Sweet 16 Bday Party

[danetter]

Hello guys and gals. I knew I could come to you for help on hosting a sweet 16 bday party. My oldest DD turns 16 the end of March. We are having her party in our church fellowship hall.. I have never been to a sweet 16 party before so I really don't know what everyone else does. We are trying to do it with as little budget as possible but be nice too. We don't have to pay to have it our church, I am making her cake so the only cost for that is the ingredients which isn't cheap but sure will be a lot cheaper if I had to pay someone else to make the cake I want with gumpaste flowers cascading around the cake. We are also doing a candy buffet. It is going to be from 5:30 to 8:30 on a Friday night so right in the middle of dinner time. I am doing most of the food and my mom is going to do some too. I have been looking on Pinterest and have found several finger foods that look easy and could be made fairly cheap. I would love for my husband to have a slow dance with her to the song Butterfly Kisses. I also love the song Angels Lullaby by Reba and would love to have it played,so when should we have it played and would I dance with her with it or what would be appropriate for that? This is where I need help in when he should dance with her, as the party starts or at the end? Also what else does everyone do that is clean fun. I have read some on the lighting of 16 candles. Do we need music while that is going on and when during the party should that be done? Also does her dad and I light just 1 candle or 1 each? Grandparents lighting do they each light 1 or 1 set lights 1 and that other lights 1? She has has 1 sister that lights 1, for the rest I wanted to get our Pastor/wife and our Youth Pastor/wife so will they each light 1. She also has a great grandmother still living but in a nursing home and wouldn't be able to get out to come so would it be ok to have my mom light one for her? If my Pastor/wife each light a candle and Youth Pastor/wife each light a candle with all the candles lit now that leaves 4 candles I am thinking about letting her cousins that will be there light one which will be 4 cousins(of course 2 of them would need help from their mom/dad since they are still to young). I know 3hrs will go by fast but is there anything else that is done that we can do? TIA

 

[CandyMouse]

I'm curious to see what other responces you get too. My DD will be 16 next Christmas and I want to do something special as well. My parents live at a Senior Apt. building and they have a rec. room that has a kitchen, lots of tables and a big screen tv with a wii. We just had a family get together on Christmas Eve and did sandwiches, veggies, lots of goodies and punch/coffee. We played the wii and board games and had a lot of fun. So that's what I'm thinking for her sweet 16th b-day and have a friends/family party. Hope you get a lot of ideas.

 

[MSSANDRA]

That sounds lovely and if that is the norm where you live I am sure that will be great. In reality, most of the kids in our social group do have 16th birthday parties but they really do not have that degree of formality to them. We, and most of our friends use the fellowship hall at our largish church. They have basket ball goals, volley ball nets and a sound system where they played music. Most are a combo of friends and family of all ages. The kids basically hang out. Lots of food is the norm. Pizza, hot dogs, nachos, etc. One girl did a Hawaiian theme and did grilled chicken. Large, though not often fancy cake and ice cream are required! One girl did a cup cake tower with lots of different kinds that were great. One kid had a chocolate fountain. The parties are well supervised but the kids sorta do there thing and the adults hung out. All have a blast!

Maybe talk to some friends that have slightly older kids to see what is the norm in your area!

 

[mindyd]

The Sweet 16 parties I have gone to the Mom never dances just the Dad. I have only seen the Mom/Daughter dances at Weddings. I wouldn't worry about too many activities most of the time the kids just want to dance.

 

[ceecee]

DD turned 16 this year and didn't want a party, so we just tookl her shopping and out to eat and she had some friends over. It surprised me as she is very social! Most of her friends are also turning 16 and so far there have been 2 movie nights and sleepovers. One boy/girl party which was like a bonfire and they played outside games. The biggest was a rented party bus (like a van) that they had for an hour...it took them to the mall and dropped them off. She requested no gifts just that everyone bring a $10 gas gift card and they gave them out to people as random acts of kindness and then they went out for pizza. Several of her close friends had no party at all.

 

[ceecee]

DD turned 16 this year and didn't want a party, so we just tookl her shopping and out to eat and she had some friends over. It surprised me as she is very social! Most of her friends are also turning 16 and so far there have been 2 movie nights and sleepovers. One boy/girl party which was like a bonfire and they played outside games. The biggest was a rented party bus (like a van) that they had for an hour...it took them to the mall and dropped them off. She requested no gifts just that everyone bring a $10 gas gift card and they gave them out to people as random acts of kindness and then they went out for pizza. Several of her close friends had no party at all.
She would never go for anything with dancing with her parents! Especially dancing with me...I haven't even seen that at a wedding, just the father.

