Retirement Party | Help Me Host It | Party Ideas, themes, tips and more.

Planning

A Retirement Party is akin to a wedding - it's a very personal, once in a lifetime celebration of an individual's accomplishments and achievements as well as the acknowledgement of a lifetime invested in professional success. But it's easy to forget that a Retirement Party also celebrates new beginnings - whether your Guest of Honor is starting a new career, or a life of leisure. This is a party that should acknowledge the individual - brag, toot horns, engage town criers to shout from every corner that your friend or loved one was amazing at what they did, and will be amazing at what they will do. This is truly the most personal celebration of an individual that you will have.

What is your "Party Picture"?

When planning a Retirement Party, there are several unique considerations:

What job or career is the Guest of Honor retiring from?
What will he or she be doing when they retire?
As a Lifetime Event, this event may be larger and more formal than you usually host.

What ambience are you looking for? Will this be formal, informal, quirky, traditional, dance into the night, or quiet conversation?
How much have you budgeted for the event? Consider decorations, food, drinks, rentals, entertainment, activities, favors, photography...
How much help and support will you have from friends, family? Will you be hiring professionals to take on some of the responsibility such as catering, planning, photography?

Delegate, delegate, delegate. The less any one person is responsible for (especially YOU)the more everyone can enjoy the event!

How many people are you intending to invite/do you expect to attend? (Remember, these two numbers can be very different - be realistic in attendance estimates)

*A Retirement Party will typically include guests that are friends and family, but also "work friends" that may not normally be included in more personal events.

What time of year, week, day will your Retirement Party be? Are there any conflicts that will limit your event (such as holidays)?

$$ If budget is a constraint, consider alternate times of the week or times of the day. Discuss with your venue and professionals.

How much time do you have to put your event together?

Picture it! - Take pictures! Print them! Share them!

A Retirement Party is a once in a lifetime celebration, so capturing the moment is critical. The guests that attended, the Retiree's expressions and emotions, even the set up of the room are all things that will make their way into a scrapbook or album.
Have a plan in place before the Retirement Party begins to ensure that the photos and video that you want happen, and that you (or your designated "photographer") are inconvenienced as little as possible while trying to snap those perfect shots.
Consider hiring a photographer. A simple event that lasts a few hours is not going to be the same price tag as an elaborate wedding, with before, during and after photos and hundreds of prints. Bring in a photographer for an hour or two to capture the big stuff and the guests, and the costs will be drastically less! Most people only retire once, so this might be the occasion to take your photography up a notch.
If cost is an issue, consider replacing your annual pose with a professional photographer for your Retirement Party and using an amazing candid as that year's picture. These photos would also be great holiday gifts - what better gift than a framed professionally taken photo of your guests as a gift for them! This may offset the expense.
Disposable cameras allow your guests to shoot candids - moments you wouldn't have gotten yourself.
Designate a couple of guests as photographers, but make sure you meet all of their needs throughout the event as their duties will limit the opportunities to enjoy the party.

Theme

Creating a Sense of Cohesiveness and having a little FUN.

A party doesn't have to have a theme, however, a theme provide inspiration and cohesiveness that evidences attention to details.
The theme begins at your invitation and continues through in venue, decorations, tablescape, music, food, drinks, even your activities and entertainment.
The Retirement itself may drive the Theme -

What career is the Guest of Honor is ending?
What is the Guest of Honor going to spend the next couple of decades doing professionally or recreationally?

Or you can work with Retiree's personality and interests -

What hobbies will they have more time to pursue - Golf, Tennis, Gardening, Travel, Art, Woodworking????
What adventures or "someday I will…."s are on there list of "have time for now…"?

Remember, celebrating the new beginning is as important as celebrating the end of the career.
The key is to select a theme that fits the Retiree and the guests you expect to attend.
Once you've selected a theme that inspires you, consider all five of your senses. Find ways to invoke the theme in each of the senses, allowing the guests to immerse themselves in the moment, shedding the every day for the mood you are creating. Whether it's a the spicy, colorful, hot tempo of a fiesta or the relaxing, mouth tantalizing, of a wine tasting - invoke each of the senses. The food, the décor, the sounds of your party should all play a role.
Research your theme to find inspiration. Try a search for the country, hobby, event, etc. that is the basis for your Theme.

Venue

A Retirement Party is unique only in the fact that it will probably be larger and include a wider variety of people than you would usually host. Friends from work, business peers and acquaintances are typically added to the normal friends and family you entertain for. A larger capacity venue, and possibly a more formal venue may be appropriate.
What is your "Party Picture"? Is the venue you are considering going to work with it?

