Teenager Parties | Celebration Advisor - Wedding and Party Network Blog

October 9, 2014 by Celebration Advisor

What is a Quinceañera?

A Quinceañera, the Hispanic equivalent of the American Sweet 16, is the day young girls dream of. It is the day they turn 15 and get to wear a gorgeous ball gown and have best friends join them for a party to remember.

But what exactly is a quinceañera and what does it entail?

A quinceañera is a celebration that marks the transition of a young girl into womanhood. This coming of age celebration is seen in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America and ranges in traditions and ceremonies. There are too many variations to count, but here are the basics of this big occasion:

The Planning
Like a wedding, the quinceañera–the birthday girl–decides the type of party she would like. Does she want a lavish, wedding-esque party or would she prefer a vacation with friends? Ultimately, parents and family members help make a young girl’s dreams come true on this important day.

If she chooses a party, then there are a couple of things she must decide on. She chooses a color scheme, her “court,” and events. She also decides, with her parents, on the guest list, the food, if there will be a religious ceremony, the party favors, the decorations, and so on.

The best way to describe it is a princess’ wedding to herself.

The Details
Since this event is very family oriented, the quinceañera’s parents and godparents play a major role, but her friends get to join in on the fun as well.

A quinceañera’s court consists of chambelanes (like groomsmen) and damas (like bridesmaids). They are usually made up of close friends, siblings, and cousins. They are used to introduce the quinceañera to the guests. She also chooses a chambelan de honor or escort of honor who serves as her “date”– usually a boyfriend or brother.

To continue the princess theme, the birthday girl chooses a dress in her colors with a matching tiara.

The Party
The celebration begins at the church where the quinceañera receives a blessing that will follow her through her transition into adulthood. She then goes with her court to take pictures while the guests head to the party venue for the meal.

When she arrives at the venue, her court enters and begins to dance, showing off their outfits. She is then escorted by her chambelan de honor and dances with her chambelanes. A toast is given by her parents, with words of wisdom and usually tears all around.

She then shares a special moment with her father. A common cinderella-style tradition is of a father changing his daughter’s flats into heels to signify her transformation into a young lady.

They have a father-daughter dance and then she dances with family members.

Like a Sweet 16, a Quinceañera employs many traditions to make a young girl’s birthday very special. The party may not last very long, but the memories will last a lifetime.

July 14, 2011 by Celebration Advisor

Engagement Parties Made Easy

Traditionally, the bride's parents hold the first engagement party. If the bride's parents aren't able to, the groom's parents are next in line. These rules don't necessarily apply any longer. The bride and groom can host the party themselves or a close friend or family member. So, whoever would like to throw an engagement party for the happy couple can with these great party tips!

Engagement parties are a great way for families and friends to get to know each other. Typically, the engagement party will be held 1 -3 months after the engagement or about 1 year before the wedding. Some couples plan their party 6 months before the wedding. So, when you set a date, here is a guideline to follow to help you along the way.

Engagement Picture

10-8 weeks before the party:

Pick a date – Making sure that the VIP guests (parents, relatives and close friends) are all available.
Set a budget – List the elements of the party including party invitations, the engagement cake, party food, drinks, entertainment, and party decor. Make a realistic estimation and try your hardest to stick with it.
Find your site – Most engagement parties are held at a home or restaurant. Don't let that keep you from being creative! This party can be as formal or casual as you want – consider holding the party on a beach, boat, in a vineyard or at a resort.
Entertainment – Consider hiring a pianist, mariachi band, jazz singer or some other form of entertainment to keep the party interesting. Hire a photographer to capture candid shots or appoint a specific person to snap shots throughout the party.

4-6 weeks before the party

Send Out the Party Invitations – It is engagement party etiquette that guests who are invited to the engagement party should ultimately be invited to the wedding.

Party invitations for engagement parties are not as formal as they are for weddings. They can be low-key and as creative as you want. No registry is needed for this party; gifts should not be expected. If gifts are received, open them in private, and don't forget to send thank you notes.

1-2 Weeks before the party

Make sure your help is ready and still planning on the big event!
Make sure all the details are covered, including reservations, tickets, transportation, entertainment and anything else you have planned.
Begin preparations for centerpieces and decor. Flowers are a great addition to any party! You can create simple centerpieces or hire your local florist to create customized flowers for the happy couple.

