A 40th is big enough to feel like it needs a proper plan, but it isn't a wedding - most of the budget mistakes come from treating it like one. Here's a worked example for a fairly typical 40th: 50 guests, £2,500, evening party. If you want the underlying numbers rather than one worked example, how much a party costs in Cornwall breaks each line down on its own.
Example: 50 guests, £2,500 budget
| Item | Budget |
|---|---|
| Venue | £300 |
| Food | £700 |
| Drinks | £400 |
| DJ | £350 |
| Cake | £100 |
| Decorations | £150 |
| Photographer | £250 |
| Contingency | £250 |
What I'd book first
- Venue - this fixes your date and your maximum guest count, so nothing else can be confirmed until it is. Party venues in Cornwall is where to start getting comparable quotes.
- Entertainment (DJ or band) - the second thing to get booked up for weekend dates.
- Catering - once the venue and headcount are locked, get a caterer or buffet quote confirmed. See how caterers are matched to your date, place and budget.
- Photographer - book once the date and venue are fixed so they can plan around the space.
- Cake - order 10-14 days ahead once your final guest count and flavour are decided.
- Decorations - last, because they are the easiest to trim if the budget gets tight elsewhere.
Where I'd save money
Don't spend £400 on decorations if it means compromising the food or drinks - guests remember whether they were well fed, not whether there were balloon arches. For a village-hall party, a few well-chosen decorations and some good lighting transform the room surprisingly cheaply - fairy lights and a couple of large floral arrangements do more than a room full of small ones.
What you probably don't need
- Party favours for an adult crowd - guests rarely take them home, and the budget is better spent on food or drink.
- Elaborately printed invitations - a well-designed digital invite with an RSVP link does the same job for free.
- A second dessert table alongside the cake - one good cake is plenty; a dessert table on top usually goes half-eaten.
- Disposable everything - hiring proper glassware from the venue or a local hire company is often cheaper than buying enough disposables for 50 people, and it looks better.
If you would rather describe the party in your own words, see how an event brief turns into this kind of plan.
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