We can all be a bit forgetful sometimes. It’s a part of human nature, but nothing is worse than the sinking feeling when we realise we have forgotten someone’s birthday.
It can be stressful and upsetting when we get a reminder text from our mum telling us we forgot to wish grandma a happy birthday, or when a colleague at work is starting to act sulky and you can’t figure out why, and since there are so many people in our lives to keep up with, it can be daunting trying to remember everyone’s special days.
Luckily, this guide is here to help you out when you’re in a sticky situation. If you’ve missed your cousin’s sweet sixteenth or your colleague’s 50th, we’ve come up with a handful of belated birthday messages that will help soften the blow of your late birthday wishes (so they will hopefully forget they were ever mad in the first place!).
If you find yourself in this predicament, why not choose one of our birthday cards to present your belated message in? We have a wide range from funny to naughty, and it will be the perfect treat to sweeten up your friends and family. Take a look at some of them below:
We have a great guide on what to write in a birthday card if you want some more ideas that sit side by side with your belated birthday message. After all, it was their birthday, and a thoughtful birthday card might make them forget the card was late!
Belated birthday messages for mum
A birthday we never want to miss is our mum’s. As one of the most special people in our lives, her birthday should be locked into our memory (or at least our calendar), but mistakes do happen. If disaster strikes and you have forgotten your mum’s birthday, we have come up with some belated birthday messages for mum that will hopefully soften the blow. We also have an entire guide on birthday messages for mum if you ended up getting the card to them on time.
- Hey mum, so sorry for the late message! It’ll never happen again, I promise. Happy belated birthday.
- I have never felt as bad as I do now. Happy belated birthday, mum; I swear I will make it up to you.
- Better late than never! Happy late birthday, mum. Love you to the moon and back.
- I hope I am still your favourite after this. Happy belated birthday!
- Your birthday is forever in my calendar from now on, don’t worry. Love you, mum.
- You are the most special person in the world, and I hope this card makes it up to you. Happy late birthday, mum.
- This card must have got lost in the mail! Happy late birthday, mum.
- This card may be late, but my love for you is always right on time. Happy late birthday mum, I’ll never repay you for all the love you’ve given me.
- This card is only late because I was trying to find the right words to express my love. Happy belated birthday, mum.
- They always say great things are worth waiting for…so here’s my belated birthday message. Love you, mum!
Belated birthday messages for dad
When it comes to our old man, he may be a little more forgiving when it comes to a belated happy birthday card. But that doesn’t mean it won’t sting if it ever happens. To make sure you are prepared for the off chance you do forget your dad’s birthday, we have come up with some belated birthday messages to write in his card. And why not check out our normal birthday wishes for dad while you’re at it? At least you will be ready for next year!
- Happy belated birthday, dad. I know you could never be mad at me!
- Happy belated birthday to my hero and biggest supporter. This card may be late, but my love for you has always stayed the same.
- Sorry I missed your big day, dad. I hope this card will make it up to you and show you how much I love you.
- I didn’t forget your birthday, dad. I am just extending the celebration!
- Sorry this birthday message is late, but I must have learned it from you. Happy birthday!
- Belated birthday wishes, dad. Your wisdom and kindness mean more to me than you’ll ever know.
- Hope this card is enough to let you know how sorry I am. Happy belated birthday, dad – it won’t happen again!
- Hope your birthday was a brilliant one (even though I missed it). Love you always.
- I made this message late so you could celebrate twice. You’re welcome!
- Thank you for always being there, dad. You mean the world to me. Happy late birthday.
Belated birthday messages for your friend
Our close friends are usually the first ones to wish us a happy birthday with a bottle of champagne and a perfectly planned night out. So, what do you do when you have forgotten their most important day of the year?
Don’t fret. To make sure you are ready in case you forget your best friend’s birthday, we have a whole list of belated birthday wishes you can use to let them know it was a simple mistake. And if a milestone birthday is coming up for your friend, we have a handy guide on the best milestone birthday messages so you can celebrate your mate’s 50th or 18th in style!
- I’m so sorry I missed your special day, but at least the celebration goes on for longer! Happy belated birthday.
- This message might be a little late, but did you expect anything less? Happy (late) birthday.
- Hope your birthday was as amazing as you are, despite this message being fashionably late.
- You mean so much to me, and I’ll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. Happy late birthday!
- Please forgive the delay, but never the love. Hope you had the most special day.
