Sweet 16 Party ideas

What will your sweet sixteen year old want?

Shows on MTV such as "MY Super Sweet 16" can give your teenager some extravagant ideas for their party...ideas that may be WAY out of your budget. So it is a good idea to sit down with them and discuss ideas and let them know their limits. It’s important to keep them involved because this birthday is a very important one, so you want to make sure it’s everything they dreamed it would be. Give them your budget and have them help make decisions about the number of guests, venue, entertainment and food. By giving your teenager the opportunity to help plan their sweet sixteen party, you’re giving them the responsibility and independence they want while still being involved in their life.

Before working out the entertainment and party details, first decide on a theme for the sweet sixteen party. Will it just be a simple party done up in decorations based off your teenagers favorite color, hobbies or movie? Or do you want to do a full theme party such as a Hawaiian luau, Flashback to the 80s or maybe an Oscar or Hollywood themed party! Once you’ve decided on the theme, choose your location, date, time, and guest list, then get your invitations out right away. You can find a professional service online to design your invitations to match your theme!

Find the perfect entertainment to rock the party!

The most important piece of the sweet sixteen party is the entertainment! There are so many options to go with, so it is very important that you figure out together what will work best for your teenager and most importantly, your budget! This might be the thing you spend the most money on. You may cut back on the decorations or the food so that you have more for entertainment. If you just want music to back up a dance party then you will want to look into hiring a party band or cover band! If you do go with a live band, choose a style that matches your teen’s music genre preference. Would they like a country band, a rock band or you could possibly get a tribute band of one of your teenagers favorite groups? Or you could go more simple and hire a DJ to come in and provide a variety of music or make the guests the entertainment and hire a karaoke DJ to get the party goers involved!

If you decided to do a specific theme, you might want to hire entertainment to go with that party theme. If you chose to have a luau or beach party then you might want to hire hula dancers or a steel drum band. If you went with a Hollywood theme, you could bring in a celebrity impersonator to mingle with the crowd and take photos with the guests. One last option to consider is to bring in a comedian, hypnotist or magician to put on a show. Everyone loves to laugh and be amazed so any of these options could be a great hit among the teens at the sweet sixteen celebration!

Something to remember about teenagers: they are always hungry!

You will definitely want to provide food at this sweet sixteen bash. Your budget, location and theme all need to be taken into consideration when planning the menu. If you can afford it, you may want to hire a caterer and choose the menu based off their specialties and creative party food ideas. If your party is going to take place outdoors, then maybe barbecuing with a menu of hot dogs and hamburgers would be the best option.

If you have a specific theme then maybe talk to your caterer about specializing the menu to fit that theme. At a luau, have seafood and tropical fruits with smoothies. At a Hollywood party, have a waitstaff serve hors d’oeuvres and bartenders with sparkling cider and Shirley Temples. If the party is more low key then you might not need an elaborate menu. Order some pizzas and set up a pizza buffet, or just have a table of refreshments and snacks such as chips, dip, fruit trays and desserts with bowls of punch. If the venue you have chosen does not provide tables and chairs and these things are necessary you will want to contact a party rental company to provide these things for you.

Filling in all the details

It’s important to set the mood of the party with appropriate decorations. Find party decor that fits your theme and creates a fun atmosphere for your teen and their guests. If you do not have a specific theme then go with decorations and streamers in your teen’s favorite colors. It is also a good idea to come up with party favors to give to the guests. This is a great way to thank them for coming to your party and also gives them something fun to save as a keepsake to remember the wonderful party they attended! Your party favors will generally tie into your theme. Hand out leis at a luau or give out awards at an Oscars party. If you cannot come up with theme appropriate favors, then you can have goodie bags with candy or chocolates.

Both you and your teenager will want the memories of this sweet sixteen party to last forever, so it is very important that you capture all the little moments with pictures. You can decide to take the pictures yourself or designate a family member to do it for you. If you have the budget for it, hire a professional photographer to handle it for you so that you can spend your time either at the party with your teen or hiding away in the corner watching from afar as your teen may request. After all, parents are an embarrassment! Another fun idea is to set up a photo booth. Allow your teen and their guests to take goofy candid photos that print out right away. This is an additional party favor for the guests as well!

If all of this still sounds like a lot to take on, you could always hire a party planner to handle it for you. However, with the right resources you and your teen can do it yourselves and have fun doing it. GigSalad is here to help you every step of the way as your one stop shop for all your sweet sixteen party planning needs!