Sweet 16 Party Themes

One of the most important events in the life of a teenage girl is her Sweet Sixteen birthday party. It's her chance to stand in the spotlight and shine! This momentous occasion should be celebrated in style. A birthday party complete with a creative theme and fabulous sweet sixteen party favors will have her sparkling with joy.

• Oscar Party – Roll out the red carpet, and encourage your guests to come as their favorite celebrity. Send out formal sweet sixteen invitations (try our friends at Greeting Card Universe) Set the mood for the movies by decorating the inside of your home like a movie set, complete with director chairs, clapboards, and a giant "Hollywood" sign cut from white butcher paper. Create your own Hollywood Walk of Fame by placing paper stars with your friends' names on them throughout the room. And don't forget the Award Ceremony–invite each guest to accept a trophy, front and center on the podium. Be sure to serve sparkling cider in champagne glasses to celebrate the guest of honor–you!

• Movie Party – Instead of a Hollywood theme, consider using a hit movie to inspire your birthday party. Hold an exclusive screening of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and encourage your girlfriends to come dressed as Holly Golightly. Purchase supplies from a bead store to make jewelry after the movie is over. But if Tiffany's doesn't do it for you, you can always flash forward about 20 years. Screen "Sixteen Candles" or "The Breakfast Club," and give your party a totally 80's theme. Encourage your friends to pay tribute to the decade by wearing parachute pants, leg warmers, and anything neon. Sing the early hits of Madonna and moonwalk like Michael Jackson with a rented karaoke machine. Then dig into your parents' old record collection and complete the evening with an 80's dance party will have everyone "wang chung-ing" on this night, for sure!

• Mystic Party – What does your 16th year hold in store for you? Hire a fortuneteller to read the palms at your party and find out! Encourage your guests to come dressed as their astrological sign (in whatever way they wish to interpret it). For added fun, hire someone who will give you a lesson in Tarot Card reading. Hang cutouts of moons and stars around the room, burn soothing incense, and fill the room with a collection of candles. And if the palm reader doesn't answer all of your questions, you can always break out the Ouija board at midnight and summon the collected spirits. Personalized fortune cookies or personalized candles are perfect as party favors for this illuminating theme.

• High Tea Party – Host an afternoon tea party at home. Deliver an elegant invitation, requesting all of your guests to come for an afternoon of high tea. Encourage everyone to dress in the spirit of the fashionable Victorian era (complete with hats, gloves, and parasols, of course). Set tables in your backyard with white tablecloths and fine china. Serve hot tea from silver pitchers, along with a variety of tea sandwiches, scones, tarts, crumpets, and monogrammed petite fours. If you're lucky, you might convince your father and brother to wear tuxedos and "work" as waiters for the occasion (it is your birthday, after all). If you want to go all out, consider renting a double-decker bus to take your guests to and from the party. Now that's traveling in style!

• Alice in Wonderland Party – If high tea is not your thing, consider the alternative–a tea party fit for a mad hatter. Dress Dad as a caterpillar, and have him ask, "Whooo are you?" as guests arrive at the front door. Encourage guests to come in crazy costumes–anything goes, but hats should be mandatory. (Have a few extras on-hand for anyone who doesn't comply with the dress code). Seat guests in chairs of all shapes and sizes, and set the table with mismatched dishes, oversized cups and whimsical cupcake place card holders. Serve a collection of wild tea sandwiches and giant cookies. Ensure that there are sparklers on your cake instead of the usual candles, and have everyone sing "A Very Merry Un-Birthday" when the moment arrives. After all, it's everyone's un-birthday today! Once the cake has been served, you and your guests can move to the front lawn for a game of croquet (using plastic pink flamingos as mallets, of course!).

• Club Sixteen Party – Everyone loves a dance party! Hire a DJ to set up turntables right in your living room, or include a blank CD along with your party invitation, and ask the guests to create a mix CD just for the party. Post a banner across your front porch, declaring your home to be Club (Your Name) for the night. Rent a disco ball or strobe light to lend the proper mood to the occasion. Fill the room with inflated balloons, and encourage everyone to choreograph a dance routine for the evening's contest. You can even serve "mocktails" as part of the special celebration. And hand out cocktail flavored jelly beans as party favors. Here's to you!

• Spa Party – Have a "sparty" (spa-party)! It's your party, and you deserve some serious pampering on this special day. Arrange for a mani-pedi party at your local nail salon, or bring a manicurist into your home just for the occasion. Provide monogrammed spa slippers for each of the girls. Hang white sheets on the walls, and encourage everyone to bring their favorite robe and slippers to the party. Decorate with aromatherapy candles and scatter rose petals around the room for an added feeling of tranquility. Prepare flavored water with fresh slices of lemons, limes, oranges, and cucumbers for your Gossip Girls to sip from as you take turns giving one another shoulder massages. Lay out a selection of healthy snacks like fresh fruits, veggie trays, and chocolate dipped strawberries. You'll be ready for a night out in the O.C. after this relaxing afternoon!