- The date you choose will dictate when you make the reservations for the hall, the photographer, and the DJ. With this in mind, choosing your date four to six months in advance increases your chances of reserving the perfect location as well as the best DJ and photographer in town. As soon as your date is chosen, call and make your reservations for these services; the more popular the places and the people you are using, the faster they become booked.
If you need to save some money, you can still have a wonderful party by hosting the party at your home. If your daughter's birthday is during the warmer months, make it an outside event; for this however, you should plan ahead for inclement weather by renting a tent. You may also need to rent tables and chairs. Rather than hiring a photographer, ask friends or family to take photos or videotape the event. You can also place disposable cameras on the tables and allow the guests to take a variety of pictures, all of which will provide a different person's perspective of the party. - Let your teen in on the fun and help you choose a theme for her party. If her birthday is during one of the winter months, she may want to have a beach party or luau theme to wash away the winter blues. If she has a favorite movie, such as Grease, make the party a 50s theme. Once a theme has been chosen, you can choose the colors and have invitations made.
- While it's always nice to have your invitations match your theme, you can take the road less traveled and have them designed to match another important milestone in her life--her ability to drive. If you live in a state that allows your child to drive at the age of 16, you can send out invitations that look like a drivers license, with a picture of Miss Sweet Sixteen on the front. If you decide to stick with the theme of the party, you can place a picture of your daughter inside each invitation. These should be sent two months before the party--this gives your guests enough time to respond without forgetting about the party.
- These, of course, will depend on the theme you have chosen. If you are having a luau, you will want to purchase leis and use Hawaiian flowers in coconut shells for table centerpieces. If you are having a beach party, buy beach balls and use baskets of sea shells illuminated by floating votive candles for your centerpieces. Balloon bouquets add a nice touch, as do balloon arches. These can usually be ordered a month in advance. To greet the guests, a life-size cut-out of the 16 year old is always nice; these can be ordered online and customized in a variety of themes. In addition, have a guest sign-in book--this is something the birthday girl can keep as a memento.
- Depending on the size of your party, you need to decide if you are going to make the food yourself or have it catered. You also need to decide if you are going to have a sit-down dinner or a buffet. For a close, family event, a buffet- style dinner with each member of the family contributing a dish helps lower your cost and makes it more personal. Hiring a catering company or restaurant also has its advantages; they will serve you and your guests and take care of the clean-up when it's all over. This should be decided on at least three weeks before the party, possibly four if you are having a sit-down dinner and are hiring a catering company. To cut down on costs, your party can consist of finger foods and appetizers such as shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, and pigs-in-a-blanket, or a luncheon during which light snacks such as vegetable platters, chips, and fruit salads are served.
- This is quite possibly the most important aspect of the party. The cake you choose for your sweet sixteen will be remembered forever in photographs, so it needs to be as spectacular as her party. A nice option is a picture cake; this allows you to take any photo of your daughter, old or new, and give it to the bakery. It is then scanned and an edible copy is placed on the cake.
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