When my daughter said she wanted to throw a Sweet 16 party at the house, we immediately went into planning mode weeks in advance. She knew her theme early on was going to be country so that helped with brainstorming. Amazon was our hero as usual but I thought I would share some of the party ideas for anyone looking to throw a similar theme or just looking for new ideas.
Activities
The very first request was to make sure there was plenty to do during the party. We had to make sure there was a photo booth for picture taking, a favorite pastime for teenage girls, games to play, and of, course, a dance floor. We set up our ping pong table along with our beanbag set in the backyard along with a hangout area away from the dance floor area. When guests arrived, we had an intro game for them to guess some of my daughter’s favorite things. It was a good way to get everyone talking as they arrived.
Photo Booth
This was one of the most important things as we had to have those post worthy IG and Snapchat photo opps. She knew she wanted a balloon arch and some hay to make it feel more festive. We got lucky and found a backdrop on Amazon that looked like a barn and really made the booth come alive. We got the straw bale at a local feed store for less than $15. Well worth it!
Food
To stay within the theme, we ordered BBQ from a local place and had it delivered. It was perfect for the kids to grab and go and kept it easy and simple for clean up. We also set up a candy station for them to enjoy during the party and take some home with to go containers. The cake was from Nothing Bundt Cakes, one of our local favorites and I just ordered Bundtinis for the rest of the kids.
Decorations
Amazon for the win again! Not only did the balloon arch and backdrop come from there but we also ordered our checkered tablecloths and lights from there. The large balloons came from there but I think the Target ones are better. We used large mason jars to add some twinkle lights and placed handkerchiefs around them. We also found some mini mason jar lights that were hung from the trees at night. Our dog gate was turned around since it looked a little “country bumpkin” and was used for the gifts.
All in all, we had a very happy teenage girl and that is definitely a win! Parties at the house are a lot of work but I always love having control over everything and seeing how it turns out. Not sure if this will be our last kid’s birthday party at the house or not, but it was one we will all remember.