How to Plan a Sweet 16 Party for Your Best Friend
A girl's 16th birthday has had special significance even in fairy tales and folklore. For example, in the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" one of the evil fairy godmothers determined that the Princess would prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday. Nowadays, however, this birthday is celebrated with zest; a girl's "sweet 16 party" should cheerfully commemorate the birthday where she celebrates being a "young woman" and no longer a child. There is no right or wrong way to have a 16th birthday party, merely traditional or less traditional ways. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pick a date. Some celebrations are on the girl's actual date of birth, though for some this just isn't practical as the date falls in the middle of the week or before a test. Make sure your best friend has no obligations or prior plans for that date.
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Create a tentative guest list. Determine if this celebration is going to just have family and close friends or if it's going to be much larger, including neighbors, casual friends and acquaintances. The size of your guest list will let you know have big of a venue you need to secure. Make sure that no one is on the guest list whom your best friend dislikes.
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Decide on a location. If you need to reserve the venue, you may need to do so one to two months before the date of the party. Your options for a venue are truly endless: you could reserve the back room of a large restaurant, a room at a condo clubhouse or country club, or have it at the beach. To save money, you could host it at your family's home. Pick a venue that you know your friend will enjoy.
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Pick the theme and corresponding décor for your sweet 16 party. Nowadays practically anything goes when it comes to the theme of a sweet 16 celebration. You can have a 1970s' disco-themed party or a tropical-themed party, a fairy tale or fantasy party or a Roaring Twenties-themed party. Or you could make the theme of the party centered around your best friend's favorite movie. The possibilities are endless.
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Make a list of the necessary decorations that you'll need for the theme of the party. Then list the names of places where you'll be able to procure these items next to each one. For example, for a disco themed party you'd need a big disco ball, multi-colored disco lights, framed posters from popular films of the decade, etc.
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Select the music to correspond with your theme. If you're having a Roaring Twenties party, consider looking for a band that plays music of that decade. If you're having a 70s' themed party the music will be easy: you can just hire a DJ to play hits of the decade all evening. Asking a friend to DJ is a cheap way to save money for this event. Make sure that the band or DJ is able to play a few of your best friend's favorite songs, regardless of whether or not they correspond to the theme.
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Make a list of the types of food you'd like to serve and decide if you want to give guests a full meal or just a range of snacks and hors d'oeuvres all evening. Consult the guest list and see if any people on it have special dietary needs. Decide if you'd rather ask friends or parents to help make the food or seek the help of a catering company. Certain venues will provide refreshments with the flat fee. Make sure that your best friend's favorite foods are on the menu in some capacity.
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Order the cake. The cake should correspond to the overall theme of the party, in which case it would be wise to consult the help of a specialty baker. Also keep in mind that you don't have to have a cake. You can have many different flavors and styles of cupcakes or tarts so that guests can have a variety of desserts.
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Create or buy the invitations. A good paper supply store will sell a variety of invitations so you should find one that at least somewhat corresponds to your theme. Alternatively, you could make your own, which will take more time, but that way you could ensure that the finished product is exactly what you want. The cheapest and quickest option, however, are electronic invitations. Some sites will let you upload your own image for the front of the card.
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Tips & Warnings
Consult with your parents and the parents of your friend before planning a sweet 16 party. This will help to ensure that it is well coordinated, especially if it is a surprise. It's likely that her parents will want to help out to make sure the party is a success.
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- Photo Credit sweet image by Stanisa Martinovic from Fotolia.com
