It’s the birthday many little girls dream about….sweet sixteen! Here are some of our favorite ideas to help inspire you to create a truly rockin’ sweet sixteen celebration for your daughter.
Sweet Sixteen Party Themes
The party theme sets the stage for the entire event. Theme options are truly limitless and you can really go big or small, depending on your budget and party location, with any theme.
Here are some of our favorite themes:
- Color Theme (use your child’s favorite color or traditional pink)
- Club Dance Party
- Red Carpet
- Shopping
- Paris
- Masquerade
- Music
Now that you have your theme, it’s time to create your invitations. Today’s invitations can be almost anything from a traditional paper invite to a passport, a decorated mask, or even something as simple and modern as a digital invitation.
Whichever way you opt to go, just remember to have some fun, be sure to include all the basic details for the party, and make sure it supports your theme because your invitation is your guest’s introduction to the celebration ahead.
Centerpieces are amazing additions to your overall decor and really help to tie everything all together. They can be lavish or simple and small.
Not only are they a beautiful addition to the party, they can also be used as raffle prizes for your guests to take home at the end of the event.
Centerpieces can including lighting, candy, and treats, statues, stuffed animals, large Oscar trophies, photo frames, flowers….you name it!
Sweet 16 Party Stations, Food, and Activities
Typically a sweet sixteen celebration won’t’ have assigned seating so there is no need for a seating chart, but establishing reserved tables for the adults is always a good idea.
Setting up a gift table at the entrance next to the seating information station is another must do idea. This way, the bulky items are out of the way for the celebration and everything will be collected in one location.
To keep cards from getting lost in the shuffle, set up a collection box on the gift table that is decorated to support the theme.
Photo booths and photos stations are amazingly popular at parties and events these days. They are a fun way for guests to get to express themselves, cut loose, and get a one-of-a-kind party souvenir.
If you opt to go with a traditional booth or photo area, make sure there are tons of accessories guests can use when taking pictures. Everything from silly mustaches on sticks to hats and boas. If you can tie it into the party’s theme, even better!
Having your party guests leave a message in celebration is a tradition…but who says that it has to be done in a book?
Today’s sweet sixteens allow for true creativity when it comes to the party ‘guestbook.’ You can do something that supports your theme or that will just make a unique and creative keepsake for your daughter.
Ideally, you’ll want to set this up close to the entrance where guests can stop as they come in.
Here are a few of our favorite ideas:
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- A large mirror where guests can sign with a paint pen or permanent marker
- A photo frame where guests can sign the photo mat
- A photo station with a lifesize cut out of your daughter (collage all the photos into a shadow box after the event)
- A video station where guests can leave your daughter a personal video message
- A memory jar where guests can fill out a card with their favorite memory of your daughter and then drop it into the keepsake jar
While cakes are the tradition, today’s sweet sixteens are open to modern interpretations. You can set up a cupcake tower or cake pop display or even a combination of a cake surrounded by cupcakes. You can also pre-cut your cake instead of having guests wait in line allowing guests to grab and go with the perfect serving.
When it comes to the type of cake, every flavor is on the table as an option, but just make sure that the decorations match your theme.
If you have any guests with food allergies, then you can offer a separate gluten-free or vegan option.
Gifts and favors are a great way to tell your guests how much you appreciate them coming out and celebrating with your daughter. When it comes to deciding what to give your guests there are two things to consider: your theme and your budget.
You want your gift to be something nice, but you don’t want to break the bank. Come up with something that also supports your party theme, that way they have a memento that will remind them of the day and that will be fun…something for them to enjoy later. This can be anything from a goody bag filled with treats and trinkets to a photo frame signed by your daughter.
Need a little more inspiration for your daughter’s sweet sixteen celebration? Check out our EBE Sweet Sixteen Ideas board on Pinterest and then contact our EBE Event Planning Team and let them help you create a truly one-of-a-kind event your daughter.
