If your friend’s birthday is around the corner and you’re not sure how to celebrate, you’re in the right place! We’re here with so much inspiration, from gift ideas to cheap celebrations and more expensive options if the budget is there. We’re sure that these things will make your friend feel special, so get ready to feel inspired. From cute gift hampers to jewelry, dinner parties to picnics in the park and spa days to cooking classes, no matter what your bestie enjoys doing, or the time/budget you have to plan it, we’re sure you’ll be in your friend's good books when you put together a few of these celebration ideas!
Gift Ideas Your Friend Would Love!
Little Hamper Filled With Favourites
First up, what better way to show your friend that you care than with a gift hamper? This is great as you can use it as an opportunity to put all of your friend’s favorite things in one place, and you can tailor it carefully to your budget. Start by getting yourself a basket that your friend can use again. You can find them in most gift shops or you could look in charity shops and find something a bit unique and also cheap.
From here, start picking their favorite things! From cheaper options like cute pyjamas, face masks, bath bombs, snacks and chocolate to more expensive things like perfume, makeup, or gymwear, simply make a list of your friend’s favorite things and have a fun time going around the shops to pick things for them! You could spend as little as £10 or as much as you want, but this is a thoughtful gift that will go a long way with your friend.
Get Crafty With a Photobook
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, create a photo book of the memories you have with your friend. Go through your photos and print off your photos, then get an empty scrapbook and start filling it! You could get a metallic pen and make little annotations about the memories, like dates, locations, and inside jokes. You can also leave some space for the memories you’re going to make in the future and maybe you could write a list with your bestie after you’ve given it to them of all the things you want to do and see, then gradually tick them off when you’re adding the new photos in! This is another cheap but thoughtful idea that is a great way to look back on how wonderful your friendship has been.
Jewellery Never Hurts
For a gift that your best friend can wear and love for a long time, jewellery is a great option. We’d recommend going for something like solid gold earrings or a sterling silver bracelet, as these materials will last for life, rather than tarnishing at all. You can get personalised ones, intricate designs, something more statement, or something that reminds you of memory together, like a sunflower necklace if you’ve visited a sunflower field, for example. There is so much scope here to choose something for your bestie, and again, it can be carefully suited to your budget.
Fill A Birthday Jar
Another great idea is to fill a jar with little pieces of paper, and on each one, write down something that you want to do together throughout the year. You could have three different colors of paper, one for free or very cheap activities, one for mid-priced activities, and then one for expensive activities you might do every few months. Then, whenever you want to do something, your best friend can pick something out of the jar, depending on how much you want to spend.
Cheap examples would be going for a hike or bike ride, having a home spa day, cooking together, having a movie night, driving to the beach, going to a museum, volunteering at an animal shelter, or planning your dream trip when you have enough money. Mid-priced ones would be things like packing up the car and going camping, trying out a new street food spot, trying a new sport or gym class, dressing up and going for a cocktail, or doing a painting class. The more expensive options would include going for a weekend away, a spa day, heading to a fancy restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, or going on a shopping spree and having lunch. You have so many options and this is a way to celebrate all year and make memories together, not just for one day!
Cheap Celebrations
Host A Dinner Party
Looking at cheap celebration ideas, a wonderful way to celebrate is to host a dinner party. Invite a few people around and head to the supermarket to put together a dinner party for your friend. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, as you don’t need to use expensive ingredients to make things taste good! You could do a sharing board to start with things like cheese, cured meats, dips, crackers, and bread, then for a main course, you could do a delicious honey and mustard chicken tray bake, then bake a cake for dessert. These things are great because they’re affordable, can also be prepped in advance, and don’t require many dishes, so you can enjoy the dinner party as well! You could also plan a few games, like board games or karaoke, depending on what your friend loves to do.
Go For A Park Picnic
Another great idea, if the weather is good, is to go for a park picnic. Invite people and ask them to bring something with them. It’s good to give someone a general category so you have a great variety of picnic foods on the day. For example, ask different people to bring fruit, drinks, savoury snacks, sweet snacks, crisps and dips, pasta salad, and sandwiches. Then, bring a few picnic blankets (or just normal blankets work too) and a speaker, head to the park, and enjoy the sun together to celebrate! You could make little cupcakes to take with you to make this a real birthday celebration as well. Don’t forget to take a bin bag with you to clear everything up afterwards!
Backyard Movie
One of our favorite ways to celebrate if you’re into movies is a backyard movie party! Get together chairs, blankets, and cushions, then create a cute set-up outside. Then, see if you can borrow an extension lead and a projector from someone, and it’ll be such a lovely night. Ask your bestie what film they want to watch and ask everyone to bring their favorite movie snacks. Then, set up a snack table with some bowls and everyone can do a bit of a pick and mix to try everything. This is something different, affordable, and really fun, so definitely consider it if you want to celebrate uniquely! You could add drinks if you wanted, like wine or cocktails, or you could keep it alcohol-free and ask people to bring their favorite soft drinks.
More Expensive Celebrations
Spa Day For One
When you have a bit more of a budget, a relaxing spa day is the perfect way to spend a day. You can get quite good deals on spa days that include treatments and also lunch when you’re there and it’s such a good way to celebrate if you think your friend could do with a day to just completely relax and be pampered. There are great spas all over the place so there’s sure to be somewhere near, or if you have even more budget, you could combine this with a weekend away and explore somewhere new if there is a spa you want to visit! Whether you keep this a surprise or plan it together, make sure to let the spa know that it's your friend's birthday, as there may be something they could do, whether it's something complimentary or a birthday dessert when you have lunch!
Go Cocktail Making or Do A Cooking Class
If your friend is a big fan of food or drink, then going to either a cocktail-making class or a cooking class is so much fun, it's the best of both worlds in terms of getting something to eat and making lasting memories. Cocktail-making classes are usually an hour or two long and involve you making a range of delicious cocktails and enjoying them afterward! You could also replicate the cocktails at home next time. Cooking classes are also so much fun, and you get the opportunity to learn to cook. You can pick the type of cuisine as well, so you might go for Thai, Italian, or a baking course.
If you already have a trip booked with your friend, then you could look to book one that is abroad! It’s much more authentic and usually more affordable as well, so just tell your friend to keep that day free and we’re sure that it will be a great memory for years to come.
