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Sweet
16 parties are a must for today’s teenage girl. This party marks the beginning
of independence for the teen, as she further ventures into the adult world. The
trend today is towards a large, sometimes extravagant birthday
party.
Because of
the nickname “Sweet 16,” many girls are choosing to have a candy themed party.
The color scheme can be done in pastel colors, such as light blue or pink with
chocolate brown accents. Candy canes can be glued facing each other to make
hearts, which can then be placed together for centerpiece decorations.
Personalized chocolate bars make excellent party favors.
Another
popular party idea is a tropical theme. Decorate the venue with palm trees,
bright colors, and tiki lamps. You can serve non-alcoholic pina coladas and
daiquiris. This type of celebration works indoors, but is a great idea for a
backyard party or one that takes place at a park or beach.
For a more
casual party atmosphere, try renting out a skating rink or bowling alley. Both
have arcades and snack bars, which leaves little left for the party planners to
have to take care of. You can set aside time to have cake and to open the
birthday gifts, but the majority of time can be spent enjoying the
activities.
Theme
parks make for a fun party during the summer months. Parks often offer an
afternoon discount, which allow you to enter the park after four PM. Again,
little preparation is required by the party planners as the party will take care
of itself.
For
the girl who really wants a spectacular party, a party planner can help fulfill
all your wishes. Many girls will rent out a hotel ballroom or reception hall for
their party. Caterers, professional entertainment, and a grand entrance all are
possibilities. However, be prepared to spend at least fifteen thousand dollars
on this type of party.
When
considering birthday gift ideas for girls celebrating a sweet sixteen, it is
often best to provide the party girl with money. She’ll have a lot of expenses
if she is getting a car for the first time. Clothes, books, and CD’s all make
excellent choices. Most stores offer gift cards which are an easy way to insure
that the birthday girl will enjoy her gift.
Celebrating
a sweet sixteen can be an important moment in a teenager girl’s life and having
a party with her friends and family can make it very special. Whether you choose
a low-key casual environment or a large formal high-class event, it is sure to
be a night she will remember for years to come.
What to do
first? Make an invitation list, find a place that holds the appropriate number
of guests, hire a caterer (if one doesn't come with your party room), hire a DJ
or choose the music, decide on the theme, choose invitations, and come up with
decorations and party favors.
Another
important aspect to the parties has become the candle lighting ceremony. It's
not necessary, but we’ve been getting more and more questions about how to
organize one. What is it? A candle lighting ceremony is a way to honor those
guests that have made a difference in the celebrant's life. The traditional way
to arrange a candle lighting ceremony is to do the
following:
Pick the most
important 16 people in your life that are attending the party; people who have
influenced you while growing up. If relatives and friends are invited, this list
should include all grandparents, siblings and parents (or extended family). The
list would then move on to important aunts and uncles, cousins, other family and
friends. If it's just friends, the list should be considered carefully since you
don't want anyone's feelings to be hurt. As if I have to tell you, 16-year-old
girls are very, very sensitive!
Now Part of the ceremony is
saying a little something about each person as you introduce him or her and call
him or her up to light a candle. Thus, you have to write a paragraph or two
about each, you may want to make it a poem, you may want to tell a favorite
story or anecdote about something that happened to you, or you may want to
mention your favorite thing(s) about that person (like Grandma's meatloaf or
what it's like when your Mom and you go shopping).
A word to
the wise—do not go on too long or your guests will be bored and fidgeting while
you are trying to carry this off. So keep it short and to the point, but
entertaining if you can.
Sometimes
people do unusual things instead of using candles. For instance, they may go to
a sign company and have a puzzle made. Then each person puts up a piece of the
puzzle. When the puzzle is finally done, it has message like 'Happy Birthday,'
or it's a picture of you as a baby or even now. There are all sorts of creative
things you can do.
Finally, if
you are using candles, you need to make sure that you tell the party center to
have a table available to set them up. You need to buy the candles; they can be
tapes, they can be ball-shaped or they can be creative representing one of your
favorite things (like rose-shaped candles). Go to a local candle store and
you'll see what they have available...it's amazing!
Schedule the
ceremony at the beginning of the evening; otherwise, it's an excuse for your
guests to beg out early! Do it before dinner is served or between dinner and
dessert. Make sure to tell the DJ or band beforehand so they can work it into
their evening schedule.
So, now you have the basics for a great party. If
you need further help, don't hesitate to contact us. We will be very
happy to help. Happy Sweet 16.
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