Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen: A practical guide for planning and celebrating a Sweet Sixteen

by Rosa Rodriguez

Overview

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, a practical guide to planning and celebrating a sweet sixteen, is a fun and practical book on how to plan and celebrate a Sweet Sixteen, teenage girls and their parents no longer have to go to a wedding planning book and then adjust it for a sweet sixteen party.

In Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, party planner and events consultant Rosa Rodriguez tells you the secrets to throwing a fantastic birthday bash. Backed with her extensive experience in organizing events and her creativity, she shares an exciting and easy to follow guidebook that will let you and your guests have the time of your lives on your special day!

From the conceptualizing stage to making the celebration unforgettable, this book will be your treasure trove of unique ideas and effective planning tips!  And unlike wedding planning books it has wonderful whimsical pictures by Alana Lively which makes the book fun to look at while you are reading and learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481702386
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	12/14/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

Read an Excerpt

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen

A practical guide for planning and celebrating a Sweet Sixteen

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By Rosa Rodriguez

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Rosa Rodriguez
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-4614-9

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Chapter One

The Big Decision: What Type of a Celebration?

A Sweet Sixteen party is one of the most important and exciting events in a teenage girl's life. A Sweet Sixteen is, in many ways, a coming-out party that tells the world that you are no longer a little girl but a young woman.

Once upon a time, it was simple, and there were few choices, but not anymore! Now, you have lots of options, including celebrating your Sweet Sixteen like you would any other birthday party, having a theme party, or having a party that rivals a wedding. The choice is up to you and your parents.

The first decision to make is what you want your party to be: a simple party, a theme party (for example, 1970s, 1980s, Hawaiian luau, or traditional party for your culture or country), or a fancy and large party. If you are planning a large party, you must decide whether to go it alone, with an escort or with a court (which is also referred to as the "Sweet 16 court" in this book). The best part is that you can be Cinderella on your special day without needing a guy to make it happen, unlike a wedding!

The best time to start thinking about your Sweet Sixteen is while you are 14 years old, especially if you plan to have a Sweet Sixteen that rivals a wedding. What? You are already 15 years old? Let's get going and start planning — your Sweet Sixteen is less than a year away!

Before going any further, I highly recommend against having a "free for all Birthday bash" that is more like a club scene than a party. You are probably thinking, "What's the difference?" The main ones to think about are shown below.

Birthday Party Birthday Bash

* When you give a party that your guests * When the guests view a birthday see as a birthday party, they are more party just as a bash, they will see likely to bring you a card (which may it as an opportunity to get free have money inside), a gift or both. food and drinks, to be at a club-type scene without having to pay a penny, etc., and most likely, to arrive without a gift or even a card.

* Guests will behave and most likely * Guests might decide to go wild respect the property they are on. and cause damage to the property, which can be very expensive no matter where the party takes place.

* The probability of the party getting out * The likelihood of the party of control is very low to nonexistent. getting out of control increases, making what was supposed to be the best day of your teenage life into one of the worst.

Think about it. Why give a party where you may be totally ignored, and the guests may cause damage to the property, which may be your own home, and which will cost your parents? You want your party to be an event where your family and friends celebrate you turning 16 years old, honored, and everyone has fun without having to face negative consequences.

While you are deciding on what type of party you want, it's important to consider your personality, your parents' finances, and your family and friends. By doing this, you will come much more quickly to a decision that both you and your parents will agree on and be happy with. It's also of utmost importance to avoid getting moody with your parents at any time, including before the party planning. Otherwise, you may end up with a party that is not like you want or no party at all! If you change your mind about wanting to have a party, or worse, keep saying "No" and having an attitude for weeks, and then, all of sudden, decide "I want to have a big Sweet Sixteen party," your parents, for various reasons, may decide to stick to the decision you made before you came to your senses.

Parents, if your teenager acts like a teenager at a Sweet 16 Expo not liking anything and, all of sudden, not wanting to celebrate her Sweet Sixteen, be the adult and sit her down somewhere and make all the decisions yourself. She may continue to say she doesn't want it for weeks. Just keep ignoring your teenager, and do what you know is best. Teenagers can be very moody, and in the long run, your daughter will be glad you ignored her and celebrated her birthday. Also, avoid using your daughter's moodiness as an excuse to get out of celebrating her birthday.

If you decide to celebrate your Sweet Sixteen like any other birthday, or maybe fancy or with a theme but without a court, in other words you want to go solo, you made a smart decision and saved yourself lots of headaches. The decision to go solo is great because you it makes you the sole center of attention!

Below are reasons as to why you made a very smart decision by going solo:

* You can decide to have an escort or not.

