21860

Dinner & Dance Party -16yr- Candles & Flowers

August 2010

Wendy in Grayson, GA USA

Runner Up

PARTY THEME:  Sweet 16 This was my daughters sweet 16, and I didn't want the typical store bought birthday party. 

INVITATION: My daughter chose her colors for the party which were brown and pink. I bought 6 or so bunches of brown and pink color variation of artificial flowers which I found many uses for, you will hear about them throughout as part of the party décor. Her invitations were made of full sized candy bars, we used Hershey bars especially since they are nice and flat. We covered the labels with scrapbook paper utilizing paper with her color scheme, and were able to find small scrapbook flowers. I cut out her first initial and placed it in the center of the candy bar inside an oval and cut out the number 16 and superimposed over her initial. On the top of the oval sort of off center I placed the tiny scrapbook flower. On the ingredients section of the bars were party information. She handed a sweet treat to 16 of her closest friends. 

DECORATION: Included in her party was dinner so the party time was lengthy in comparison to most. To greet her guests was a swagged rope covered in tulle with photos attached by brown painted clothes pins that I had glued the heads of flowers to. I chose my favorite photos of her throughout the years which created a time line of her life.   Our dining room table was set and extended with folding tables to seat everyone together. I made napkin rings out of 20 gauge copper wire which was twisted around flowers at each end, the two ends meeting around the napkin and then twisted. (The girls who attended the party each asked to keep the napkin rings and wore them in their hair during the party). The napkins were placed on each place setting and accompanied by a colored glass tea candle.

The guest of honors tea candle was the only one that was different and it was a clear crystal heart for her to keep as a keepsake.The remainder of the table was decorated with a variety of glow in the dark products and it varied down the table so that each section added a new visual element. At one end of the table I used a clear florescent light cover (one with a cut glass look) slightly elevated off of the table and ran blue Christmas lights underneath to create a floating, glowing table. This was just in the center of the table but could have easily run the length of the table just as another option.

Each end of the table had its own center piece. One was a crystal vase filled with color fill and submersible blue lights inside. I arranged in the vase large painted glittered sticks and a few colored glow sticks to add a punch and elevate the look. The second center piece is a little more difficult to describe and was a vase inside a bowl with decorative elements around each. I used a large pedestal bowl, inside that bowl I placed another tall glass vase and filled it with holographic shred and a few colored LED lights going up the vase. Inside the vase I arranged tall glass stir sticks and more of the long glow sticks. Around the outside of the tall vase I placed shiny silver and blue ornamental balls which reflected the lights and I also added a few colored lights here and there. Beneath the pedestal bowl I placed colored LED lights all the way around over which I bunched tulle creating a unique glowing effect.

There are 5 windows in our dining room so purchased a roll of black plastic table cover and covered the windows (the rest I used in another room you will see later). I took several glow bracelets, and necklaces and strung them closed in different lengths down the window using fishing line. They were placed in front of the blacked out windows and had a fan blowing on them turning them. They looked like glowing orbs turning in the darkness. I also added to the glowing room with colored lights in the china cabinet in various places and ran rope lighting around the base of the walls. We served each of the guests as if in a restaurant. The menu was steak, baked potato with all the fixin's, salad and dressing, garlic bread and choice of drink.

After dinner the celebration continued in our sun room. The entrance of the sun room has two french doors at each door was a bunch of balloons with led lights inside that you can set to flash at different intervals. Inside the room I had blacked it out with the rest of the black plastic table covering that was used in the dining room windows. This was the teen room where they could dance and hang out. The room had been emptied except for a few chairs which were placed against the walls to create a dance floor. There was also, a stereo with speakers throughout the room black lights, disco lights, disco ball and laser lights. 

ACTIVITIES: After a time of hang out we played a few teen appropriate games for which we had prizes.  We played a game of How well do you know (guest of honor)".  I made up a variety of questions about my daughter and awarded a prize to the one who answered the most questions correctly. We also had a dancing contest which was voted on by other party attendee's and gave prizes to the top three guests. And we played a few rounds of karaoke with winners decided by the unanimous decision of everyone there. The prizes that I purchased were things that were popular at the time and included 3 electronic photo key chainsseveral name brand scented candles glow in the dark nail polish glow in the dark cross necklaces and other various novelty items that are usually a big hit with teens.  

CAKE and FAVORS: We served drinks non alcoholic beverages in glow in the dark cups and straws which the guests took home with them. I also bought tiny tins (found in a wedding section of the dollar store)the top was made so that you could take it apart and add your own design when it was put back together it had a clear plastic cover similar to that of a photo frame. I used the same design as the front of the candy bar invitation to decorate it and filled with pink and brown m&m's for each guest to take home.   

We ended her party night with her cake which was a chocolate dream. It was a round two teared chocolate cake with homemade chocolate satin icing and a chocolate ganache filling. The top layer was an 8 inch four layer cake and the bottom was a 10 inch four layer cake.  Around the outside of the cake were round chocolate disc' (often used for melting chocolate) and was simply trimmed around the bottom and top of each tier. Her 16 pink candles were placed atop the first tier and on the top tier was a crystal pumpkin coach with horses.   

Her party was a huge success! She and her friends talk about it on a regular basis. Everything that was used for the party was something I made at home with very few things bought. The biggest expense was the food I chose to spend more and have a nice menu because for the most part this will be her last mom planned party.  The lights that I used in the table scape can be bought at any craft store or online at party stores the immersible being the ones that are the most expensive but I have held onto them for future parties since they are reusable. 

I hope this helps anyone out there that might be up against the same dilemma I found myself in. I needed to give her something special for her last hurrah and I think I did.  Happy partying!!!"

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