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Sweet 16 Party (reveal)!!

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Here’s the secret project I was working on last week. Sweet 16 Party (reveal)!!

A SURPRISE Sweet 16 Party for my daughter!!

A little mom moment — {I am so proud of my Hayley. The teenage years seemed so scary to me when my kids were young. And we did have a couple bumpy years when she was about 12 or 13. But it is so fun to have this beautiful girl in my life. She has been working so hard. She has been trying to get healthier over the past year by eating well and working out and has lost about 30 pounds. She also is doing great in school and is so dedicated to her lacrosse team. She went on her first date this weekend — I cried just a little bit.}

And while she was gone on her date, our family went into over-drive getting a SURPRISE party set up. It was so fun!!! She had NO idea.

My friend Amy from Living Locurto made a custom party package for this party – including those awesome 3-d numbers. Amy is SO talented!!! I love the hearts and bright colors — it’s so Hayley!!

Check out the cute Heart Birthday Banner. And the Cupcake Toppers. And the Straw Flags. Everything is so fun. Amy will be selling a version of this party soon in her Living Locurto Printable Shop. She can personalize it for you too!

We made all kinds of treats for the festivities. Plus, tons of chips and dips and appetizers.

We also set up a Photo Booth.

For the background I used plastic tablecloths. And then hung paper fans of different colors and sizes, overlapping. It was so bright and pretty!!

It was such a fun night. And the best part?? She had NO idea. She was so surprised!!

I also made a paper chandelier out of paper lanterns. I just attached them together and hung them with twine from the ceiling. I used battery-operated lights to illuminate them with no wires.

She was so surprised!!

I love these kinds of moments.

Thanks again to Amy at Living Locurto for the printables for the party!!

xoxoPS — I’m linking to these fun parties:

 Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, Somewhat Simple,  Tidy Mom, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, I Heart Naptime, The CSI Project’s Birthday Challenge

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Comments

  2. Julie says

    I too am organising a surprise party for daughter who is turning 16. I love the idea of the photo booth, but am not sure how to organise the camera. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Julie

  4. Brian - Sweet 16 Themes says

    Love the colors and always a great idea with the photobooth for a sweet 16 party! Everything is very clean, colorful and vibrant. It feels girly without being too girly! Love how everything turned out!

  5. kim kotars says

    Hi, I just diownloaded these for my daughter’s 16th next month, but can you please tell me where you got the foam numbers? They are really hard to find. Thanks!

  6. xxx says

    I wished my parents would do something like this. They never seem to care about stuffs like this. Makes me feel like I don’t deserve it ..

  7. Rhonda says

    Thanks so much for the ideas! I love the photo booth! I’ve been searching for some affordable ideas to make this day for my daughter special. Thanks again!

    • Jen says

      Thanks Amy!!

      Hayley had a great time. My son is a funny kid. He likes to make me laugh 🙂

      xoxoxoxo

  10. Beckie says

    Happy Birthday Hayley you do look amazing. I, too am so proud of you. Losing weight is HARD work and you did it which is a HUDE accomplishment. Happy Sweet 16!

  12. nest of posies says

    you are too cool for school! what a great mom your are!

    my mom did a surprise party for my sweet 16 – waaaaaay back in the day. i remember it like it was yesterday. i am sure she will cherish everything you did & all those special touches. i love the paper laterns from the ceiling & the fun fans in your photo booth.

    so fun!
    xo
    kellie

  14. Carla says

    You have a beautiful daughter. Love the backdrops. What a lucky to have such a talented and loveing mom. Great job mom! ;o)

  20. Maggie says

    This is such a cute party. I LOVE the wreath that you made. Do you have a tutorial? What material did you use? Felt? I want to make a rainbow wreath like it for St. Patricks Day. If you could just point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it!

  21. Liz @ Sugarplum Creations says

    Your daughter looks FANTASTIC! Happy 16th birthday to her! I am terrified of the teenage years, myself! I’m already noticing a tiny bit of attitude coming from my 9 1/2 year old, and I don’t like it one bit! 🙂

  23. Theresa says

    What a beautiful party! You created magic that she will never forget. You scored major Mom points. Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas.