* You have to be concerned only about your own attire, thus making life much easier on yourself.

* You don't have to be concerned about who you are going to select to be in your court, or worry about finding enough teenagers who are willing to participate or whose parents are willing to pay for the expenses involved for their child to be a member of a Sweet 16 court.

* Neither you nor anyone else will need to manage a bunch of teenagers.

* It is less expensive, since there are no thank-you notes or gifts to be given to a court.

* You have to be concerned only for your own transportation.

What? You want a Sweet Sixteen party that rivals a wedding with a court? Having this type of party can be lots of fun. However, it involves as much planning as a wedding does, because it is, in almost every respect, like a wedding except that no marriage ceremony is performed. Some Sweet Sixteen parties also include a church service.

Although it is tempting to want a celebration with a church blessing, 15 maids and 15 escorts, with you and your escort being the sixteenth couple, it is wiser to be less extravagant for very practical reasons. I recommend against it for various reasons besides the expense (which usually ends up being more than planned or expected):

* Finding 30 teenagers who are willing to participate in your Sweet Sixteen can be a difficult task due to costs, scheduling conflicts and the need to get parental consent.

* Managing 30 teenagers is very challenging, and you must consider how the different personalities will interact.

* It's very easy for teenagers to fall in and out of friendships over the silliest of things.

* There is the transportation issue: How are you going to get all 30 teenagers to the party site?

Which is why I highly recommend, if you are planning to have a court: to plan on only having seven couples in the Sweet 16 court, with you and your escort being the eighth couple. If you think about it, by having eight couples, the total number of teenagers will be 16, which is really what most girls seek when they want to have 15 girls and 15 guys as members of the Sweet 16 court. Also, with eight couples instead of 16 couples, your headaches will be cut by at least half.

If money is not an issue for you or your intended court, your decision will be much easier in terms of the cost, but you will still have to think carefully about having a court and the size of the court, since the other issues remain the same.

After you've decided on what type of party you want, the fun begins. You now have to start planning, budgeting, deciding whether to get a party planner (and whether the party planner will be an amateur or professional), and dealing with unexpected emergencies. During the planning stage, list everything that needs to be done that you plan or wish having at the party. Below is a sample list of things to include in the initial planning stage:

* Type of party

* Budget

* Dress and shoes for yourself, your mother and girls in the court (if applicable)

* Rental of tuxedos, or the cost of suits for your father, your escort and guys in the court (if applicable)

* Hair and makeup

* Undergarments

* Party Site

* Food and beverages

* Cake

* Transportation

* DJ or band

* Invitations, gift bags and favorsRental of tables, chairs, silverware and linens

* Security

* Ceremony (for example, a church blessing, shoe ceremony, or candle ceremony)

* Special performance (for example, someone singing)

* Special event during the party (for example, a PowerPoint presentation of the girl growing up)

* Any other miscellaneous thing you may want to do, such as registering at a store's gift registry

Asking the guests to visit a store gift registry may sound snobbish, but it's not because you are letting the guests know what you want, and keeping them from buying the same gifts.

Once your list is finished, use it as the framework on which you develop the party plans. For example, under the "ceremony" category, you may want to list where you would like to have it, or if your parents decide to have a PowerPoint presentation, the subcategories should include pictures and a few highlights of your story (for example, how your parents met, your birth, you as a baby, you in elementary school, etc. to be developed into a narrative). Besides using the computer (for our purposes "computer" will refer to: desktop, laptop, tablet, iPad or any other electronic device which can be used to type, store and send data) to keep organized, place a copy of the handwritten list or computer-printed list, notes, etc. in a folder or, better yet, in a binder with pockets labeled by category (for example, budget, party site, dress, DJ/band, cake, Sweet 16 court, transportation, flowers, decorations, invitations, etc.). This will help keep you organized and make it easy to locate any document or piece of paper you may need to find related to the party.

Once the list is created, the colors, theme and type of party are decided on; it's a good idea to let your mom or another person take over the actual planning. Just be available when called on and to participate in things like meeting with the members of the Sweet Sixteen court. By doing this, you will enjoy the process so much more and be less stressed, which will lead to fewer arguments over the little things.

What about Twins and Multiples?

If you are a twin or other set of multiple siblings, this is not the time to show your differences or get into a competition. Get into agreement on the theme of the party (if any), dress style and color. If one sibling wants to wear a much sexier dress than the other, lean toward the more conservative. When you see the pictures, you will be glad you did, and in a few years, you will really be glad you opted for the more conservative style. What if you are part of a girl-and-boy set of twins or other set of multiple siblings? Plan on having a Sweet Sixteen party and 16th Birthday Batch. This way, the boy is included and feels as important as the girl; after all, the boy, too, is coming into young adulthood.

