16th Birthday Party Ideas for Hard Times
If your daughter is a fan of the MTV show, Sweet 16, then you might start to worry about coming up with affordable16th birthday party ideas that won’t disappoint her. Because of these difficult economic times, trying to come up with a special birthday party idea that fulfills your daughter’s wishes but doesn’t break the bank isn’t so easy. Therefore, here are some ideas to help you make that most special of birthday parties a memorable and special occasion.
Enlist as Much Help as You Can
Enlist as much help as you can in coming up with 16th birthday party ideas. In tough economic times, it is never a good idea to go it alone. Get your family and close friends involved in both the planning and implementation stage of your planning. Close friends will be able to help think of ways of getting something truly special and of how to get those things in less expensive ways. Say, for example, your daughter loves the rock duo, Tegan and Sara. Now, even if you were fabulously rich you are unlikely to get these Canadian twins to sing at your daughter’s sixteen-birthday party. Perhaps, however, you can get a professional DJ to work the party and play a hefty dose of your daughter’s favorite band as well as music with a similar aesthetic. Perhaps one of your friends may even know a young up and coming band that does covers who could learn some of the Canadian duo’s main hits and work your daughter’s sweet sixteen on the cheap. The likelihood of these synergies increases when people are cooperating rather than going it alone.
Furthermore, the more people you can get involved the easier it is to get others to help in the actually preparation for the party. This can be an invaluable cost saver as your collaborators can help produce many of the decorations. The more involved people feel the more likely they are to commit to the success of your daughter’s party.
Set Expectations at an Appropriate Level
Long before the week of the party roles around you need to sit your 16-year old down and give them a clear sense of the financial limitations that you and family are under so that he or she will not have any false expectations about the party. No matter how well you prepare for your teen’s sweet sixteen, if her 16th birthday party ideas arise from an extreme fantasy of how things will be, you will inevitably disappoint. So have a talk, or several talks with your teen so that he or she is not under the delusion that they will a have celebration like the ones they see on television. Generally, you may want to set expectations slightly below what you expect to deliver since this gives you some room to impress. If you have raised your teen properly, they should understand that family comes first, even if they may be somewhat disappointed.
Have Some Surprises up your Sleeve
If you know your teenager wants one thing more than anything else, or if you can afford one high cost item, then you might want to keep it a secret. Again, one of the keys to success is framing expectations. If your son wanted a car more than anything else and you managed to fix up your sister-in-law’s old clunker, keeping it a secret surprise for the party can really make for a great climax to the party.
Make Sure Your Teen Wants a Big Blowout
Finally, make sure that your teen actually wants this kind of party. Teen’s 16th birthday party ideas can be quite different from one another. If you have the sort of teen that prefers quieter more intimate events check in with her to see what she wants. Your daughter may actually prefer to go with just a small group of friends and family to an amusement park for the day rather than have a big blowout dance party.
Ask them. Consider what they actually want. Still be sure to have at least one surprise for them along the way to show that you really thought about them. That’s always the best of the 16th birthday party ideas.