The party

Arrive early and make sure things are ready to go.
Welcome each guest as they arrive and make the necessary introductions.
Toasts to the couple are traditionally done about 3 quarters into the party, the bride's father is the first to toast and then anyone else who wishes to follow.
Enjoy the party – and remember that this party is to honor the couple as their new journey begins!

This post is brought to you by Houston Party Invitation Suppliers.
Not in Houston, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a party invitations near you!

July 20, 2010 by Mandy Maxwell

2010 July Newsletter: "Summer Fun"

Volume 1 Issue 7

The Do's & Don'ts of Kids Parties!

Children's parties can be a bit tough, even for a well-seasoned party host. This month, we are going to explore the do's and don'ts of children's parties.

Do Plan Some Type Of Entertainment Or Play Activity

One thing I cannot stress enough is have an activity planned for the children. Even a simple game of pin the tail on the donkey is a good planned activity for a kids party. You may choose to hire cartoon characters or a magician as a way to entertain the children. You may even rent a big screen tv, so the children can play video games. Whatever you choose, the key is having some type of activity or type of entertainment for the kids.

Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help

You will need to have a few adults on the party scene to watch the kids. Don't be afraid to ask other parents to help watch over them. Most parents will be glad to help out. You can reciprocate when they throw the next kids party.

Do Expect A Few Messes And Some Tears

Kids will be kids, and the younger ones will spill and make messes. Be prepared ahead of time to handle these situations. Here's a hint: If you have the party at your home and you have lightly-colored carpet, don't serve red punch (the tears shed may be your own). Plan your party so that any mess or spilled punch won't matter. You can always do an outdoor party or rent the local…

Read more about Kids Party Do's & Don'ts…

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Never heard of geocaching? It's an incredibly fun and addicting outdoor activity. Check out the article for more.
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Ideas For Your Summer Pool Party!
This edition will feature how to plan a summer pool party. How about creating your own tropical paradise at home! This article is chalked full of ideas.
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Texas Cafeteria: Keeping The Plate Lunch Alive
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March 30, 2010 by Leigh Morrisett

Try Something New With an Adventurous Geocache Sweet Sixteen Party

Not every soon-to-be sixteen-year-old wants a traditional sweet sixteen party. Some want an adventure, and as a parent you want to see that they get what they want. Why don't you throw a geocaching party?

Geocaching is an outdoor game, pronounced geo-cashing (like cashing a check). Think: hi-tech scavenger hunt. By using an inexpensive GPS (Global Positioning Systems) receiver, your teens enter a interactive game of hide the cache (container). It's an easy way to combine the two things modern teens love: technology and adventure!

You can purchase GPS units for as little as $100 each, or you can rent them from an online source like gps4rent.com. You'll want enough of these GPS units to divided up between teams of four (I suggest four because the teens may have to drive to locations found on geocaching sites.) One site you might like is geocaching.com. You enter your zip code at this site, and it gives you cache in your area.

You can make your own caches, which may not be as hi-tech as those on the online communities, but you will be able to tailor it to beginners and the interests of your child's friends. Fill a weatherproof box full of fun trinkets and insert a Geocoin, which has its own tracking i.d., allowing your group to track that specific cache.

You can hide your cache just about anywhere. Remember, much of the traveling will be done on foot, so place it in area easily reached by beginners. Place it in a park, at a school or somewhere your child frequents, such as a local baseball park. Get creative! Birthday parties are the perfect opportunity to try something new!

I suggest having a two-day party. For instance, on Friday night invite all the teens over so they can learn how to use a GPS unit. If you're not sure how to teach them, you can find people and tutorials about GPS units through online communities, like the Web sites above. You can either host a sleep over or have the kids come back early Saturday morning for the high-tech hide-and-seek geocaching party.

You can order catered food and drinks on both days or you may choose to do simple snacks. Keep it simple, and consider what a group of hungry teens would like. It can be as easy as ordering pizza, or having a full spread of your child's favorites.

These creative birthday birthday parties work well for either gender, and are a great idea for a teen who isn't into over-the-top sweet sixteen parties. Send your teen off on a gecocaching birthday party and make it a birthday to remember!

The party theme post is proudly sponsored by theme party providers

Photos courtesty of Flickr Creative Commons.