Chapter Two

Yes, You Need to Have a Budget

After making the tough decision of what type of celebration you want, whether a small and simple celebration or a big birthday bash, with or without a court, it's important to create a written budget, no matter the type of celebration. Some of you are thinking why do we do have a budget "What's the big deal? Afterall, we are planning a very small party or gathering, we are not really throwing a party"; well you still need to have a budget. This kind of thinking will make it even more difficult for you to sit down to create a budget, and it may be especially hard if you are an only child. And the biggest culprits will be your parents who may have the "nothing is too good for my daughter" attitude and who are willing to spend money they just don't have.

In spite of the opposition to the needing to have a budget for whatever reason, when all is said and done everyone involved will be glad that there was a budget in place. By creating a budget you may be able to have the party you thought you couldn't afford. Some of the reasons are that a budget:

* Provides an estimate of how much the party will cost, based on the type of party.

* Allows you to see in black and white how much adding or subtracting items will affect the cost.

* Teaches you and in some cases your parents how to manage money and how, with creativity, you can afford to have the type of party you want without overspending.

* Keeps both your parents and you on track because you are able to look back at the budget to see if you have strayed, by how much and where, and which item or items need to be adjusted to keep within the budget.

* Helps your parents get others involved in helping with the costs of the party.

* Keeps your parents from breaking the bank - something you will be glad about in two years.

The budget should include everything in your wish list, including incidentals, because everything adds up. Below is a sample budget to give you an idea of how to allocate the money.

Your Sweet Sixteen Budget Worksheet My Total Budget: ___________

% of total Your What you Expenses budget estimate actually spent Priest fee for a blessing 3% ______ ______ ceremony, and musician and singer fees at the ceremony (if used)

Reception site, food, beverages, 48% ______ ______ rentals, cake, favors, decorations, toiletries, miscellaneous extras

Dress, undergarments and hosiery, 10% ______ ______ shoes, accessories, jewelry, hair and makeup, nails

Bouquets or corsages and boutonnieres, 8% ______ ______ centerpieces, flower girl basket

Band and/or DJ, sound system rental 9% ______ ______

Photographer's and videographer's 12% ______ ______ fees, albums, etc.

Transportation for the birthday girl 3% ______ ______ and Sweet Sixteen court, shuttle for guests, and/or parking attendants

Invitations, response cards, thank-you 3% ______ ______ notes, postage, calligraphy (planning to pay for it), guest book

Gifts for the court 3% ______ ______

Again, put the budget in writing, whether it's in pen, pencil, or Microsoft Word or Excel (spreadsheet software) or similar software. However, I recommend doing this in Excel or a similar software, because it automatically updates the totals using the add sum formula which already exists in Excel as Σ (making sure there are no blank rows and if there are drag the curser and highlight all the rows in the column being added above the Σ). This way, every time the numbers are changed the totals are automatically recalculated eliminating the need for the calculations to be done manually. If the section for the court was included in the overall budget, I recommend cutting and pasting the court section into another section of the page or to another page of the spreadsheet. This will be easy, since Excel allows for cutting, copying and pasting, making it easy to "pull out" the items designated for the court from the main budget to create a separate spreadsheet to give to the court. Also, make sure that the budget is very detailed, with each item separately priced. Creating a detailed budget will help you keep better track of all the party expenses.

As was mentioned before, the budget should include the items the court will be responsible for (preferably on a separate spreadsheet). Give the handout listing the court's responsibilities during the meeting to discuss who is responsible for what. For your convenience, below is the start of a detailed budget worksheet, based on the one above. Again, the worksheet should include everything related to the party, no matter how inexpensive, such as items the court is responsible for, even items not directly related to the party (for example, an exercise DVD, acne products, pet sitter, etc.; read the Odds and Ends chapter for the full list).

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen by Rosa Rodriguez Copyright © 2012 by Rosa Rodriguez. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction....................2
The Big Decision: What Type of a Celebration?....................3
Yes, You Need to Have a Budget....................8
Who is Responsible for What?....................13
The Invitation List....................16
Where, Oh, Where are You Going to Celebrate?....................19
Invitations and Party Gifts/Favors....................26
Who is Going to Provide the Music?....................34
Photographing and Videotaping Your Birthday....................38
How are You and Your Court Getting to the Party?....................41
The Dress and Shoes....................43
Food and Beverages....................51
The Cake....................55
Decorations, and Table and Seating Assignments....................57
One Month Count Down....................63
The Big Day....................67
After the Party....................71
Odds and Ends....................72
Conclusion....................86