 

[DebMcDonald]

When my DD turned 16 we did something totally different and created special memories. I took her on a trip just her and I. We actually went to Punta Cana for four days. My husband and I gave her a note that said somewhere sometime in the next year she'd be taken on a trip, it could be a close as New Hampshire or much further away. The day before our trip which was almost a year later I gave her a suitcase and told her to pack and a car service picked us up the next day. I figured for the price I was going to spend throwing a real party, this created memories that will last a lifetime and all the money was just spent on her and I. She also received a Pandora bracelet that we continue to add too.

 

[drcmk]

I also love the song Angels Lullaby by Reba and would love to have it played,so when should we have it played and would I dance with her with it or what would be appropriate for that? This is where I need help in when he should dance with her, as the party starts or at the end? Also what else does everyone do that is clean fun. I have read some on the lighting of 16 candles. Do we need music while that is going on and when during the party should that be done? TIA

This party sounds very sweet and meaningful. There is no standard Sweet 16 party, so you can make up whatever you and your daughter will enjoy best. Go ahead and dance with her, as long as she likes the idea. Parent/daughter dances would be a nice way to "open up the dance floor" OR you could also make those the last two dances (as long as you are sure that everyone will stay to see them). I loves the idea of lighting candles--divide them up whatever way helps you use just 16 of them--and having grandma light a candle for great-grandma is a lovely gesture. I'd play quiet music in the background during candle lighting.

Other fun ideas--have a slide show of photos of her since she was a baby playing throughout the night--play some silly participation songs like the Hokey-Pokey, Electric Slide, etc--Have a trivia contest, with all of the questions about your daughter (her first word, her favorite color, favorite tv show, etc.) and give a prize for the winner--Let guests "sign in" on items that your daughter can keep and use--like pillowcase, bedsheet, posterboard that you can frame and hang up

 

[lilpig]

At my daughters 16th party we had it in the church gym, I had a band play who are some of the teens in our youth group (they are really good). I had a Fiesta theme in decorations. My food was walking tacos, its a small bag of doritos with some taco meat then I had a spread of all the taco fixins you might want. The kids loved it.

Then I had a bunch of areas set up where minute to win it games to play. And I gave out tickets, sorda like Chuckie Cheese..then I had prizes for the 3 people with the most tickets. I had adults helping at the stations giving out tickets.

I would give out tickets randomly too, ex. if someone just seemed like they were having a really good time..tickets..

It was really fun and I wanted to try and make it different than i had seen.

I suggest buy things as you see them and keep receipts, that way you can budget it and if you see something at a better price exchange it. I know your daughter will have a wonderful time no matter what you do!

 

[FINFAN]

We had our DD's Sweet 16 at a church (with another families DD) as well, but did a 50's Theme. My brother was brilliant and went to Kinko's and had poster size images printed of all the 50's starts/musicians and we put them on the walls. Hung streamers and old 45 records from the ceiling and made huge cardboard cut outs of a 57 Chevy and soda shop floats. We handed out candy cigarettes for the boys to roll in their sleeves, scarves for the girls. Had cake, candy,chips, White Castles and pizza...pop and water bottles...TONS of water bottles. We did have a band, but a sound system would have been just fine. The best thing of all? My brother also went to a cruise night and asked an owner of a mint green '57 Chevy if he would consider being hired to pick our DD up and drive her to the church..and he did!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't even want any $ for it (tho we did insist) because he said he loves driving his car and loves people who enjoy it even more.To save $ I made DD's poodle skirt, invitations,I made the car cutout for pictures and we gave each guest a link to Walgreens to print their own pictures out that we took digitally. All in all, the total cost to us was a little over $400 For about 35-40 people...and it was a BLAST!!!!!!!!! The candle lighting sounds neat...I would just make sure to incorporate time for the teens to hand and do their thing. I would maybe have your DH dance with her right after lighting the candles? Seems like it would fit in well there. Have fun~they grow up WAY too fast!

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm happy that dd15 doesn't want one. Typically, they're big affairs at catering halls, dj, cocktail dresses... If she wants one, she's getting a swim party. Make sure you have music going the whole time, and I like the slideshow idea.

 

[mom2cookies]

so far i've had 3 DD's turn 16. None were as extravagant as what OP has posted. But my last DD's friends said her party was the best they've ever been to. lol There were about 13 - 18 people in all. ( her classmates and a couple of cousins & siblings ). I had a candy buffet and we played a few party games like Creepers and Slammers, Kings and Queens, Just Dance ( on the wii ), and a neighborhood scavenger hunt ( with rules and limitations). They were able to chat, or play or whatever. I had made sure there was an end time to the party so parents knew when to come pick them up and they knew what time i expected to leave around. I encouranged but did not force participation. OH, another game was kind of like a trivia about my DD. How well they knew her. I think there might have been a few other games, but can't remember them all right now.

TO OP, how much of the planning is your daughter involved with? Maybe she could answer some of your questions with what she wants. Unless it is a surprise of course.

 

[drcmk]

we played a few party games like Creepers and Slammers, Kings and Queens

I've never heard of these games. Can you describe them?