Planning a Sweet 16 party is similar at the base level to planning a kids birthday party, but it's different in some ways too. Today I'll share the basics of throwing the PERFECT Sweet 16 party. Let's get to it!
How to plan the perfect Sweet 16 party
1. Pick a theme or color scheme
Be sure to make sure it doesn't fall on the childish side. There is a fine line between kitschy and classy, so be careful with what decorations and sentiments you decide to use. Melissa decided on pink and gold for Hailey's party and we rolled with it!
For the backdrop we decided to use these
white ruffle curtains, adorned with pink and gold
paper flowers and strings of photos hanging all the way across. Melissa had several photos of Hailey with her family and friends from when she was a little girl to now. Friends are everything to teenagers, so I thought this was a sweet touch.
2. Decide on a menu
Teenagers love pizza, so that's what they got as their main meal item!
For dessert we served some of Hailey's favorites - Oreo balls, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered strawberries, cream mints, and strawberry macarons from
La Rue French Macarons. What Sweet 16 party would be complete without macarons?! Such beautiful little round cookies!
3. Pick the perfect cake
The beautiful cake was made by a friend, Heidi from church. It went right with the tone of the party - pink florals, gold sequins, and a glitter 16 on top. She did a great job!
4. Invite lots of her friends and have something fun for them to do
Melissa had set up for them to play those fun youth group games that teenagers love to play. Those games that I used to love to play on church retreats but now I don't remember how to play because I'm old. (ha!)
We also had a photo booth set up with props to take pictures. I made this photo booth backdrop out of ribbon we found on clearance and old bed sheets torn into strips. Super simple and pretty!
5. Don't forget the oversized balloons!
These are of course optional, but they're so fun and all the rage right now!
Tip: Spend the extra money and get good quality balloons from Party City. We ordered cheaper ones off Amazon and the seams busted as soon as the lady at the store started to blow them up. Melissa had a friend who came in clutch with these
rose gold 30'' balloons from Party City (they look gold in the pic but they were rose gold and
so pretty!)
So there you have it! It was a blast planning this party. Whenever I'm asked to plan an event that I've never done before I always get a bit nervous, but it ends up being so much fun. Although it can be nerve wracking, it's always good to get out of your comfort zone. Of course it's not comfortable out there, but that's wear you grow and learn.
Thank you, Melissa, for asking me to help plan this party!
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