Options may include: your home, your backyard (open or tented), a restaurant, a hotel, a rented house, a park, or an event based venue such as the zoo, bowling alley, or a museum.

$$ Having a party at home can boost your budget, but it also requires more effort on your part - consider price comparing offsite and onsite options, you may be surprised how little you actually save when you factor in the cost of food, decorations, rentals, and how much effort you are able to delegate to venue staff that will allow you to enjoy your own party!
How many guests do you expect to attend?

Offsite options will let you know capacity maximums and minimums
When entertaining at home consider - REALLY consider how many guests your home can comfortably accommodate. Consider how you can open your primary rooms to maximize space, or can expand into your outdoor space. However, don't fall into the common pitfall of overestimating the actual capacity of their home.

Does your venue work with your theme?

When working with an offsite venue, often your venue can actually drive your theme, such as an ethnic styled restaurant.

Invites

Invitations are the first impression of your Retirement Party. They set the mood and provide a tantalizing peek into what you are planning, sparking your party mojo.
They also serve a practical purpose, providing the following information:

We are celebrating the Retirement of _______________
Time of Party
Location of Party
Party details such as meal served, it's s surprise, or dress requirements

Invitations go out 2 to 4 weeks before your event, however, it never hurts to send out a "save the date" notice earlier to ensure that your guests have a clear calendar!
Party details are going to be key for a Retirement Party. You can use this opportunity to invite guests to send you stories and pictures highlighting your Guest of Honor's career. These can be used in the décor for the party and for a montage/slide show/power point if you choose to do one. This immediately promotes active guest involvement and makes them part of the celebration from the start.
How formal does your Party Picture require your invitations need to be?

Printed - all the bells and whistles
Printed - basics
Printed (and designed) at home with invitation software

A Retirement Party is the type of event that calls for a personalized invitation. Perhaps a picture of the Guest of Honor at the start of their career or highlight an event or special day during the course of the career. You can use several and make a montage… Again, highlight the individual, the career, and the successes.

Prepackaged with details filled in
Treeless invitations sent by e-mail

Include a link to your Party Page with party details, directions, and RSVP information.
Have a system to track RSVPs

RSVP Tracker on your Party Page
Notebook by your phone
RSVP Cards

Send a "Party Reminder" a week or two before the event - this will provide an e-mail version of your party details and directions in case your guest loses the original copy.
Thank you cards can coordinate with the invitations or the Theme. You can also take your favorite party photo and personalize your thank you card.

DressItUp

Decorations - A couple of balloons or the whole enchilada, it's up to you!

What do you need for your venue to fit your Party Picture?
Get inspired from your Theme! What brings your Theme to life? How can you inject the details into the décor and tablescape?
Little touches can have big impact, so think it through and remember the fine details as well as the large strokes.
Select three or four colors that you will primarily be working with - this defines your color scheme.
Walls, furniture, lighting, centerpieces, linens, chair backs, tablescapes (see below), even the ceiling and floor can all work into your decorations. No surface is off limits when it comes to decorating!
Don't forget to incorporate your food, beverages, and even your entertainment into your decor.

Tablescapes - Your tables are your prime real estate, maximize the effect!

Presentation is key in entertaining, and the table is the frame for the refreshments and meals that you will serve. Make HOW you serve as important as WHAT you serve.
Not only are the tables the primary presentation for the refreshments, but they are also the focal point in the room.
Determine how your tables will be arranged - served meal, buffet meal, light appetizers… one long table, several smaller tables - start by building the design.
The obvious starting point is the centerpiece, however, also consider the linens, place settings, crystal, place cards, napkin presentation, and even chair accoutrements.
Functionality! Consider your guests when dressing your table. A large centerpiece will either be a visual obstacle, or, will be removed and therefore a waste of resources. Keep it low, or keep it high if guests will need to see each other across the table!
Place settings and crystal will depend on the type of event you are having. From the finest china to high quality plastic ware - it depends on what your party picture is.
Because a Retirement Party is designed to celebrate the accomplishments of an individual, keep this in mind when planning all of the decorations, including the tablescape. There are a number of ways to inject some personalization into the décor:

Place cards can be pictures of the Retiree with each of the guests
The tablecloth itself or place mats can be covered in copies of awards, certificates, pictures in a collage allowing guests to read about your Guest of Honor's accomplishments and successes
The centerpiece can have small pictures of the Retiree in clips stuck in and around the foliage
Each place setting can include a piece of card stock for the guests to write a personal note or a story about the Retiree to be included in a keepsake book memorializing the celebration
Consider what's available to you, with the career of the Retiree and what he or she will continue on to do and have fun with it!

Finally, remember your FOOD. Food, beautifully presented, is the reason d'etre for your tablescape to begin with. Remember that your food should play a role in the design of the space.

Food/Drink

Refreshments - The heart of the party, amusingly, is the stomach!

What time of day will your event be and how long will it last? This will determine how much food you need to serve. Can you get away with light hors d'oeuvres and snacks or do you need a full meal? Or, if your event lasts long enough, do you need both?
If serving a meal, how will you serve it?