December 3, 2009 by Leigh Morrisett

And The Winner Is: A Country Music Awards Party!

Planning a party for your tween or teen? Is a country music an everyday necessity for them? Well then it looks like you need a to throw a Country Music Awards party.

Setting The Party Stage

Set up the front walk way of your party event location with a red carpet. Do this by buying inexpensive red craft paper in rolls. This will help you create the "red carpet" for an awesome kid’s party.

Every awards event has a red carpet photo op including paparazzi. You can hire a photographer or play the part of the paparazzi yourself. As kids arrive at the party make sure they walk the red carpet. If you hire a professional photographer make sure the teens shot for the country music star interview and photo experience.

This country music bash doesn't end with the red carpet. Tweens and teens will need the whole country music award atmosphere. Party decorations must include glitter stars, balloons, fan banners and a glitzy food table with floral sheeting. Add a country music band or DJ emcee with country music karaoke and you have the makings of a fine country music hall. Take it to the next level by renting a dance floor. A the band plays or even during karaoke the kids will want to dance. So, checking into renting dance flooring.

Award Them With A Country Feast

This party is more about dressing up and walking the red carpet. A fun night partying requires a fair amount of fuel. Grab and run is the food of choice – chips and dips, granola bars, sodas and bottled water. To add a little WOW factor to the party get a country music theme cake and it the focal point of the food table.

Since the food and beverages are simple and relatively inexpensive, you'll have more money and time to invest in the party decorations. Be sure to make this party just as glitzy and great as the awards show.

And The Winner IS

All who attend this party! Give every person who attends an award – their own party favor or favors. Create a goody bag for each tween or teen with an inexpensive cowboy hat, sunglasses and tiny chocolate cowboy boots. To really make it memorable have some party glasses engraved with the date ad theme of the party.

With a little planning your tweens/teens next party will be a winner!

This party theme planning idea was brought to you by www.weddingandpartynetwork.com.

October 9, 2009 by Leigh Morrisett

Scaring Up A Halloween Party: 4 Spooky Tips

Halloween theme parties are one of my favorites. When throwing a Halloween party, you’ll need to invest in few scary surprises for your party guest.

Tip #1 – DRY ICE

Spooky Halloween Decorations

The most important surprise begin with dry ice. It creates the ultimate spooky party feeling. You can use it in your punch and with your decorations. Not sure about dry ice but still want the creepy affect of an eerie fog rolling in? Rent a fog machine.

Tip #2 – Get Into Character

Create the ultimate Halloween party atmosphere by hiring some scary characters to mingle with the crowd. There performers can liven up the party with ghoulish activities and spooky skits. Be part of the fun by renting a character costume for yourself or make it a Halloween costume party. Transform your party area into a Halloween mecca. Decorate with fake spider webs, mini caskets to hold the food, orange and black streamers and black candles placed in a fake skull. Cardboard cut out tombstones for your outdoors and well as indoors.

Tip #3 – Ghoulish Food Equals Good Time

Once you’ve got your dry ice punch, other food and drink ideas are simple. Serve a blood drink for Vampires (7up™ or Sprite™ colored with red food coloring). Serve your ghoulish dip served in carved pumpkin. (Ghoulish dip can be made from anything but dips with chunks of pimentos, mushrooms, etc. give a creepier effect.) Don't forget the spooky sweets. If you’re not good at making creepy cakes and spooky cookies have your bakery make them for you. Serve super spicy bat wings. Okay, you can’t really buy spicy bat wings but you can chicken wings and call them bat wings.

Tip #4 – Treat Them To Entertainment

Although entertainment will vary by age, a Halloween party lends itself to many options. A unique kids entertainment ideas is pumpkin bowling. All you need for this low-cost form of entertainment is some empty water bottles and a few pumpkins. Everyone loves to bowl, but teens and adults might prefer a more refined type of entertainment. Try a murder mystery game. Halloween entertainment options are endless.

These are basic tips you can use for any type of Halloween party. These same principles for a kids Halloween party or for adult parties. Just remember with the help of these tips, your local bakery, and a party supply store, you can throw a wickedly fun Halloween party!

As always Wedding and Party Network, is a great place for ideas when planning your party.

