Someone special is about to have a birthday and you’re looking for just the right words to use for this happy occasion. Maybe you’re seeking to add an appropriate quote to personalized party invitations or favors.  Perhaps you want to put a short saying in icing on the celebrant’s cake. Or you might need inspiration in wording a toast or the message inside the birthday card. Whether you’re searching for funny quips or heartfelt sentiments, here are some tips to help you find the best.

1. Help is a click away. Use your favorite search engine to serve up some great wording ideas. Search for specific terms like “funny birthday sayings” or “milestone birthday quotes”.  Don’t just limit yourself to websites devoted entirely to quotations.  For instance, on a site that sells personalized invitations, there’s a page with gems like “more candles: bigger wish!”.  You can find websites with free content entirely dedicated to special occasions.  Plus, a lot of scrapbooking sites offer ideas for titles and journaling that might give you just what you need.

2. Help from your computer. If you have any greeting card software such as Print Shop Deluxe or Greeting Card Factory, you may not be aware there’s a hidden treasure of special occasion wording ideas built right into all these programs. You can usually find it on the menu under “add”.  Then choose “sentiment” and it will open up a large list of suggestions to use in the card you’re making. Well, you don’t have to make a card or even know how to create one to take advantage of this feature. Just find the birthday category and scroll down the list until you find a quote or words you like.  Then jot them down.

3. Help from your local card store. If you want a rich source of material for the speech you plan to give at the party, go to the professionals. Browse through birthday cards and take notes of phrases, jokes and plays on words. Keep them all in a little notebook. For example, you might find a card that says something like, “on your birthday, I’m wishing you something you’ve always given me: happiness, laughter and lots of love”. That would make a touching toast or inscription to write in a greeting card. Of course, you can’t use their wording for any commercial purposes. But you can borrow a line or two for personal use to help you express yourself to the celebrant.

4. Help from party supply stores. Check out the imprinted napkins and paper plates, especially in the milestone section. You’ll find phrases like “aged to perfection” or “forty is 4 perfect 10’s!” or “fantastic at 50”.  These would be great for the top of a birthday cake, on invitations and favors, or anywhere else you need a short saying.

5. Now make it personal.  Find quotes you like, but then change them to make it your own wording.  For example, say you found the quip, “I’m not old, I’ve just been young a very long time!” and you wanted to work it into a humorous toast. You could say, “You know Bob really isn’t old. No, he’s not. It’s just that he’s been young for a very, very, very, very long time! In fact, he won’t admit to turning 50. He says that he’s $49.95 plus tax”. Combine quotations, jokes, phrases, and then put your own spin on them.  Change the words to suit the celebrant and use language that reflects the way you naturally speak.

You don’t have to struggle to find perfect wording ideas for that special person’s birthday party. There are plenty of resources that are available and easy to use. Collect the quotes, draw inspiration from cards, and change them to reflect your own style. Then use those words to express a very happy birthday to the guest of honor.