Last November, I turned 16 years old. In the U.S, the sixteenth birthday is a big deal. Many teenagers have larger parties than usual, and most 16-year-olds get their driver’s’ licenses right away. The common tradition for girls turning 16 is to celebrate with a Sweet Sixteen birthday party.
the theme of Ashlyn’s party: Under the Star
I started planning my party months in advance. I wanted to have beautiful decorations, a special dress, and of course, delicious food. After talking with my parents and setting a budget, I got to work. I ordered decorations online, planned a menu, and searched the internet for the perfect dress.
The theme we decided to decorate with was “under the stars,” so most of the decor was navy blue, silver, and gold. We decided to host the party at our house so we didn’t have to spend money on a venue. When it came time to set up the living room, we moved the sofas out, hung string lights from the ceiling, and even drapedblue tulle on the windows. We had a few tables for people to eat and play board games. We also had a garland of shiny paper stars strung across the ceiling, and with the lights dimmed, it felt like we truly were “under the stars.”
Ashlyn’s dress
My dress turned out to be more complicated than it should have been. I was very specific in what I wanted, so I never found the right dress online. Thankfully, my grandma is amazingly talented at sewing, and she offered to sew me a custom dress as her gift to me. I was ecstatic. Sewing the dress involved taking my measurements, going through Pinterest photos for inspiration, choosing a fabric at the store, and many, many meetings to try it on. It was all worth it, though, because in the end, I got to wear a wonderfully personal dress made by a loved one.
One of the most important matters, of course, was the food. I knew that I wanted to have pasta as the main dish, since it’s one of my favorite foods, so I chose everything else accordingly. We had Caesar salad, two types of pasta, and garlic bread. My aunt brought blue fruit punch to match the decorations. It was all delicious. The most important course, though, was dessert, which was also handmade by a loved one. A family friend (who also happened to be a Fifth grader) was a talented cake-maker. Her gift to me was designing and baking a magnificent cake, which was probably the tastiest portion of the night.
The food served at the party
My favorite part of the night was the candle-lighting ceremony. I found the idea for the ceremony when I was planning on Pinterest, and I loved the idea so much I decided to have one at my own party. I wrote fifteen short speeches–one each for fifteen of my friends and family members. When the time came for the ceremony, I lit a candle for each person to honor their place in my heart and spoke about their importance to me. I used the last candle to pronounce a wish I had for the future. I don’t even like public speaking much, but celebrating my loved ones was the best part of my birthday. After all, my Sweet Sixteen would not have been the same without them.
The cake served at the party (left); Families and friends that came (right)
Discussion Questions
Does another birthday have significance in your culture? How is this birthday celebrated?
If you were to plan your Sweet Sixteen (or another big birthday celebration) how would you decorate, what food would you eat, and what would you wear?
Would you want to have a candle-lighting ceremony? If so, which 15 people would you talk about, and what would be your wish for the future?
