Sweet Sixteen Party Ideas

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Sweet Sixteen parties are firmly rooted in traditions that date to as far back as 1765! If you're looking for Sweet Sixteen party ideas, we think these traditional activities are a good place to start. From there you can put your own finishing touches on the event and make sure the birthday girl's personality shines through.

The Shoe Ceremony

It's like Cindererlla's glass slipper, but not quite. At the Sweet Sixteen shoe ceremony, the birthday girl changes into her first pair of high heels. The pair of heels can be brought to her ceremoniously on a beautifully decorated pillow and placed on her feet by her dad, step-dad, godfather, or other important person. The shoe ceremony is symbolic of the birthday girl's transition into womanhood.

The Crowning Ceremony

If high heels aren't the birthday girl's thing, she may opt for a tiara crowning ceremony instead. Or, if she prefers, the two ceremonies can be combined.

The Father-Daughter Dance

This is also popular at weddings. Pick a special song as the first dance before everyone else takes the floor. It can be just a slow dance to a sentimental song like Paul Simon's "Father and Daughter" or something fun and choreographed like this one—it just depends on personality.

The Birthday Toast

This special speech is usually delivered by Dad, but Mom or a grandparent could also make this part of the Sweet Sixteen Party extra special. The speech usually focuses on special and joyful moments the daughter has been a part of over the years. It could also include wishes for a bright and successful future or a touching or humorous (but not embarrassing!) story from the birthday girl's childhood.

The rest of the party is up to you. Of course for decorations and cupcake toppers we recommend Pinwhirls.com! They're just the right amount of whimsy and sophistication—the perfect way to hold on to a little piece of childhood.

5 Steps to Being a Great Party Hostess

Photo Courtesy of Prue of Gigi & Lulu
www.gigiandlulu.com.au/blog/carnival-party/

Some people just have a knack for being the perfect party host or hostess. From the perfect decorations and invitations to the best food and games, some people don't even have to try. For the rest of us, I've compiled a few tips that will help make your next backyard barbecue or birthday party more enjoyable. After all, a party isn't really a party unless everyone is having fun and the mood is festive.

5 Steps to Being a Better Party Hostess

1. Work Ahead. It's important to get all of your prep work—like making the hors d'oeuvres and decorating—completely finished before your guests start to arrive. This way you have time to interact with everyone. Most of the time the party hostess is the one person all of the guests have in common. That makes you the social glue that keeps everything together.
   


2. Personally Welcome Your Guests. Even if your guests will be letting themselves in and arriving at different times, make sure you greet them as soon as possible after they arrive. Welcome them, and make that little bit of effort to let them know you're happy they could come. Fill them in on the conversation or the current activity so they can jump right into the mix.
   


3. Be Happy. If you're not enjoying your own party, chances are your guests aren't either. Don't sweat the small stuff and don't make excuses for things that didn't go as planned. Relax, smile, and have fun. Your guests will appreciate it!
   


4. Limit Your Guest List. A big party is great, but only if you truly have the room for it. If you want your guests to be comfortable make sure you don't have them packed in like sardines without room to mix and mingle.
   


5. Let Others Help. Many times people will offer to help you in the kitchen or to set up for the next game or activity. Let them. You don't have to do everything yourself, and its a good way to include people who feel like they are out of the loop.

For party invitations, decorations, and inspiration, don't forget to visit us at www.pinwhirls.com!

Color Meanings

One of the most important elements of planning a wedding or party is choosing the perfect colors for flowers, balloons, Pinwhirls, and other decorations. Beyond just selecting your favorites, you might want to choose hues that are symbolic or carry special meaning for you. Below you'll find a list of some popular colors along with their meanings and popular uses.

Blues

Blue is common among religious practices and is symbolic of loyalty, peace, and calm. It is also worn often in the workplace and can symbolize intelligence, togetherness, and stability. Blue is considered a year-round color so it's extremely versatile.

Other blue-related hues: Azure, sky blue, royal blue, navy blue, beryl, cerulean, cyan, and indigo.


Greens

Green is most frequently associated with nature and life or growth. Green can also be a calming color, but it is sometimes negatively associated with envy. Stronger associations include ties with the environment, the season of spring, and vitality.

Other green-related hues: Sage, olive, pine, sea green, emerald green, mint, and kelly green.

Reds

The color red is like a two-edged sword. It is commonly associated with love and passion, but it is also representative of conflict and war. Red is a stimulating color the often elicits and emotional response. In some cultures across the globe it is symbolic of joy, purity and celebration.

Other red-related hues: Crimson, rouge, ruby, maroon, China red, carmine, and burgundy.

Purples

Purple traditionally associated with royalty, nobility, and spirituality. It is also represented in nature in the form of violets, lilacs, and lavender. It is known for sparking the imagination. Darker shades are representative of wealth and extravagance, while lighter shades suggest romance.

Other purple-related hues: Eggplant, lavender, indigo, mauve, amethyst, and wine.

Different color combinations can be used to spark multiple meanings. Combining greens and blues, for example, can give your event a feeling of calm and growth. Using reds and purples can spark emotions of passion, love, and royalty.

By learning color meanings, you can plan a wedding, shower, or birthday party that inspires guests to see the world as you do.

Retirement Party 101: Tips and Ideas

A retirement party should be fun for the guests and the person being honored. After all, that person deserves to be rewarded for years and years of hard work. These retirement party ideas and tips can help you plan everything from the guest list to the party theme.

As always, if you've hosted a party and have comments, recommendations, or ideas to share with other readers, don't forget to tell us about them in the comments!

Retirement Party Theme Ideas

• Decade Theme: Choose a decade and make the party totally 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s. Pick the decade that the guest of honor started working or pick the retiree's favorite decade. Then plan your decor accordingly and invite guests to dress in costume for the event.
  
• Location Theme: Turn the event hall, park shelter, or backyard into a fun retirement destination. Some happy sunny locales could include Florida, Aruba, Mexico, Arizona or the Mediterranean. Just ask the special guest this one question: "If you could retire to any destination in the world, where would it be?"
  
• Lasting Memories Theme: The idea here is to get everyone to contribute a fond memory or humorous story the past. You can collect them in a scrapbook with snapshots or compile them digitally to make a memorable video montage.

Creating a Guest List

Depending on the size of the party you may want to include the following guests: family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. If you're inviting people from out of town, be sure to mail invitations or save the date cards so that your guests can plan ahead.

Retirement Party Decorations

Retirement party decorations have a tendency to be dark but humorous. That's okay if your guest of honor has a sense of humor, but we recommend lightening things up a bit. After all, retirement should be fun—a well-deserved treat for a lifetime of work.

You can lighten the mood with decorations and foods that inspire fun and play. Pinwhirls pinwheels, games, toys, and bright colorful balloons, and table settings can be a nice alternative to decorations that pick on the reitree's age.