Saying a fond farewell to your friends, family or neighbours isn’t easy.
Sometimes, we have to say goodbye because we’re moving to a different neighbourhood. Other times, you might find yourself planning a goodbye party because you’re leaving your old job in search of greener pastures. Whatever the reason for your Bon Voyage event, it’s important to make sure that you go out in style.
The good news is that you can change the atmosphere of an otherwise upsetting day into something more positive, with a goodbye party. This is your chance to say goodbye to the people that you love and remind them that you can always stay in touch!
Here are our top tips.
Share the Details in Advance
The last thing you want is to miss out on saying goodbye to someone important because you chose a last-minute date that didn’t work for everyone. As soon as you find out, you’re leaving, and you decide that you want to celebrate, check the date with the people who you want to attend.
If you’re throwing a farewell party for someone else, getting in touch with potential guests early will be particularly useful. You’ll have a chance to make sure that everyone has planned for the big event. Plus, you can work together on choosing the perfect gifts for the people you’re saying goodbye too.
Remember, the attendees will need to know the date of the party, how long it’s likely to last, and where it’s going to be held. Try and take your guests into consideration. For instance, if you’re saying goodbye to people from your job, don’t throw the party when they’ll be working!
Consider a Theme
Inviting everyone into the same room to cry over memories and blub about the future isn’t much fun. There’s no guarantee that people aren’t going to get emotional at a farewell party. In fact, the chances are pretty high that you will have some tears to handle here. However, you can keep the mood as light as possible by having a little fun with a theme.
There are tons of themes to consider depending on what the “farewell” is all about. For instance, a playful “good riddance” party for someone moving to a new job might be a great idea. Alternatively, if you’re moving to a new neighborhood, or location, you could make the theme all about that new place. For instance, if you’re moving to London, you could have a London-themed party.
Find Ways to Make it Fun
The majority of any farewell party will revolve around conversations with the person that’s leaving. People will want to make sure that they can reminisce with a loved one before they’re gone. You might also spend some time ensuring that you can still contact the people that you’re leaving behind once you’re gone.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t find ways to make the experience as fun as possible. This is a party, after all. Start with a lighthearted playlist that will get people up, dancing, and singing along.
Now is the perfect time to make some embarrassing memories together. You could also set up a “memories” book, where people can leave messages for the person leaving. This is a great chance for anyone leaving home to get phone numbers and loving messages from the people that they care about.
Prepare a Short Speech
If you’re throwing a going away party to ensure that you have a chance to connect with everyone one last time before you leave, a short speech is a must-have. This could be your last chance to tell everyone in-person just how much you love them for a while. Make sure that your friends know how much they mean to you and ensure that everyone knows this isn’t the end of your relationships. You’ll still find a way to get in touch!
If you’re planning a going away party for someone else, then you probably shouldn’t force them into making a speech unless they’re comfortable doing so. However, you can reach out to some closer friends and loved ones of the honouree and ask them if they’re interested in making a speech. One option might even to be create a video celebrating all the times that you and the person leaving had together. Try to keep it as lighthearted as possible, though there’s a risk things will get emotional, you don’t want to nudge people into crying on their last day together.