by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: October 25, 2007

Surprise parties are a great way to celebrate any event! Surprise parties are usually held for a guest (or guests) of honor and are organized in secret to ensure that he or she is truly surprised by a collection of friends and family members gathering to celebrate them or an important event in their lives. Like any other event, however, hosting a successful surprise party requires a great deal of organization, coordination, and preparation. So, if you're looking to host a spectacular cocktail party, keep the following tips in mind.

SURPRISE!
Without the surprise element, a surprise party would be, well, just a party. That being said, the most important part of any successful surprise party is, of course, a successful surprise. Because this is the main feature of your party, you must ensure that all pre-party discussion, organization, and preparation are highly top-secret.

Additionally, you'll want to start brainstorming clever ways to get the guest of honor to the party venue. If you're hosting the surprise party at home, find ways to ensure that they will be kept out of the house and away from the party until everyone is in place and ready to "Surprise!" This is arguably the hardest part of throwing a surprise party, so hunker down and get creative! You want to be sure that your guest of honor is truly shocked!

GUESTS
Decide early in your planning how many people you are going to invite. Make a list of your guests and purchase your invitations. If you send out paper invitations, be sure to include a line letting your guests know that the party will be a surprise and that the honorary guest should not be given any hints or information regarding the event.

RSVPs for surprise parties, however, can be a little difficult, particularly if you are attempting to host the surprise bash for someone living in your home. Even if your surprise party is a formal event, ask guests to RSVP via telephone so that your suprisee is not tipped off by an influx of envelopes in your mailbox. For more casual events, a great alternative is www.Evite.com, which allows you to invite guests through their e-mail addresses. This website also facilitates the RSVP process as all confirmed and declined invitations are processed online, with NO paper trails!

Although you may be a stellar secret-keeper when it comes to hosting the surprise party, some of your guests may not be as tight-lipped. If you plan on inviting people who have reputations for big mouths and blowing surprises, be sure that you

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