Toni J recently celebrated a birthday during quarantine. Taste Buddies, Toni J is the extra Toni so she loves planning an elaborate shindig. This year, she decided to put together a virtual birthday party to celebrate her earthly entrance.

Some folks believe that the idea of a virtual birthday party is LAME! Toni J used to be one of those people. Contrary to popular belief, a virtual birthday party can be cute and loads of fun…as long as you have the right ingredients. In this era of COVID-19, most of us are trying to come up with creative ways to celebrate and stay connected while practicing appropriate safety measures.

While everyone is different, we think that our tips will work for any virtual birthday party. Be sure to do what makes you smile on your special day.

Click here to shop for Toni J’s fabulous virtual birthday party items.

Here are our 10 tips to host the best virtual birthday party your heart could desire:

• Tip #1: The Tech
• Tip #2: The Decor
• Tip #3: The Theme
• Tip #4: The Shenanigans
• Tip #5: The Food
• Tip #6: The Guest List
• Tip #7: The Gifts
• Tip #8: The Fashions
• Tip #9: The Insta-Worthy Pics
• Tip #10: The Memories

Tip #1: The Tech

Taste Buddies, your technology can make or break your virtual birthday party. We have all been on a virtual meeting where the wi-fi connection is poor or that one friend seems to have joined the meeting using dial up. Technical difficulties are a party killer.

Make sure you do a test run on your technology before the party, and ensure that your friends have the correct information to participate. We don’t want Auntie Paulette struggling to get into the party. (You know she’s going to blow your phone up until you help her get into the party.)

For Toni J’s virtual birthday party, we used Zoom. We’ve been using Zoom regularly for everything from church events, weddings, professional meetings, and our virtual book club. We have a free account with Zoom so we can stay on for only 40 minutes before the meeting is cut off. (We just log back on to the meeting when we are cut off.) If the cut off time bothers you and you want a seamless party, there are a ton of other free platforms you can consider using to host your virtual birthday party.

Tip #2: The Decor

The great thing about a virtual birthday party is that you can save a ton of money. There’s no need to hire a caterer or decorator. You don’t have to pay a deposit to reserve a venue.

But don’t think that you can just open up your laptop and get the party started! (Unless that’s your thing…if so, then enjoy.) You can get some cute decorations and spruce up the background that will be shown on camera during your virtual birthday party.

Toni J went all out for her party decorations. (I told you guys—she’s like overthetop.com extra.) She found a gorgeous ballon garland (actually two) on Etsy to make her space pop. She also used colored table cloths and cute decor that she found online. (Skip down to the bottom of this post if you’re just here to find out where to purchase the cute decor or nails. No judgment here.)

Tip #3: The Theme

Consider cooking up a fun theme for your virtual birthday party. Theme parties are always a good time, right? The theme for Toni J’s virtual birthday party was “Pink and Palm Frond.” She’s so Palm Beach. Her decor and outfit were all pink, and there were lovely green palm fronds everywhere. I was able to talk her into using fake palm fronds instead of chopping a real one down in the yard.

The theme was so adorable and fresh—just like the beautiful Toni J! Choose a theme that matches your style and personality. It could be a spooky fall theme or a throwback theme. Whatever you do, make it fun!

Tip #4: The Shenanigans

Please don’t just have folks come on your virtual party platform and talk all at once. You don’t need to have a church program typed out for your virtual birthday party, but come up with an order and an idea of what you want to happen during the event.

For Toni J’s birthday party, she wanted to celebrate with our book club. So we started off with prayer and a discussion of our featured book. After the discussion of one of the greatest books ever written, Redeeming Love, we played a game called “Scavenger Hunt.” The game is simple: Toni J read off a few items that the book club ladies had to find in their house within 20 seconds. Sounds easy, right? This ended up being really fun and hilarious as the ladies ran around trying to find their favorite shoe or something yellow.

Aside from games, you can also have a toast in honor of the Birthday Baby. It’s an opportunity to have a serious and touching moment, or maybe it will produce a good laugh.

If your birthday crew likes to dance or sing, you can have karaoke or play someone’s song and let them dance. Do whatever makes you happiest during your virtual birthday party.

Tip #5: The Food

You know the Toni Girls can’t have a party unless there is food. We cooked food for our house to enjoy. Toni J wanted brunch food so we had grits, eggs, brown stewed chicken, bacon, quiche, fruit, and croissants.

