Tips to Throw Your Own Milestone Party

There are so many occasions in a single person's life to throw a party whether it be a significant birthday, new home or even a bad break up or divorce. But when it comes to milestone celebrations, single people have no luck. A few years ago, my aunt tipped me off to an article posted in the New York Times. "You're not going to believe it dear," she stated bemusedly, "according to the Style Section, brides are now throwing botox bridal parties."

Been there (my friend Val's shower in 2006), done that (ok, I watched but declined the injections). This was not news to me. Still, it got me to thinking about celebration trends and rituals among America's unmarrieds. What happens to singles on those significant milestones like buying a home, receiving a job promotion or turning 40?

I could count on my hands the number of parties I had attended or special occasions I had celebrated where the honoree was single. If modern Brides have the chutzpah to serve-up Botox, why do so many singles still get overlooked or forgotten on occasions that mean the most to them?

It's not a new story. Of course a nod goes out to the show Sex and the City for being the first to bring this issue to surface. In season Season 6, Episode 83, 'A Woman's Right to Shoes,' it's Carrie who says "So then... If I don't get married or have a baby, what? I get Bupkis?"

The question we wanted to answer was how far have singles come since that episode's first airing in August 2003? We decided to send out a query to event and party planners all over. The response was overwhelming.

According to Miguel Drudis from Golden-Star-Events in Monaco destination parties are the hot trend among singles, with many individuals searching for unique spots in France, Italy and Vienna. Although the company specializes in wedding events, they are currently planning a party in Paris for a well-to-do bachelor. The venue? A luxury mansion, of course!

But a blitz does not have to be a blow-out affair. Mathew Hopkins of Matthew David Events in New York encourages singles to remember while the party is a gift to yourself, it is truly a gift OF yourself. When planning an event for yourself, this should be reflected in everything you do from the venue and invitations right down to the entertainment, advises Hopkins.

That is exactly the attitude Joella Hopkins of Simply Mumtaz Events, Inc. took to create a special 40th birthday bash for her client, Elle. Centerpieces were simple glass jars filled with Elle's favorite penny candy. And instead of a high-priced band, an Arts and Crafts station was set up and guests were encouraged to bring personal photos to assemble their own scrapbooks!

Those who prefer not to have to pomp and circumstance should consider birthday builds, says Angela Moore with Starfish P.R. in Los Angeles. Plenty of do-gooders are turning milestone celebrations into a chance to give back to their community. Volunteer parties through organizations like Habitat for Humanity are just one example of how individuals can get together do a community service project. In fact, one of Moore's clients recently raised over $7500 for the Foundation by asking her friends to donate gifts to the house they were building instead of to her.

At the end of the day momentous life occasions deserve to be celebrated. It does not matter if you choose to have a stay-at-home soiree or grab a group and get away to rock and roll fantasy camp, you must mark the occasion. Says Martie, a strategy consultant from Alabama who knows all about parties.

As for gifts we never get? Martie, a kidder who has been known to set up faux bridal registries for George Clooney at various spots, proudly shouts "Pottery Barn! Where is our registry?????"