Surprise!!! Coordination.

January 16, 2016 6:31 AM

Any bright ideas for getting someone to their own surprise party?

We have planned a surprise party for my boyfriend this evening. I need to get him there--the surprise part will be happening about 45 minutes away, at a rock climbing gym that he spends a lot of time at.

The options I can think of:

A. Blindfold him for 45 minutes to get him there and walk him in in a blindfold. This seems like a long time to blindfold someone.

B. Tell him that I want to go climbing at the gym but surprise him with a lot of people there and cake and stuff. This will not be super believable because while I do climb, this is my least favorite gym to go to out of several options. He'll probably know something is up.

C. Get him up into the vicinity of the gym for something fun and then blindfold him for a shorter period of time (but probably still like 20 minutes).

D. ???

posted by geegollygosh to Grab Bag (16 answers total)

Can you be driving somewhere nearby and get a flat tire or have your battery die and frantically text him to come help? Is it cold where you live? You were close to [climbing gym] and since you knew the place ran in there to wait and stay warm while he comes and rescues you.
posted by phunniemee at 6:36 AM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Ask a friend who's attending to invite your BF to the gym and meet them in the parking lot. No blindfold required!
posted by pocksuppetteer at 6:55 AM on January 16, 2016 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: I like these ideas but ideally he wouldn't drive there himself as we're planning on getting drinks afterwards.
posted by geegollygosh at 7:01 AM on January 16, 2016

I think option 2 is your best bet. If he likes this gym and you don't in general--actually that could work in your favor for getting him there. It's a special occasion, so come at it with the good-faith, good-relationship approach that on this occasion you'll happily do something you both enjoy, for/with him, according to his preference which differs from yours. Isn't that what's behind the surprise party at that location anyway? You can just leave out the part about all his friends and the cake being set up beforehand. Easy peasy!
posted by Sublimity at 7:06 AM on January 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

"Hey, let's go climb for your birthday! I called [my favorite gym] but there's a private event [or the water's out or something] so we can't go there, but *your* favorite place would be okay with me, since it's your birthday!"
posted by cooker girl at 7:09 AM on January 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Oh, one more quick detail that may help: his birthday is actually tomorrow, not today. Which I think makes the whole thing a little easier.
posted by geegollygosh at 7:13 AM on January 16, 2016

Best answer: Sneak a card out of his wallet and have the gym call him to say they found it and then you guys will have to go pick it up on your way out.
posted by ReluctantViking at 7:16 AM on January 16, 2016 [13 favorites]

Tell him you booked a special lesson a a gift for his birthday.
posted by girlpublisher at 7:28 AM on January 16, 2016

I like the wallet one, or you could be like, "argh, I promised [mutual climbing friend] Joe I'd drop his chalk bag at the gym on our way out for drinks, do you mind?" Or you're lending a friend some equipment or whatever and you've just got to drop by and figured it'd be easiest on your way for drinks.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:37 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

So, I have had two surprise parties in my life. Both times, we actually ran into other late-arriving guests on the way in, and my brain's response was along the lines of "Haha, what a coincidence that we happened to park right next to some friends of ours!" and I was genuinely surprised to find out there was a party five minutes later. Which is to say that unless he already knows something's up (in which case it doesn't matter what you do), you're overthinking this. So I vote for option B, and if he thinks it's weird you want to climb at his preferred gym, just say "it's your birthday! of course we're going to the gym you like!"
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:55 AM on January 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Assuming you are willing to drive his car (and that you are driving?) -- Have a friend ask him to the gym, and then you arrive with someone else.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 9:01 AM on January 16, 2016

You should really have a reason to go to the gym, not just a casual invitation. I’ve known people who tried this and the partner just didn’t want to go, it was weird because the surpriser kept insisting and they ended up having a huge fight about it that wasn’t resolved by the time they got there. Good times.
posted by bongo_x at 12:02 PM on January 16, 2016

Go ahead and blindfold him! Unless he gets motion sickness or has anxiety issues of course.

Being driven around blindfolded will add a sense of anticipation :D
posted by eloeth-starr at 12:25 PM on January 16, 2016

You got a Groupon for a really good price, so you're going to that other gym 5 times.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:49 PM on January 16, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I snuck his bag of climbing gear into my car and had a friend tell him he'd left it at the gym. We stopped by and he opened the door to the back room where he'd 'left' it and everyone was hiding there. A++ super successful surprise.

('Get in the car and put this blindfold on' was always the backup option if the plan was going south.)
posted by geegollygosh at 5:42 PM on January 17, 2016

('Get in the car and put this blindfold on' was always the backup option if the plan was going south.)

It usually is.
posted by bongo_x at 1:10 AM on January 18, 2016 [3 favorites]