How to Choose Food for a Sweet Sixteen Party

You've watched your little baby grow up, and now she's about to turn 16. She asked for a sweet 16 party, and you agreed. It's now time to decide the kinds of food you will present to the birthday girl and her friends.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Choose Food for a Fancy Sweet 16

1. Start with a beautiful salad. Most formal meals offer a nice salad before the main course, and you should too.

2. Spend a little money to provide high quality beef, fish or chicken. Cheap cuts just don't cut it when you're throwing a fancy sweet 16 party. Opt for steak, fish filets and chicken breast. Give your guests options, just in case they don't like one or the other.

3. Choose a beverage with a little class. Instead of soda or juice, buy a sparkling juice and serve it in fancy glasses.

4. Top it off with a fancy dessert. If you want to stick to traditional birthday food, finish off your meal with an outlandish sweet 16 birthday cake. You could venture completely out of the box and offer fancy desserts like crème brulee or chocolate mousse instead of a traditional birthday cake.

Choose Food for a Casual Sweet 16

5. Load up on finger foods. Every casual sweet 16 party, whether it's for a guy or a girl, needs finger foods like chips and dip, cheese cubes and pizza wedges.

6. Toss your favorite meat onto the grill. A casual sweet 16 party could be perfect with grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken. Marinate the meat in barbecue sauce overnight for some extra flavor.

7. Stock up on soda. Buy various types of soda to please the taste buds of all your guests. You might even consider some flavored water for a healthier option.

8. Have fun with the cake. With a casual party, you can splurge on decorations for the cake without spending too much money. You might even consider cupcakes that you can arrange in a cupcake tower for a beautiful (and affordable) centerpiece.