Formal seating - limits guests to a selected meal and is typically more expensive when catered.
Family style - dishes are served as they would be at home, allowing guests to select what they want while at the table. This is less formal but more personal than buffet.
Buffet - Allows guests to mingle while they eat, adds variety to the meal selection, and guests can graze throughout the event, reducing rigidity of schedule.

If the event is not at a venue where food is served (hosting at home), the question to ask is, can you cook?? And, more importantly, DO YOU WANT TO? Preparing and serving the food is incredibly time consuming and can severely limit your ability to enjoy your own party. Consider several options:

Make ahead dishes that only require reheating or mild prep work.
Have the event catered (compare costs if you are cooking as a way to budget boost - you may be surprised how similar the costs are for the amount of effort you save!)
Have it catered and pick up (less expensive for a Budget Boost) and hire some local teens to help serve or stick to a buffet.

Have a plan to keep everything hot, or cold, as necessary.
Try to avoid dishes that a portion (15-20%) of your guests won't like. If you know of any special issues, try to have an alternative that will accommodate.
Plan out beverages. Use the Drink Calculator to determine how to allocate nonalcoholic, beer, wine and bar drinks.
Consider a couple of "signature drinks" to simplify the bar - personalize it for your Retiree!

Designate two or three signature drinks and name them in a way to honor your Guest of Honor. Get creative and have a little fun!
Print out the recipe card for the drinks for guests to take home and create in their own kitchens.

Have a plan for guests who consume too much - the safety of everyone depends on it.
Refreshments can fit your Theme!

FunStuff

Entertainment - When you want more than just your stereo…

What's your Party Picture, and what's your budget??
There is virtually NEVER a time when people say "ooh, great, a slide show…." but a Retirement Party can be an exception. Get together a group of people who are entertaining (but appropriate) and task them to put together a montage of the Guest of Honor's Career.

INVOLVE the GUEST OF HONOR. This should not be a surprise, as the Guest of Honor is the one most likely to know the achievements and stories they find most important!!! You can add in pictures and stories supplied by others that will make elements of the show surprising, but don't keep your Retiree in the dark!
Chronicle their career from High School on - include funny personal and professional moments, achievements, and simple friendships that have developed along the way. Max it out at about 20 minutes and keep it lively and fun.

Consider your Theme - is there a specific type of entertainment that would compliment it?
DJ's, musicians, palm readers, celebrity impersonators, dancers, bands, acrobats, clowns, the possibilities are endless. Explore what's available and get a couple of quotes, it may not be as expensive as you might think to make your event even more memorable.

Activities - Get people talking!

Even adults can be shy. Help your wallflowers by giving them ways to approach other guests and enjoy your party. Don't be afraid to get a little silly - even if the guests are laughing at you, they are still laughing together.
Activities can add to your Retiree's celebration. Consider simple things that will get people talking, laughing, and contributing memories to this occasion. Simple examples include:

A bar where guests mix their own drinks, and come up with creative fun drink names that honor the Retiree. Named drinks can be documented in a "No More Monday Mornings" bartenders guide.
Put together a picture book with pictures of the Retiree throughout his or her life with places to write around it. Let guests jot down their guesses as to what has occurred in the picture. The most creative gets a prize at the end.
A quiz for your guests for how well they know the Retiree and his or her career. Have fun with the questions and let the guests have them for the first half of they party. Then gather your guests together and have the Retiree answer the questions. The guest with the most correct would get a prize.
Have fun with prizes - put together packages that would apply to someone who doesn't have to go to work on Monday morning. A how to book for Golf, a tour guide to Jamaica, etc.
Hand out index cards and have guests write the most outlandish thing they would do if they were retiring and had unlimited funds. They should include their name on the card and then the cards can be put in a book, or, to add to the activity in a smaller party, guests can try to guess who wrote what wish.

When scheduling activities, begin with something simple and subtle that is an "ice breaker" while guests arrive. It gets your mojo flowing and avoids grouping of guests that may leave some folks on their own.
As your party progresses, you can rely on conversation, or you can plan something more formal.
There are many subtle activities, as well as "get together" games, or even cards. Check out the "Party Fun" page for activity ideas you can tailor to your event and theme. Remember, games and party activities are not just for children. You'd be surprised how quickly you can get adult guests to let loose a little and have some fun.

Prizes/Favors

A little something to remember your event by…

A party favor thanks your guest for spending the time with you and the Guest of Honor, and also provides a little reminder of the Retirement celebration.
Favors are NOT required - but it's an extra touch that shows attention to detail and gracious hosting. Consider the occasion, the Theme, and the group you brought together for inspiration.
Another alternative that is becoming popular is to put together a couple of prize baskets that the guests can play for throughout the event. Spark a little competition and have fun with the prizes.