expert party tips

Most importantly, follow our surprise party ideas.

You know the basics: Ask guests to arrive at least 30 minutes before the guest of honour. If your friends are notoriously late, make it an hour. And don't get them so drunk that they'll forget how to be quiet and hide when the time comes. Have them all park around the corner, too, so their cars don't tip off the surprisee.

To mix things up, have all the guests gather at another location and then just show up at your house with all the party supplies. Or hold your party at an unexpected location, like a park, pub or the home of a person the surprisee doesn't know well.

Planning your party at an odd time -- a week before the person's birthday, or on a weeknight or Sunday afternoon -- also helps you maintain the element of surprise.

To really go all out and keep the surprise going, plan a trip for you and the surprisee, and then just have guests show up randomly throughout the weekend. Go out for breakfast; a few guests are there. Request more towels; a friend brings them to your room. Order another Coke; your old flatmate serves it. You get the idea. Fun for everyone involved.