40th Birthday Party Idea: Oh No! The Big 4-0

  Well, it’s better than OVER THE HILL…no?  I’ve always hated that theme… must be my age.  In any event, this could be a really fun party with everything being BIG BIG BIG or big, bigger and biggest!

Oh No! The Big 4-0 Invitations
The 40th is a BIG birthday, so make sure you send a great invitation.
  • 40th Birthday Invitations - Our most popular milestone birthday invitations... lots of designs to choose from!
  • Ticket Invitations - A unique way to invite everyone to the hottest event of the year!
  • Over The Hill Birthday Invitation - Put a 40 on the tombstone while a vulture looks down in your party info... very fun for any Over the Hill party!
  • Caricature Invitation - A caricature invitation not only creates a great piece of art you can use several times during your event but it will also let you feature hobbies and character traits that can help theme your party. This is a completely custom invite, the only limit is your imagination!
Here is some fun wording ideas for a 40th birthday invitation:
  • Oh-no, the big 4-0! Say it isn't so...
  • Jill is 40 and Fabulous! Join us as we celebrate her birthday.
  • Katie said "A 40th Birthday Party? No way!", but we decided to have one anyway! 
  • Lordy Lordy, Carl made it to 40! Let's celebrate!
  • Help Nancy celebrate her 29th birthday... for the 11th time!
You can add a little fun to whatever invite you choose with 40th birthday confetti sprinkled in the envelope.
 
Oh No! The Big 4-0 Decorations 
Make this party all about the birthday boy or girl. Create a memory table with pictures and mementoes from their life. Add a little sign that reads "In honor of your 40th birthday, let's take a stroll down memory lane (in case you can't remember where to find it!) You can display everything on the table in frames or on a presentation board. Or, You can also take a colored table cloth and put a clear one over it... in between put pictures of the birthday boy or girl throughout the years. The clear table cloth keeps everything from getting messy!
 
This is also a great place for a sign in. Have guests leave birthday wishes or share funny memories. There are many fun ways to set up a sign in:
  • A nice journal that guests can write a message in or share a memory.
  • A framed picture with a white matte that guests can sign with smudge free markers.
  • A plain tshirt, apron, or other cloth item that every helps decorate/sign with fabric markers.
  • Postcards that guests can write a note on... mail them to the guest of honor throughout the year.
  • Create a scrapbook and leave blank spaces for guests to fill in.
From the ceiling in the foyer or at the entrance (or wherever you would like for that matter), hang 40th birthday decorations so no one forgets what milestone you’re celebrating.  Decorations that hang from the ceiling will give you a lot of bang for your buck. Here are a few that we really like - Scatter “40” confetti on all flat surfaces (don’t forget the bathroom). And to really make a BIG SPLASH…use “40” candles that come on picks to put in plants and whatever else will hold them.  Everyone will get a kick out of finding them around the room.

If you want BIG impact, and it's in your budget, hire a company to light up your party.  They can spotlight tables, up-light the walls in different colors and even project the guest of honor's name or big 40s on the wall and onto ceiling.

Oh No! The Big 4-0 Table Decorations and menu
Create fun balloon bouquets with 40th birthday light up balloons as bright and fun centerpieces for your party. The bigger, the better for this party! Remember, always use an odd number when creating a balloon bouquet!  At the base of the balloons, place framed photos of the celebrant.

Having a lot of tables?  Then make OH NO…BIG 40 cakes for each as a centerpiece and have the balloons we mentioned above coming out of the center.  Balloon weights for the cake are available at any balloon store in your neighborhood.  A small tiered cake would look fabulous on the tables or a larger version works on the buffet.  Here is a fun 40th birthday cake from About The Cake in Cleveland.

Giant “40” confetti is available at many craft or party stores or you can cut them out yourself.  As well, you probably can find chocolate 40’s (or any age) at your local candy store.  At each place put out a custom cookie with a photo of birthday boy or girl and "Oh No!  The Big 4-0!"  - they make a great personalized party favor.

And, instead of plain votive candles choose personalized mini tabletop lanterns with a photo of the birthday boy or girl on all four sides.  Consider using LED candles because they are safer and look great surrounding a centerpiece.   
 
Set out 40th birthday paper goods for your guests (no dishes!) and lay out a buffet that features the guest of honor's favorite foods. Does she love corned beef and sauerkraut? Indulge her! Or maybe he is a burger buff? Then hamburgers with all the fixings you could want it is!

You should also give the table a few touches that fit the personality of the special 40 year old. Candy comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes these days: footballs, soccer balls, hearts, etc. You can find something that fits! You can leave it in small dishes on the tables or sprinkle it like confetti!

Oh No! The Big 4-0 Party Favors
You must give everyone a BIG thank you for coming, right?  Edible favors are a great way to go, here are some custom options -
 
Oh No! You're going to have a great party!