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My dad just celebrated a milestone birthday: the big 7-0. His 70th birthday party was so fun, as it was a reason for my siblings, nieces, and nephews to come from afar to celebrate together. Great family memories were made, lots of delicious Puerto Rican food was cooked and eaten, and there were plenty of laughs. Being the family’s resident party planner and DIYer, I happily took on the reigns for planning my dad’s 70th birthday party. It was a fun challenge to come up with ideas for a 70th birthday party!
One of thing about planning a 70th birthday party was that it gave me the opportunity to plan a party that did not involve Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs, or Lightning McQueen. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting into the kids’ party themes… but it was fun to have some different inspiration in the form of a 70th birthday party theme with all sorts of cool ideas for a 70th birthday bash! I am pleased to report that the party was a success, and now, I am happy to share these 70th birthday party ideas with you!
My dad’s 70th birthday party theme ideas
I found lots of milestone birthday ideas for women on Pinterest, but not as many geared for 70th birthday ideas for dad. I wanted something classy and timeless like my papá, with a gender-neutral theme. The party color and pattern scheme I chose was black, white, gray, and chevron. We also incorporated a lot of my dad’s personal history throughout the party with old photos. Click here to see my planning inspiration board for this party on Pinterest.
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The party save-the-date card set the tone for the 70th birthday party theme using a baby and current photo of the birthday boy while also introducing some of the party colors.
The 70th birthday party invitation I made incorporated photos from throughout his life and introduced more of the party color and pattern schemes. As another idea, you can also make a fun digital birthday invitation.
70th birthday party décor ideas
Here is one of the primary 70th birthday party décor pieces from the party. I collected photos from throughout his life and printed them all in black and white (even the newer photos) for aesthetic purposes. I made two large collages out of these images, both shaped like the number “70.” I hung black and white paper fans from the ceiling above them.
Here is the second of the two “70” photo collages, along with a chalkboard sign (close-up of the sign below). This was such a fun and visual 70th birthday party idea that I made an extra one with some additional photos that I had.
Another 70th birthday idea: Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest and using a chalkboard from Target, I made this sign with some facts about life in 1944 – the year my dad was born. Chalkboards and white chalk tied in the party color scheme and was something I could use in varying ways throughout the party.
Using thesebudget-friendly 8.5″x11″Nyttjaframes from Ikea, I made seven signs that bulleted out some highlights of each of the seven decades of my father’s life as an idea for his 70th birthday party.
My niece found a beautiful cake for the occasion that was decorated simply with gray ombre chevron stripes. This was a great 70th birthday idea for dad, as the simple chevron pattern and color scheme are gender-neutral.
To carry our 70th birthday theme ideas, we used gray plates and utensils, along with chevron pattern napkins and cups.
70th birthday party décor idea: photo centerpieces. The flowers were a steal from Trader Joe’s. The vases were simple cube vases from Michael’s to which I attached black and white photos. The face of the vases were 4″x6″ – a perfect size for a photo.
70th birthday party favor ideas
For the 70th birthday party favors, I used plain white favor bags with a label I created on the front (using the party’s chevron scheme). The bags were filled with items that represent my dad (“Ray’s Favorite Things;” see below). As you can see, I used chalkboards for signs throughout the party (all purchased from Target).
Since my dad loves chocolate (who doesn’t?) I ordered these customizable Hershey Kiss labels from Etsyfor another 70th birthday party favor idea that matched the party scheme.
Since vintage photos became such a big part of the 70th birthday party décor, I also included them in an edible giveaway. I founda great deal on custom photo cookies from Sweet Express Images (located in Colorado but will ship them fresh in time for your party).
The party favor bags (“Ray’s Favorite Things”) included a mini bottle of Bacardi Puerto Rican Rum (see below for the customized label I made), some of my dad’s signature Magic Mix seasoning, a United States Air Force decal purchased from this eBay seller, an Oregon Ducks sticker, a New York Yankees pen purchased from this eBay seller, and an individual serving of Café Bustelo.
70th birthday ideas: Give everyone a sample of dad’s favorite drink! I made these mini bottles of Bacardi myself using these empty bottles purchased from Amazon. I created a custom Bacardi label using my dad’s name and age and printed them on 2″x4″ Avery printable labels. This size labelfit the bottle perfectly and were a cute DIY touch for the party favors (for the adults only, obviously).
70th birthday party activity ideas
Another piece of our 70th birthday party décor was also a great interactive party activity. I created a large poster mounted on foam core with 70 empty speech bubbles. Guests had to add things they love about my dad so that he had this great party keepsake with lots of sweet sentiments from the party guests.
Overall my dad had a great 70th birthday party! Though a party’s success is really due to the company… the different 70th birthday party ideas and décor scheme may have been icing on the cake (pun intended), but the memories came from all of the love from the people in the room celebrating with him.
Don’t forget to follow @fabeverydayon Pinterest,and share and pin these ideas if you are inspired for a milestone birthday party you are planning!
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