help me plan a retirement party my sister will never forget...

[hmwnick]

After 35+ years my sister is retiring from the nursing profession & I'd like to throw a retirement party for her.

We have always been close (eventhough we are 17 years apart) & since our mom passed away 7 years ago she has been like a mom to me! I want it to be a surprise but I need help w/ ideas or ways to celebrate. I've never planned a retirement party before.

You guys always come through for me so let me hear from you !!
Thanks in advance!

 

[monkeyboy]

kegs and strippers



Oh sorry that is HS grad parties

 

[hookedondizney]

I planned my first party last year and it was a retirement party! Here is what I did......I got a list of all her co-workers names and address' (this was something that she had to give me) So, that means it was not a surprise although, what I planned for her was. I asked some people to bring finger foods because this was a party at 2pm an I didn't want to put a lot of $$ into food. I decorated each table with paper table cloths and retirement confetti sprinkled on it that I could only find on ebay because local stores stopped carrying it. I have some stuff if you are interested. Then I put glass dishes (which i found in the candle area at local walmart) in the center of each table with water and floating candles. I got retirement balloons (from ebay also) and bunched them together and placed them in the center of the table too. I had her daughter give me pics of her when she was young and made copies of them and put one really good one on the front of the laminated book titled "mary's retirement wishes" The wishes were from all friends and family that I got from an email account I set up for her at yahoo called something like marysretirementwishes ( I added this in the invitations) so that everyone could email them and I could type them out and make a book. I took it to kinko's and had them make it with the front cover and back cover laminated and then they bound the pages together with a sprial thing. On each page I put at least 2 peoples wishes on it then I added some extra blank pages to it so anyone who didn't have access to the email could sign it at the party. Since I have access to free framing (thanks to my mothers business) I got a large matte and had everyone sign it and I put a collage of pictures from work associates in it. We work in the healthcare field also and as years went by they had a photo album with old pictures of everyone as well as new ones. Kinda of an on going photo book we do in our department. It was really nice after it was framed. I just put it on a separate table with a small folded in half paper with the directions to "sign your name" and the special pen. I also had a "money tree" on another table. (3 tables for things people could participate in retirement book, picture frame, and the money tree. Also each table had a floral arrangement on it to decorate it. I got these bunches of flowers at my local Sam's club floral dept.) This was the green cone shaped foam I got at my local Michaels store. I took a wooden dowel and pushed it into the bottom of the foam then added another circle foam to the bottom of it and then shoved it into a teracotta pot. I painted the pot green and added some moss around the inside of the pot so you couldn't see the circle foam piece holding up the tree. I had some $1.00 bills I started with (I rolled the ends of the money to give it a curled look) and attached them with pins that have the little ball thing on the tip so no one would hurt their fingers when attaching the money to it. People attached all kinds of bills to it and she got several hundred dollars off of it. Everyone thought this was such a cool idea!
This was my first party! It took a while to plan this thing. Everyone was amazed at what I had planned. Believe me, I racked my brain for hours about this party. Luckily it turned out to be something great and she still talks about it to everyone. Funny thing, now others that are on the retirement list want me to plan their party! WRONG! I don't have the time to do it for everyone. My friends didn't want me to foot the bills so a few pitched in a 100.00 to help. I probably spent about 600.00. This is including the rental of a beautiful historical bldg for the party. It was the cheapest I could find. I also had a large cake made and had it on another table with retirement paper plates! After the party I uploaded the pictures to a site and had them made into a photo book I had sent to her. She loved it!
Hope this helps. If you want to see some pics let me know. PM me your email address and I will send them to you.
Good luck!
Rebecca

 

[hmwnick]

keep the great tips coming!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nativetxn]

I'm not going to offer advice. I know you must be so proud of your sister. My mother was an RN for 56 years and never retired. I was so proud of her and I miss her everyday.

Katholyn

 

[barbeml]

I'm an event planner by profession and could offer some suggestions, but need some info:

Budget?
Time of day?
Location? (Private home, restaurant, banquet dacility?)
Number and "mix" of guests? (family, friends, colleagues?)
Does she have a sense of humor or does she shy away from being the center of attention?

The most successful retirement events I have been part of have been good-natured "roasts," where friends & associates (& some family) share humorous work-related memories & some gentle ribbing of the honoree.

Since she is a nurse, you might ask people to offer "prescriptions" for a happy retirement--perhaps make up some oversized mock prescription blanks and have people fill them in (legibly, of course!) and then compile them into a keepsake book for her. Reading them out loud could be part of the fun at the event.

You could use the nursing theme for party decor, and favors could be colorful "pills" -- custom M&Ms in her favorite colors.

 

[hmwnick]

Barbelm...here is some info

budget is somewhat limited
time: evening (her last day is also her birthday)
private home
30-40 guests friends, family, colleagues
she has a sense of humor but is also shy.

No one has ever done anything like this for her.

I really appreciate your help!

Rebecca

 

[barbeml]

With 30-40 guests, a limited budget and a shy honoree, I would suggest a "mingling" affair with a heavy hors d'oeuvres buffet and a limited bar. I have a tiny townhome and have done this kind of party for 30-40 many times.

When planning food & drink, consider what her tastes & preferences are so that you will be sure to have some of her favorites.

Pull the chairs away from your main dining table and arrange an assortment of hot, cold & room temp foods, festive paper plates, utensils, etc. I try to keep it all simple finger foods that can be prepped ahead, such as crostini & veggies with several dips/spreads, feta & tapenade tarlets, tea sandwiches, fruit/cheeses/crackers, hummus & flat bread, etc. For hot selections, BJs & other Clubs have some first-rate and very affordable frozen goodies that you heat and eat, such as tacquitos & spinach pie (these always go fast). A spiral ham or smoked turkey breast makes a nice carving staion with mini rolls & condiments.

For drinks, you could do a wine punch or sangria, along with beer, wine & soda as your tastes & budget allow.

Since she is a bit shy, perhaps it would be best to assemble whatever keepsake you plan to give her (a book of photos & memories from colleagues) ahead of time and simply make the presentation and a few toasts at the event. Make sure to take plenty of pictures at the party so that you can add prints to the keepsake after the event.

Good luck!

Barbe

 

[Missy1961]

Maybe you can ask each of the attendees for a special memory of your sister. Have them write them and give you any pictures, etc. they may have to go along with their stories. Perhaps a funny or sweet story of something that happened on the job. We recently had a surprise 40th birthday party for my sister and my younger sister sent all of the invitees 2 index cards & a stamped self addressed envelope. Then she took all the stories, photos, etc. and assembled them into a memory book for my sister. Now my sister has a wonderful book to remember her great party and her life.

When we had the party for her, it was 60 people (friends & family) in another sister's house. We did simple foods--cheese, crackers, pepperoni, veggies & dip, chips & dip, pigs in the blanket (we made them ourselves, but you can buy them premade). We just did sodas, juices for the kids, and beer. We also had buffett style dinner.

I recommend doing as much of your shopping in BJ's, Costco or Sam's. The prices there can't be beat for all your food needs.

Oh, and have fun! Congrats to your sister!