    : 0 ) Theresa

  25. momofmamnyinca says

    Very cute!!!!! Loved that she had no idea she was having a party. My Kayla just turned 16 Jan 13. It goes so fast enjoy it while you can. 🙂

  26. Tauni says

    Oh my gosh Jen. So fun! Seriously makes me jealous that a) I have no girls b) I have no teenagers (for the moment, one is desperately trying).

    You are such a great mom and a WONDERFUL friend.

    Love you!

  27. laura says

    Your daughter is gorgeous! And the decorations all were beautiful. Fun colors. Great attention to detail. Love the paper lanterns. And most importantly, I’m sure your daughter could feel all the love you put into everything. Fabulous job.

    • Jen says

      Thanks Laura!!

      It was so fun to put together. She was really happy and that made everything perfect!

      xoxo
      Jen

  28. Daneilia says

    Jen, you are such a good and strong Mama. Your daughter is so pretty! The party looks fantastic. Hopefully you keep your sanity close to you as she grows older 😉 {{hugs}}

    • Jen says

      Ah, thanks!! We will see about my sanity. I have two younger girls too that haven’t hit the teenage years LOL!!!

      Thanks for your comment – it means a lot to me!

      xoxoxo
      Jen

    • Jen says

      Thanks Natalie!!

      I love the bright colors and they fit in with her personality. She is a sweet girl 🙂

      Thanks for the nice comment – I appreciate it!

      xoxoxo

  30. kendall says

    Wow! This is so awesome- what a great momma you are! Your daughter is so pretty! It looks like she had a super sweet 16 indeed!
    -kendall
    songbirdsandbuttons.blogspot.com

    • Jen says

      Thanks Kendall!!

      She had a fun time and that made me so happy!!

      Thanks for the comment – I appreciate you taking the time to leave one!

      xoxoxo

    • Jen says

      Thanks Kassi!!!

      It was a fun night. I think they had a great time.

      Thanks for the comment – it was so nice of you to stop by!

      xoxoxo

  35. Natasha says

    This is fabulous. I love the photo booth idea!! So fun and would be great for a graduation too. I was just at a wedding that had one….love it.

  37. MiMi says

    It looks SO beautiful! Seriously, she HAS lost weight, you can see in her face and everything. I never thought she needed to! She looks so grown up now.

  40. Jennie Larsen says

    Oh’ and I forgot to mention… (how could I) WHAT A SUPER FANTASTIC MOM YOU ARE. Love that you made it a surprise, I can’t wait to do that one day when my kids are older.

  41. Jennie Larsen says

    CUTEST PARTY EVER! I LOVE COLOR! so I just adore all the fun happy color. Hayley looks great congrats to her on her weight loss success. She is a beauty. She had a great turn out too. LOVE IT ALL. xo, jen

  42. Lisa Williams says

    WOW!!!! Everything looked perfect and it looked like she had a great time!!!! My girls are still fairly young (10 and 6) but I can’t wait to have fun birthday parties like that for them! I just love your blog, such an inspiration to me! Thanks for sharing!

  43. becky Mercado@reinventingtheordinary says

    Wow…so nice. I wish I had Pinterest and blogging when I threw my girl her 16th party. I remember it was so hard having it a surprise. I had to have her girlfriend do the inviting cuz I didn’t know the friends she’d want to invite. I knew a few…but not enough for a party. For center pieces I wrapped various empty boxes in brown butcher paper (of which I had a huge roll on hand) and tied big bows out of bright colored netting. The netting is cheap and makes a big statement … I actually am still reusing the netting on my Christmas tree. When in doubt I enlarge baby and toddler pictures to display and have the kids sign. Did your guests eat much? I realized, after several kids’ teenaged parties, that I could throw out a bag of chips and one bowl of dip and still have stuff left over. They seem to be embarassed to eat in front of one another. They do drink tons of soda though. sorry this is so long…you just brought back some memories for me….Happy times.

