We tend to put birthday parties into a couple of categories. There is the small child’s birthday party, marked by clowns, pinatas, and party pizzas. You have 21st birthdays, which have become a party day. Then, you have sweet sixteen birthdays, which tend to be the ultimate in teenage birthdays throughout the United States. Sweet sixteens are such a big deal that they can cost anywhere from $300-$25,000. To put together these extravagant parties, parents must rely on creativity, thoughtfulness, and event rental companies to make their child’s birthday special.
Here are four things you need to get for a sweet sixteen at home:
Rent a Tent
One of the most important products offered by event rental companies is their tent rentals. That’s because every great party has a tent set up in either the backyard or whatever grassy area is available. Tents offer protection from the elements if the weather doesn’t corporate with the party. It also gives your guests some form of shelter to eat and drink, without having to spend their time inside. More importantly, they offer a space that brings people together, instead of having party guests spread out all over the entire property.
For any number of large events, like weddings, reunions, and birthday parties, tent rentals are a key part of the experience. Accessories for tents can also be bought or rented to help make the tent’s aesthetic as beautiful as possible.
Make Sure to Have the Right Amount of Settings
This may sound obvious, but it’s so easy to get wrong. You need to have enough banquet tables, chair rentals, chair covers, linens, center pieces, and silverware for everyone to be able to sit and eat at the same time. It doesn’t look good to have to pull out an extra folding table that doesn’t match the rest of the table rentals. The same goes for having linen colors that don’t match because they had to be added later. Of course, this issue works in reverse as well. Renting more than you need to can lead to empty tables and chairs, making the party look lightly attended. In either case, the best way to avoid this issue in the long term is to be on top of how many people will be attending your party.
Stick to One Theme
When planning a party, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and easily excited. You research different ideas, finding dozens you want to try along the way. This is where you need to be careful. Allowing too many ideas and themes to overtake your party can make it less enjoyable for guests and more stressful to plan.
Avoid this by sticking to one theme and making sure that everything fits that theme. If it were a child’s princess party, you wouldn’t include a family whiffle ball game. The same goes for a sweet sixteen. You may not need a DJ if the party is more about family coming together to celebrate, whereas if it’s a party for a teenager to celebrate with friends a DJ may be worthwhile.
Cater the Food
No matter how big or small the sweet sixteen is, a lot of people think they can cook for the party. Then, as preparations become busier and busier, the idea of cooking becomes a daunting challenge. It’s much better to cater food for the party, regardless of size. This takes a huge challenge off your hands and gives you more time to focus on your guests and enjoying the party yourself. All you’ll need to do is set up banquet tables, plates, and silverware, and enjoy the food.
Event rental companies offer almost anything you will need to throw the best sweet sixteen possible. So, it’s important to use event rental companies as the great resource they are in preparing for any event. The stress that comes from planning parties without them simply isn’t worth it when there is so much to do already.
