Parties to celebrate your 16th birthday are back in vogue, which is reason to celebrate� big time. It gives you the perfect opportunity to plan your perfect day and surround yourself with your best friends, favorite songs, and coolest clothes -- what's not to love? Sure, the girls on MTV may have half-million dollar blowouts, gate-crashers, personal stylists, and mondo diva attacks while you're probably thinking of something a little more low-key. Don't worry. No matter what size your party or budget is, you can have a party that's every bit as glamorous and fun as you're dreaming of -- just use smart planning strategies. Here are some basics for getting started.
Money Talks
Before you start lining everything up for your day in the sun, it's important to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with Mom and Dad to make sure you're all on the same page. The biggest source of disagreement between 15-year-old party planners and their investors? (Whoops, make that parents.) You guessed it -- budget. If they're thinking $250 for snacks that you serve in your basement and you've got a $3,500 loft venue in mind, the time to start negotiating is as soon as possible. What are they willing to pay for? What kind of food, drink, and entertainment do they expect to pay for and what do they think will be D.I.Y.? Are you free to research vendors or do they want to approve everything before any phone calls are made? Laying down some ground rules now will stave off fights in the future.
Create a Great Guest List
How much fun you�ll have all comes down to one thing: The names on your guest list. After all, they're the peeps you'll be partying with! Whether it's twelve of your best friends or 125 class-, band-, camp- and teammates, choose people who make you feel relaxed and happy to be around� and people who won't cause problems (no moshing to the jazz band or trying to spike your mom's punch).
Think About Your Theme
Your party theme can affect everything from your dress to desserts, so figure out if you want one before you start shopping. You want your party planning to feel fun, not forced, so choose a concept that's in line with your personality. Of course, if you don't want to choose one theme to focus on, just turning sixteen is special enough -- use your favorite colors or images in the decorating to create a perfectly-planned atmosphere.
Set the Tone with Your Invitations
Once you know the vibe of your party, get people psyched by incorporating it into the design of your invitations. Whether you send out rolled-up messages in a bottle for a beach day, tuck bits of straw into your country-style invite, or have announcements engraved on fancy card stock for a formal affair, consider your invite an opportunity to give people a sneak preview of your party. Insist on RSVPs so you can be totally prepared number-wise with food, drink, and favors. Make sure to include an end time for your party, too -- it'll encourage people to come on time rather than dropping in like it's an open house and potentially missing one of your big moments.
Create a Timeline
Even though you may want to just "let things happen," having a schedule for your party means there won't be weird pauses where everyone looks at one another and asks, "Now what?" Create an hour-by-hour schedule for the day and include everything you can think of, from when the streamers will be hung, to when you'll make your entrance, to when the cake should be served, to when favors should be set up for departing guests. Don't forget to add specifics, like if you want to play any group games, pose for formal pictures, or make a toast -- these "basics" are actually easy to forget once you're caught up in all the attention and excitement. Creating a schedule will also help the servers and DJ keep the momentum of the party going.
Designate Your To-Dos
As you book party pros, find out what they'll include: Will the DJ bring dancers who give out favors? Will the restaurant provide enough servers to keep everyone�s glass full? Then you'll know what you're responsible for filling in instead of assuming it's all taken care of. Also check on any extra equipment you might need, especially if you're hosting the party at home or providing a lot of the supplies yourself, whether it's a tent for your backyard or rented speakers so you can blast the playlist you've set up on your iPod. Make sure your friends, family members, and vendors know exactly what you need them to do that day so you don�t have a freakout about something relatively small.
Ditch the Drama
Once you've planned your party down to a T, kick back and remember that your Sweet 16 should be about having fun, not fighting back tears because the font on the placecards is different than what you asked for. It's a fact: No matter how hard you work, your party won�t go 100% according to plan -- but we also guarantee that none of your guests will notice or care. Shrug it off, have another mini-pizza, check your teeth, and smile -- here comes someone else to wish you a happy birthday and take another picture!
-- Laura Gilbert
Resource: Andrea Ganes, Life of the Party Productions (lifeofthepartyproductions.com), Miami, FL
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