifetime?

Dozens?  Hundreds?

Now think back to how many of those celebrations you actually remember.  

That's likely to be a muccccch smaller number, even though you probably enjoyed yourself.

(Want to learn the Top 10 Must Do's for Memorable Birthday Parties?  Click here.)

MAKE YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY MEMORABLE

The reason we only remember a small fraction of the birthday parties we've attended is because most of these celebrations run together in our minds.

To be clear, the parties were probably very fun.  We likely mixed and mingled with friends and family, ate delicious food that included a slice of birthday cake, and watched the birthday person open up gifts.

But to make a birthday party something that permanently lodges in our memory bank, it has to hit a higher bar.

It has to be memorable.  

To level set, I thought it was useful to check out the definition of the word.  Oxford Dictionaries offers this entry:

"Worth remembering or easily remembered,
especially because of being special or unusual."

Though the first part is obvious, I think the key words are hidden at the end of the entry.  For a birthday party to be one that people remember, there has to be something that's special or unusual about it. 

So how can we create a great event that's not only enjoyed by the guests, but one that's remembered---years later?

Milestone birthdays are the ones people remember most often.  Check out our Ultimate Guide to Milestone Birthdays for awesome tips!

SPECIAL MOMENTS HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY UNFORGETTABLE

I was recently introduced to The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact.  This NY Times best-seller by Chip and Dan Heath was a great read and offered some valuable nuggets on how to make your next birthday party stand out.  (Do the authors sound familiar?  They also wrote Made to Stick and Switch.)

Similar to the example above where you likely recalled only a very small fraction of the birthday parties you've ever attended, they found that people tend to remember a teeny tiny fraction of our experiences.  

And those experiences we do remember?  They tend to have an extraordinary impact on us.

The authors contend that our most memorable positive moments have one or more of the following characteristics:

• Elevation-the moment rises above our normal routine
• Insight-an "Aha!" moment where we realize something
• Pride-the moment celebrates people's achievements
• Connection-the moments that link us together  

By deliberately creating experiences with these characteristics, we can increase the likelihood a moment will be savored...and remembered.   

4 TIPS FOR PLANNING AN UNFORGETTABLE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Using the elements of memorable positive moments from The Power of Moments, we can architect a party that is unforgettable.  In particular:

1. Elevation

Take a typical birthday celebration and make it a little more special.  What's typical?  How much is a little more special?  It's all relative. Just think about what's normal for you and then go above and beyond.

2. Insight

As host of the party, you are in the unique position of serving as the intermediary between the birthday person and the guests. You can help your party guests learn more about the birthday person by sharing details that may not be well-known...or that have been forgotten.  You can also discreetly relay the birthday person's wishes to the guests.

4. Connection

Birthday parties are testament to the importance of relationships in our lives. The party host cares enough about the celebrant to organize the event. Each and every guest who attends?  Out of everything else they could be doing right now, they've chosen to help you celebrate your birthday. 

A fun and easy way to  connect people at a dinner party in honor of someone's birthday is to slide slips of paper with trivia questions about the birthday person under each person's place setting. 

MAKE YOUR WIFE'S 50TH BIRTHDAY AWESOME

Whether your wife or girlfriend is celebrating turning 50 (or any other year) or if  it's your husband, nephew, best friend or neighbor who has a birthday coming up, hosting a wonderful birthday party involves a great deal of effort and expense.

It's nice to know we can increase our odds of having an amazing event that entertains AND is unforgettable.

This post was a companion piece to Ask this One Question to Make Your Birthday Party Memorable.

If you know someone turning 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80, you might enjoy our Ultimate Guide to Milestone Birthdays.