Gone are the days when birthdays meant humble gifts and a colourful cake, big bear hugs and blessings from the elders. Be it infants or young adults, their birthday parties are getting bigger and are also rolling out in various themes.
From themes of heroes to the deep blue oceans, the parties have seen it all now, with lavish activities involved not just for the young guests but also their parents.
Nisha Agarwal, mother of young Ayaan, says that her son wanted a themed party for his fifth birthday and that’s when she approached an event management company for the same. “We worked on the ‘Superheroes’ theme. Ayaan is a big fan of Superman and Batman and I wanted to make sure that his special day had all that he wanted,” she says.
From the invite, which looked like a magazine that was created by her, to the different games; the party had just everything to fit the theme.
“There were games like snakes and ladders, a magic show, a joker who did balloon art and an emcee who kept the kids busy with back-to-back games along with sumptuous food. We got this organised in the clubhouse and the badminton court of the apartment where we stay in.”
The event included around 80 kids and a total of around Rs 2 lakh was spent on the party. “I indulged in humble return-gifts, but the event had a lot for everyone to take back home. The elaborate cake, the games and everything that was included in the event was grand and worth it,” she says excitedly.
Many who have extended families around like Sonam Poddar Hisharia, a wedding consultant and mother to one-year-old Attharv, says that she tried her best to make Attharv’s day special in a ‘Circus Carnival’ theme. “Since his grandparents were also around, they wanted him to feel welcome. There were many rides and events in the theme and the party was documented well,” narrates Sonam.
The event was held at Palace Grounds. “I’m sure it will be cherished for a long while,” adds Sonam.
Preeti Maneesh, an entrepreneur who likes a personal touch in anything which is meant for the family, organised an underwater theme party for her daughter Aanya’s birthday.
“From the welcome mocktails that were blue in colour to the dress code which was blue, everything was matched accordingly. I only outsourced the cake and the decor which comprised balloons in shapes of underwater creatures like dolphins, octopus and starfish,” she details.
She says that one has control over things when organising something by themselves. “Also, the amount of money involved when the event is organised by an event management company can be shocking,” she says.
She adds that the joy of making things on such an occasion is another add-on. “Though we kept the party simple otherwise, I took care of the smallest details like making return gifts in the same theme that were made from seashells.”
Others parents like Bindiya Shah, mother of six-year-old Ishan, believes that a birthday party should be more about fun and less about the budget. “I got a superhero birthday party organised for him. Even the parents had to come in superhero costumes, where they either wore masks, t-shirts or capes. Some even came in elaborate costumes or with outfits that had logos of the superhero. We had activities like the best dressed person, quizzes on superhero movie series like Superman and Spiderman and games like musical chairs,” she says.
Bindiya says that she conducted the event herself as that made it more special. “Since I am into corporate gifting and have an events partner, we got things like the invitations sorted out.”
She recollects that the event which was held at KydzAdda didn’t cost a lot unlike many other events. “I would rather contribute a good amount of money to NGOs that I’m involved with, rather than spending a big amount of money over nothing.”
She points out that most parents who have an only child feel that landmark birthdays like the fifth one and the tenth one are special and they don’t mind spending a lot.