October 6, 2009 by Leigh Morrisett

Under Roof Beach Party Theme

Creating The Tropical Indoors

Everyone loves the beach. Everyone loves a party. Sometimes you want both and that is where a beach party theme comes in handy. Unfortunately depending where you live or the time of year, an outside beach party isn't always possible. So what do you do – throw a beach party indoors!

Decorating For The Beach Experience

Throwing a party with a tropical theme indoors isn’t as hard as it would seem. In fact, an indoor beach or tropical party theme works very well for back to school parties or birthday parties for kids and adult. Teens will love this party theme and the tropical drinks that go along with it.

Beach Theme Party Cake

As far as decorations go, you’ll want to have as many tropical items as you can possible fit in your indoor area.

To go all out rent some palms from local florist. If palms are not available for rent try a party supply store. They often have inflatable palms or even card board cut out palms or other tropical items. Add a little pizazz to table centerpieces by cutting holes in pineapples (like you do with pumpkins) and place votive candles inside.

If you’re an especially daring party thrower, set up a kiddy pool inside filled with sand. If your not that daring then buy an awesome party cake decorated like a beach party and use it as your room's focal point.

Beach Grub Is A Must

Beach food is all hands on – literally. So finger foods need to fill out the beach party menu. You can pick these items up at a deli or make them yourself.

If your planning this party for your teenager, you'll want to serve hot dogs and hamburgers. Of course you'll need a signature drink. Make tropical drinks such as (non-alcoholic) blue Hawaiians by using blending ice cubes, a lemon-lime type soda and a few drops of blue food coloring. Serve the drink in an inexpensive margarita style glass. You can find plastic ones at party supply stores. Ta da, you’ve got great tropical drink. For a super fun fruity idea get some ice trays and add small pieces of fruits such as pineapple chucks, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and freeze them in ice trays covered with water. Pop them out of the ice tray and put them in an ice bucket for the kids to add to their fruit punch or other tropical drink.

With just a bit of creative decorating, you’ll find that a inside beach party is easy to do. This party theme is great fun for teens, kids or even adults. So get started now planning your beach party right under your own roof. Oh, don’t for get to tell the invites to dress in their best swim and beachwear.

A special thanks goes to The Party Place & Bakery, a Heber Springs bakery for letting me use the picture of their beach cake.

September 25, 2009 by Leigh Morrisett

Ultimate Rap Party: A Teenage's Dream

Do you have a teen who wants to be a rap artist? Then this is the party you need to throw them, so

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they can experience their inner rapper. To have the ultimate rap party, you will need to do a few things:

Rent a space to hold the party.
Although you could hold the parties outside, I recommend an indoor space. Why? Because you will be using a lot of electrical equipment. Outdoor locations are great but they make it more complicated with the chance of weather. Electronics and bad weather do not mix well.

You will need to rent a stage
All rappers need a stage. If the place you have secured for the party does not have one, you'll need to rent one. The stage rental place should also be able to help you with the lighting and a sound system, as well. Remember this is the Ultimate Rap Party and every rap artist needs the right atmosphere. So, you’ll want lots of lights and a great sound system for the rap artist to work their rap skills on.

Gotta Have The Lingo
Print of some rap lyrics from the Internet. Have your teenager help you pick out the songs from their favorite rapper. Have them printed on some colorful paper to hand out to the party goers. They can choose a rap lyric sheet to take to the stage to show off their skills or even free style. Don’t forget a video camera or hire a videographer. You’ll want to catch all the rapping action!

Party Decoration: Gotta Have The Bling
Flashy – that's the goal of the decorations. So bling is a must. Use any type of bling like item you can think of as the room's decor. Take a que from Rappers who like styling cars. Giant posters of cars and maybe posters of your teens favorite rappers can be used to decorate the party room. Don't forget strobe lights. A stage, lights and a rapper atmosphere will have the party goers flowing with their own rap lyrics about this ultimate rap party.

June 1, 2009 by Celebration Advisor

Summer Pool Party Ideas!

Summer is finally here! School's out and it's time for a vacation! You probably wont get to see your friends much, so what better way to catch up on things and have a good time than by throwing a summer pool party! It's time to do some planning and make a few phone calls.

When it comes to summer, the main thing most teens focus on is going to shop for that perfect swimsuit. With that in mind, what better reason to throw the ultimate summer pool party? Who doesn't think about going to the tropics for a summer vacation getaway? How about creating your own tropical paradise at home!