  46. Sara says

    This party is absolutely ADORABLE!!! LOVE all of those bright decorations!! Where in the world do you get your beautiful paper for all of your projects? I have looked through all of the scrapbook paper and it just isn’t pretty like the stuff I see on your blog. Would love some tips!! Your daughter is a lucky gal!

  47. Jen says

    Hi Jen,
    I love the paper fans that you used for your backdrop. We are having a Girl Scout dance and I would like to do a similar. Would you share where you purchased yours. They are so bright and cheerful and I love the different styles. Thanks for your help and great job on your daughter’s party!

  49. Kathleen@ Miss Hannah B. says

    i love your 16th birthday surprise party. I will be saving this post so I can use the ideas when my daughter turns 16, which isn’t too far away. Don’t they grow up so fast. Enjoy her while she is still home with you! Thanks for the ideas, fabulous!!!

  52. Michele N says

    Love these ideas! I will definitely have to remember the photo booth for future birthday parties. I have a son turning 16 this fall, man-thanks for making me realize that! I don’t know if we’ll do much for it not because I wouldn’t want to, but he’s a bit shy and it’s harder for boys. He should also get his Eagle Scout this summer though so we’ll go big for that! That, he’ll let me do. 🙂

    • Jen says

      Thanks Michele!!

      How fun that your son is turning 16 soon. I threw a surprise party for my son when he turned 16 and he had always said he didn’t want one. But I think he was happy that we did it. He had a fun time. He’s super shy.

      My son just got his Eagle too. that’ s great that your son is doing that!!

      xoxoxox

    • Jen says

      Thanks Michele!! It was really fun!!

      Amy is just amazing. And she was so sweet to make a party package for the party.

      Thanks for the sweet comment!!

      xoxoxo

  54. Amanda @ Serenity Now says

    What a cute party!! Love the colorful decorations and the fun food. 🙂 Your daughter looks like she had a blast. The photo booth was a genius idea!

    Oh, Jen, this post totally took me back to my sweet 16. It wasn’t a surprise, but my parents planned a fun cookout and we had a bunch of my guy and girl friends over. It was one of my best and most memorable parties. Not even close to a feature on that old MTV “My Sweet 16” show, but it was special to me, and that’s what’s important. 😉

    • Jen says

      Hi Amanda!!

      Your sweet 16 party sounds like it was so fun. My parents threw me a sweet 16 too and it wasn’t a huge thing but it’s something that I will always remember too. I was hoping to create that same feeling for my daughter. I think she will really love looking back on the party.

      Thanks for the sweet comment. You are the best!

      xoxoxo

  55. Kelli says

    What a great party Jen! I love all the decorations and the photo booth is an awesome idea! She is one lucky girl to have you as a mom:)

  59. Paula Parrish says

    Hello Jenn,
    You are so blessed with a beautiful daughter. Being a Mom of two girls, I know what a God sent girls are in our lives. Awesome job on putting together a successful party.
    Smiles, Paula

  61. TidyMom says

    I love this Jen! You’re such a great Mom!! My youngest turns 16 this summer….I need to talk to Amy and start planning!

    Haley is BEAUTIFUL just like her mom!!

    • Jen says

      Thanks Cheryl!!

      How fun that your daughter is turning 16 this year too!! It’s so crazy how fast the time flies by. Thanks for sharing the party on your FB page too. You are so sweet!

      xoxoxo

  62. Jeannie says

    Still not buying that you have a 16 year old! You look 16 yourself. Great party! She’ll remember forever.
    My girls are 7,7,6,3. I’m already worried about teen years!!
    Jeannie
    Maxwellhouseinteriors.Blogspot.Com

    • Jen says

      LOL – I wish!! I hope she remembers it. I still remember mine and that’s what I was hoping when I planned it. The teen years aren’t as bad as you might imagine. We have a fun time together 🙂

      Wow – how fun that you have so many girls. What a fun house you must have!!

      xoxoxoxo

  65. Jaime says

    Look at all those girls!! What a great mom you are to go to all that work to make her feel loved and celebrate her life! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYLEY!!

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