Toni J also had really good desserts. She had the cutest donut wall you’ve ever seen. (Yes, she had a donut wall at her virtual birthday party. Did I mention that Sis is a little extra?) If you need some dessert inspiration, check out our recipes for chocolate churro empanadas or our mouthwatering fried donuts. You can also purchase delicious desserts from one of these dessert spots if you’re a Palm Beach local.

It’s all about the details with any party. Toni J had all of her food set up in gorgeous serving trays, displays and buffets. She definitely went all out for the four people who were physically present in her house. And, no, she did not cook any of it!

Toni J had so much food at her party, that we didn’t even get a chance to eat all of it. She had to save her taco bar for another day. Bless her greedy heart! Our motto is “we just love to eat!” We certainly do live up to our motto.

Depending on your virtual birthday party budget and the number of party guests, you can opt to order food and have it delivered to your guests. If you’re frugal like Toni N, tell your friends to bring their own food to the party. They are in the comfort of their own home after all.

Tip #6: The Guest List

Just like any in-person party, the guest list for your virtual birthday party is a critical factor. You do NOT want party poopers, Debby Downers, or Boring Bettys at your virtual party. Don’t need no hateration in this (virtual) dancery.

Choose family and friends who will have fun and celebrate you. Make sure you include the people who have been solid since Day One. We had a blast with the ladies from our book club. Shout out to Mount Olive!

Tip #7: The Gifts

Toni J is so extravagant that she actually created party favors for her virtual guests. She purchased cute gifts and placed them in a beautiful box that we hand delivered to each guest (in the South Florida heat). Each box contained:

• candy
• a candle
• a sparkly party hat shaped like a crown (in assorted colors)
• a champagne glass (for the toast) with the most adorable personalized name tag
• a cute, little bottle of wine
• The next featured book for our book club (A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers—excellent read)
• bookmarks (because we’re bookworms)
• a lovely devotional book for the ladies with prayers and scriptures

I told you all that Toni J is extra! The gifts were such a personal and loving touch. Everyone in our book club lives in the same area (give or take 20 minutes), so this idea would not work for out-of-town party guests unless you decide to mail the gifts out in advance. You can decide how over the top to go with your party favors.

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Tip #8: The Fashions

Taste Buddies if you do nothing else, SLAY THE PEOPLE! When you cut on your camera, you’d better be as cute as you can be. Make sure your hair and nails are on point. Dress the part, too. At least make sure that the visible part of your body is giving life. Prepare your face and put on a flattering top. Make sure you smile for your guests, honey!

Tip #9: The Insta-Worthy Pics

Of course you must commemorate your special day with some Instagram-worthy photos. If you didn’t take a pic, like did it even happen? Even if you decide not to post the pictures, take a few photos of yourself and your decor. Years from now, we will all (hopefully) look back and laugh at the more cheerful moments that we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preserve your day for posterity.

Tip #10: The Memories

Speaking of recording memories, remember to actually make some memories with your virtual birthday party guests. This pandemic and all of the things that are rapidly taking place in this world are affecting each of us to some extent. Let’s be grateful for the blessings that we have each day.

Although we miss being out with family and friends and writing our restaurant reviews, we had a blast at Toni J’s virtual birthday party. Her 2020 birthday was definitely one to remember.

Taste Buddies, have you hosted a virtual birthday party? Leave a comment and tell us about the festivities.

For more adorable pics from Toni J’s virtual birthday party, check out our Pinterest page. You can find us on all social media platforms: @tonitastebuds.

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Shop Toni J’s decor and looks!

🎉VIRTUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY | LINKS 🎉

• Happy birthday balloons (link to shop): https://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyTouchesUK
• Balloon garland balloons: etsy.com/listing/822704262/120pc-preppy-green-pink-gold-confetti(opens in a new tab)
• Tassels: Hobby Lobby
• Press on nails (shop): https://amzn.to/32iv1GQ
• Featured Book of the Month, Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers: https://amzn.to/2Ftj2NS
• Serving trays: https://amzn.to/2Fr2vcW
• Donut wall: http://amzn.to/3hg5IJT
• Champagne glass name tag: https://www.etsy.com/listing/661052278/wine-charms-wine-tags-personalized-name
• Palm leaves: https://www.etsy.com/listing/800034345/tropical-palm-leaves-leaf-hawaii-luau
• Palm leaves balloons: https://www.etsy.com/listing/661376758/palm-leaf-11-inch-latex-balloon-palm
• Champagne glasses, pink table clothes, crown hat, grass: Dollar Store
• Gift Boxes: Citi Trends and Michael’s