Decorations– Here comes the most fun part to throwing any party. Being a tropical paradise theme you want to think outside of the box to make this a very memorable summer party. Let's begin with the back yard, since it is a major part of this party. Putting up a couple of inflatable palm trees around the pool area would definitely give the party a more tropical feel. Setting up 2 or 3 picnic tables around the yard could be used for eating, or even to set some exotic tropical centerpieces on top. This party is more than likely to last through the night. A creative, inexpensive idea would be to buy a few mini beach bucket tea light holders. Setting these throughout the pool area or the backyard would definitely lighten up the place. Now for the pool, just throwing in a few beach balls and a few pool rings would do the trick.

Entertainment– To help your guests work up an appetite for delicious tropical party foods, the right party games and activities are necessary. Here are some ideas that might interest you and be fun for your friends too.

Music- Playing reggae music, beach songs, or the songs you know your friends like would be perfect for this tropical party.
Limbo Contest- Who doesn't love to limbo? Having a limbo contest would keep the fun times going.
Beach Games- Some beach games to include could be volleyball or even water fights.

These are all activities your friends are sure to enjoy.

Food– Of course, no party is complete with out a delicious food menu. This being a tropical paradise party, exotic foods is what comes to mind.You could start off by giving an appetizer, some sizzling chicken skewers, this would only get them ready for whats coming next. A very exotic main dish idea would be to cook a pan-grilled salmon with pineapple salsa. How much more exotic can it get! Finally, for dessert cooking up a key lime pie will leave your friends full, but satisfied.

Voila! You have thrown an unforgettable pool party. Your friends had a blast and are sure to be waiting for another one. Be thinking on how to throw your next summer party, and by the looks of it, it's sure to come soon!

May 18, 2009 by Celebration Advisor

Graduation Party Time Hawaiian Style

Graduation Party

It's finally your senior year of high school, the year every student waits for. Of course its obvious to know why, after 12 years of being in school, this is finally the last year! How exiting! Preparing for graduation can be a long yet exciting process. What better way to top of this moment, than by throwing your graduating friend a graduation party. It's time for party planning!

Theme- Having a themed party always makes the atmosphere a lot more fun. A very popular theme used for many parties is a Hawaiian theme! Hawaiian colors are bright and tend to make people think of either the beach or a Hawaiian shirt. It's your decision whether you want the party indoors or outdoors. Personally, I d prefer an outdoors party. Having a party outdoors gives you a lot more space. Meaning more room to PARTY!

Decorations- Decorating is one of the best parts when it comes to planning and throwing a party. The decorations are one of the first things your guests will notice. Think about making them really stand out! Try using different outstanding bright colors (neon orange, baby blue, lime green, etc.). One idea that is easy and fun to set-up up would be some colorful beach chairs and even a few lit-up tiki torches. Another decorative idea would be to go to your local party store and shop for a few party supplies. You could include Hawaiian-colored plates, cups, napkins, etc.

Hawaiian Style Food

Food- Yummy, here comes the best part! An easy cooking idea that everyone is sure to enjoy would be to have a grill-out. Grilling out some buttered shrimp, Hawaiian flank stake, or Hawaiian grilled chicken and having a fresh Hawaiian salad as a side dish would be a delicious idea. To drink making a homemade Hawaiian fruit punch would be very fruity and delicious. A tasty suggestion for dessert would be to have a large platter of mixed mouthwatering fruits like strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, etc. After all, the pineapple is one of the most common fruits found on the island. But if you really want to sweeten things up a bit, a coconut cake would definitely be the icing on the cake for your overall meal.

Music- Since this is a graduation party, you're more likely to have many people there with different tastes in music. What better way to please everyone than to get a DJ to entertain the party. A DJ is definitely a great choice, since they usually have a wide variety of music choices to play. This way everyone gets to dance out to their favorite music thought the party. The fun will never stop.

This graduation party is to celebrate for a couple of reasons. One, to throw them a party and congratulate them for getting this far. And two, to celebrate for this chapter they have completed in their life, and the start of a new chapter that's about to begin. Not only will they appreciate the party you threw for them, but this is sure to be a memory they will never forget!

What is a Quinceañera?

Engagement Parties Made Easy

2010 July Newsletter: "Summer Fun"

The Do's & Don'ts of Kids Parties!