Sweet Sixteen
Part 1: Getting Ready
By Cassondra Lynn, age 15, California
On March 20th, 2008 I turn 16. Not such a big achievement, but hey, it is a pretty special time in a teenager's life - you can drive, you think about colleges, you have a little more freedom. So what am I going to do for my Sweet Sixteen? Party, of course!
I decided quickly I didn't want any MTV reality show birthday party. That just isn't me. I wanted friends and family over for a barbeque.
Are you planning a Sweet Sixteen? Or maybe just a regular birthday party? Well, if you are, or are going to soon, here is a checklist I found helpful:
-set a date
-choose a place
-make a guest list
-make invitations
-get a list of foods and drinks you'll need
-burn some CDs to play, or book a DJ
-send invites a month in advance
-buy/make decorations
-create some entertainment
-send thank you cards after the party
I decided that I wanted my party to be on Saturday, March 22nd, which was quite convenient because the day before there is no school and the Monday through Friday afterwards is Spring Break. Also, I chose to have the party at my house. I made a guest list, and it came out to about 50 people. My next step was making invitations. I basically just printed out strips of paper and handed them out to friends or mailed them to relatives:
So now that my invitations were done, I sent them out. Make sure to send your invites at least a month in advance.
Now in my family when there's a party everyone makes food. Everyone brings something. Your party might be different, depending on the theme. Make sure to get cake and ice cream! You can get a small cake or a big cake depending on how big your party is. You can have one specially made at a high priced bakery or you can have a sheet cake designed. Sheet cakes usually feed a lot of people and you can have them decorated the way you want. Most bakeries even let you put edible pictures of yourself on the cakes.
Also, when choosing your food consider a lot of things, such as what I like to call the "embarrassment factor". If you have braces and the cute boy from school is coming, do you really want to be eating food that you know is going to get caught in your teeth? Another example might be, if you're a diabetic, do you really want tons and tons of sweets and nothing but sweets served? I mean, yes, sweets are wonderful and all, but going into a diabetic coma isn't. Take all factors into account.
And don't forget plates, silverware, serving utensils, and napkins!
As for decorations, I didn't really want any. But there are many things that maybe you'd like to do! Be creative! One thing that's practically mandatory at any party is tablecloths. Whether they're fabric or paper, you should cover eating tables, serving tables, and the gift table.
For entertainment at my party I knew the adults were covered. The guys would be outside talking and barbequing while the women would be inside talking and cooking.
But what about my friends? I decided that hanging out in my living room with video games would suit them perfectly. I'm pretty sure that everyone will be talking and messing around. I sure do hope so anyway. We'll see how that goes, won't we?
As for your party, maybe your friends aren't into video games. Maybe they'd prefer dancing or games. Your choice!
Well, I think that covers it. Check out next month's article to see how it went!
