When you think of a retirement party, do images of cake and someone receiving a gold watch come to mind?

Not that there’s anything wrong with cake and gifts, but a retirement party can be much more than that. It’s a chance to celebrate a major life event, a transition from one chapter to another.

These parties also allow people to tell a retiring guest of honor how much he or she means to them. And, retirement parties provide a way to spotlight the impact the retiree has made, whether it was through the work they did or by being a source of encouragement for co-workers.

If you’re going to be throwing a retirement party soon, we have some suggestions that can help you make your event truly memorable for the person you’re honoring and their guests.

1. Have a theme. Pick something meaningful to your guest of honor, whether it’s a favorite college football team, a passion for the environment, or their plans to restore classic cars during their retirement years. You could decorate with memorabilia from their career or hobbies, create a playlist featuring their favorite musical artists, or serve food and drinks inspired by their interests. For example, if they love to travel, transform the party space into a tropical destination or European city they've always wanted to visit, with related decor, music, and cuisine.

2. Back to that cake…Try Something Creative. You can work with a cake artist to design something that refers to the retiree’s career, like a chalkboard design for a retiring educator. Or, go with a cake that looks like a globe to wish the retiree happy travels. Greetingsisland.com points out that you can even have a sand castle with edible sand to suggest carefree days relaxing at the beach.

3. Encourage toasts and speeches. Invite a few special people—close colleagues, managers, family, or anyone else with positive stories to present—to give a prepared speech. Follow up with an invitation for guests to come up and share a special memory or favorite story.

4. Display photos. Try to round up photos of the guest of honor of the years. You don’t have to limit yourself to work pictures—shots from childhood or on their own time are great, too. Arrange the photos where guests can see them or present a video compilation.

5. Have a video booth. Ask guests to record video messages with memories, jokes, and well-wishes for the retiree, and have them compiled. A photo booth is another great way to infuse fun and special memories into the party.

6. Get creative and have a costume party. Going outside of the traditional retirement party box with something fun, creative, and even silly, can make the celebration more enjoyable for the honoree and the guests. One way to accomplish that is a costume party. You can tie costumes in with your overall party theme or with something else that’s important to the retiree, maybe a favorite movie, hobby, or music genre.

7. Play games. This is, after all, a celebration. Retirely.com suggests such games as Name That Tune or a Trivia Game. Another possibility is a game called Two Truths and a Lie: Participants make three statements about themselves, only two of which are true, and players have to guess which is the fib. You also can rent games like corn hole or a giant Connect Four set. Or, could also set up classic lawn games like horseshoes, bocce ball, or croquet. The important thing is to choose games the guest of honor will enjoy and that will encourage conversation and celebration with all the party guests."

8. Pass Around an Autograph Book. Do you remember having people sign your autograph book or yearbook? Why not do something similar for the retiree? The exception here is they won’t have to ask people to sign; you can do that for them. In the end, they’ll have a keepsake filled with touching and funny messages.

9. …Or, have people sign a photo album. In your invitations, ask guests to bring photos of themselves with the retiree, or their favorite pictures of the guest of honor, to the party. At the celebration, they can add their photo(s) to an album and sign near it.

10. Create a Bucket List: Ask co-workers to suggest experiences, activities, travel spots, and other ideas for things they can enjoy after retirement—the more creative the better—and present them as a gift at the party.

11. Make a retirement playlist. You have a surprisingly large selection of songs to consider. If you’d like to work in humorous touches, go with “Work is Overrated” by Chicago Skinny or “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles. You also can weave in songs that point to a relaxing or satisfying retirement like “Vacation” by the Go-Gos and “Come Sail Away” by Styx.

12. Make a video of the party. The retiree and their loved ones will want to return to this day and the moments of appreciation, respect, and affection expressed by guests.

The Bell Tower on 34th is a purpose-built wedding and event venue with spaces for indoor and outdoor celebrations.

Our Houston venue, with full event-planning services, is in the Garden Oaks Neighborhood, near the Heights area and close to downtown.

Contact us to learn more about our venue.