Everyone loves a surprise party, right? Maybe not. But if your friend is the type of person who's not afraid of a little attention, a surprise party is a gift she'll never forget.

Here are some surprise party ideas.

Make sure you tell everyone it's a surprise.

Whenever you talk to your friends about it, make sure you refer to it as "the surprise party" so that no one thinks it's just an ordinary celebration and spills the beans. Also, make sure everyone is planning on arriving early so that the surprise isn't ruined by your friend seeing people arrive at the party at the same time she does!

Make sure your friend doesn't think you're making plans without her.

If your friend notices you're doing a lot of whispering behind her back, she'll either catch on, or get the wrong idea and think you're excluding her or talking about her. Make all your plans with other friends over the phone or email and make it clear that none of you should talk about it at school.

Celebrate sooner rather than later.

If the surprise is for her birthday, it's probably best to do it before the big day instead of after. She might think you've forgotten about her on her actual birthday if nothing's happened by then, and spend her birthday sad or disappointed.

It doesn't have to be expensive.

Everyone can chip in! Why not have a potluck. Or else, ask everyone to bring a different ingredient for an ice-cream sundae.

Be merciful.

Don't let your friend be caught in her sweats and no makeup. Tell her you're going somewhere that requires her to dress up a little—to a special dinner, another party, a movie at the mall. That way she'll be flattered by the surprise, not mortified.

Plan her entrance.

With your other friends, talk about what will happen when your friend makes her entrance. Will you throw confetti? How will you make sure she's there on time? These things can't be planned out too carefully!

Plan an activity for after the surprise.

Too many surprise parties focus only on the surprise itself. Plan an activity like decorating cupcakes, watching her favorite movie, or making jewelry so that you have something to do when the surprise is over.