Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party Planning Tips

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Girls remember their sixteenth birthday their whole lifetime and retell their story over and over. If you have a daughter who is turning sixteen, then you know the importance of having a sweet sixteen party for her. 

Contrary to what she might be seeing on reality TV, sweet sixteen parties shouldn’t look like a wedding; it should be a party simply to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and in some states her ability to get a driver’s license.

The sweet sixteen party you and your daughter plan should start with picking a theme for the party, if you will have a theme. The theme you choose may dictate where you will hold the party.  If your daughter wants a bowling party, for instance, then the party would have to be held at the local bowling alley. Some girls with summer birthdays will want their party to be on the beach or at a local pool.  And, other girls want their theme to be elegant and more adult. For this last type of party you might want to have it at a restaurant or at your home. 

Once you have a theme and a location, then it is time for you to come up with a date for the party.  Friday, Saturday or Saturday evenings are generally the best times to host a party because people will be off of work and ready to do something fun for the day or evening. The time of day for your party will largely be dictated by the theme of the party you are having and its location.

Once you have a theme, location, and date for the party, then it is time to start looking for just the right initiations to fit the event. Here again, it depends largely on the theme of your party what sweet sixteen birthday party invitations are appropriate for your party. 

Once you have your sweet sixteen invitations addressed they should be mailed about four weeks before the party. 

Your goal is to give people the opportunity to attend, but not let them know so far in advance that they forget to come to the party. Generally, about four weeks is the standard as long as you are not having too lavish of an event. 

If there will be over a hundred people in attendance, then you might want to send out your initiations earlier, but never more than eight weeks prior to the party date. If you feel your party needs more than eight weeks notice, or it's around a major holiday or a school event such as homecoming, prom or graduation, you might consider sending save the date cards to alert guests to save the date for your upcoming party.

Once your invitations are sent out, it is time to work on the menu and decorations for the party. If you will be having an informal, family type gathering, then informal foods work very well; however, if your event is more formal or there will be a lot of people in attendance, you need to look at what foods will be appropriate. 

For decorations, simple elegance works very well to help to keep prices down but things appearing to be elegant. Some store-bought flowers placed in strategic places can do wonders for a room!

Planning a sweet sixteen party doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful.  The most important part is to plan a party everyone can enjoy and remember – especially the guest of honor. 

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