- This message isn’t late; I just want your birthday to be a week-long celebration. Hope it was an amazing day!
- Time may have gotten away from me, but the love I have for you never would. Happy late birthday.
- Sending belated birthday wishes, and lots of them!
- You’ve known me long enough to have seen this coming, but I’m still very sorry. Hope you had an amazing day.
- No matter how late this is, you’re still one of the most important people in my life. Hope you got everything you ever wanted.
Belated birthday messages for a sibling
Don’t panic if you have forgotten your sibling’s birthday (as we’re sure they won’t let you forget it). Instead, take a look at some of our happy belated birthday wishes you can write in your sibling’s card so they can stop going on and on, and maybe if you make it extra special, they may forget about it altogether!
- I may be a little late, but at least I remembered eventually! Happy belated birthday.
- Sorry I missed your special day, but I’m sure you’ll get over it.
- I didn’t mean to miss your birthday, but clearly I had better things to do! Hope you had an amazing day.
- Happy belated birthday! I’ll try to make it up to you… maybe.
- I know this message is late, but it’s never too late to remind you that you are one year closer to the end! Happy late birthday.
- Happy late birthday to mum’s favourite. I’m not bitter at all!
- Hope your day was full of good laughs and better food. Happy late birthday, love you.
- This message may be late, but let’s be honest, I am still your favourite sibling. Happy belated birthday!
- Oops, I missed your big day… but I will never forget about you.
- Late birthday wishes are better than no wishes at all! Happy belated birthday.
Just in case your mum or dad has to come in and save the day, we have some great guides on birthday wishes for son and birthday wishes for daughter, which could be helpful if they need to write a card for you if you did leave it too late.
Belated birthday messages for a colleague
If you have a busy workplace, there will be a lot of different birthdays to remember and keep track of. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you forget one here and there and just remember that a late birthday message is better than none at all. Check out our late birthday wishes you can write to a colleague to let them know that you may have forgotten their birthday, but you will never forget their love and support.
- Happy belated birthday! Sending you all my love for the future ahead.
- So sorry I missed your birthday – hope you had an amazing day full of love and laughs.
- Belated happy birthday! You are such a joy to work with and I hope you had a great day.
- Sorry for the late wishes, but better late than never! Happy late birthday.
- Work wouldn’t be the same without you, and I am so sorry for missing your special day. Happy belated birthday.
- Thank you for keeping me sane at work, I wouldn’t be able to do it without you. Happy late birthday.
- Happy late birthday to the person who makes work manageable. Don’t know where I’d be without you.
- A little late, but I hope you had the best birthday ever! Lots of love, from your office bestie.
- This message is running a little late (much like you every morning!) Happy late birthday.
- Happy late birthday! Hope your day was more fun than our Monday meetings.
Funny belated birthday messages
These messages can be for anyone who has a great sense of humour, and when combined with one of our funny birthday cards, can be the perfect solution to a forgotten birthday. Take a look at some of our funny birthday cards below:
To soften the blow of a late birthday card, there’s nothing better than a funny message to keep the mood light and remind them how much you love them. We have come up with some funny belated birthday messages in case you were stuck on what to write. Check them out, and find some inspiration.
- I didn’t forget your birthday… I just wanted my card to stand out!
- I’m keeping your celebration alive, duh! Happy belated birthday.
- Sorry this is so late, but what did you expect?
- I’m not late, I am just running on a different time zone… called “oopsies”.
- I had your birthday in my calendar… I just chose to ignore it apparently!
- I remembered your birthday, just not the date it was on. Happy belated birthday!
- Sorry this message is late; I was just busy being everyone’s favourite. Happy late birthday.
- Happy belated birthday! I bring chaos, not punctuality.
- Happy late birthday. I owe you a cake, but don’t be shocked if that’s late as well!
- Let’s pretend this was always the plan! Happy belated birthday.
We hope our guide has given you some great advice on what to write in a belated birthday card. Don’t stress if you have happened to forget someone’s birthday – it happens, and all you can do is make sure your late card is the perfect one for them.
Don’t forget to check out our range of birthday cards – we’re sure you will find one that is either filled with love or tickles your funny bone. Birthdays are a great time to let your loved ones know how much you mean to them, and one of our cards would pair beautifully with your loving birthday message (no matter how late it is!).
Finally, if you’re looking for more birthday inspiration, whether that’s party planning or something else, you’ll find everything you need over on the thortful blog!
