We just finished celebrating my daughter's Sweet Sixteen, and what a blast !! I looked everywhere for ideas and ended up using what worked...
I rented a hall, ($200 VFW), hired a DJ who carried the party....(can be $500-$800...I know him and we got a deal), had Grandma cook pastas and meat balls and we set it up on the provided steam table), the "16 yr. Old party girl", her 13 year old sister and I decorated the hall the day before, beautifully, I may add. We had the advantage of 3 columns thet we wrapped in white lights and crepe paper/or flowers( it cost about $10 to wrap to poles). It was really pretty and added to the DJ lighting. This was a Sunday afternoon party, but had a night-life feel. Just what my daughter wanted !
The total trick was BALLOONS !!! We had 8 dozen balloons !!! We lucked into a half price moment at our local "party store", and got a dozen for $3. We filled the hall with helium balloons hugging the celing and 6 anchored to each of 6 tables.. We bought fortune cookies from a local Chineese Grocery (looked in the phone book, yes, they do exist) at 40/$4.00, and stapled them to various balloon ribbons dangeling from the celing. The effect was awsome.
We put lotsa fun into the whole thing, and it was not long-term planned, believe me. We scattered Hershey Kisses around the ballons on the tables and supplied dollar store "whirrling noise-makers" on each table, along w/a disposable camera (it will take a year to have the $$ to develop all the film..) The young adults seemed to like to have something to occupy their time at the table....... It worked like a charm. My daughter was the princess for the day and I have various "obscure" compliments coming back to me through people (who know people) who have teens.
I decorated a very big wicker basket that I happened to have and turned it into a "gift basket"...and decorated a special cake table for the cake she chose.
I split the tasks.... Mind you, we did most of the work !! And it was a real bonding time for me w/ my girls(and all of BOTH my daughter's friends !!! )
