Think Outside The Box With Sweet Sixteen Invitations

Dazzle guests before the party even begins!

Any party, whether it be for a birthday, a wedding or an anniversary, needs to be heralded with an invitation. The actual stationery is not just an announcement, it's a courtesy extended to friends and family who are expected to attend the festivities, and it's an indication as to the theme and color scheme of the event. Sweet sixteen invitations reflect the personality of the guest of honor and the inspiration for the design will come from her interests and passions. When choosing the stationery, it's a good idea to order - or make - whole collections of matching envelopes, response cards and thank you cards at the same time, and even perhaps place cards, depending on the elegant mood of the party. Sweet sixteen invitations can be purchased through a stationer, or handmade, but be aware that sometimes the latter might be more expensive, when you consider the costs of special paper, ribbon and glue.

Before choosing sweet sixteen invitations, decide on a type and theme for the party. Will it be a sit-down affair with dancing and a full meal? Will it be a lively bash mostly for teens with snack foods and loud music? Will the guests be mostly family or mostly friends or a mixture of both? Where will it be held? What kinds of interests does the young lady have? Does she have a favorite color? A favorite storybook? All these things need to be considered before you can determine the style for the invitations.

There are some clever ideas you can use when designing sweet sixteen invitations:

• Include as part of the design, a photo of the birthday girl either as a baby, a young child or as she looks now.
• If she enjoys writing, have her write a poem to include on the inside.
• If she is a talented artist - or indeed if anyone in the family is - include some original artwork in the design.
• Print a map showing directions to the venue on the back of the card.
• Enlist the help of a family member or friend who is good with graphic design and have them create sweet sixteen invitations that look just like a concert ticket.
• An invitation needn't be a rectangular card with the details on the inside. Be creative with shapes and color combinations.
• Have the Sweet Sixteen apply a lipstick 'kiss' to each invitation.
• Include part of the lyrics of her favorite song, or a song appropriate to the occasion.

Not all sweet sixteen invitations need to be embellished with flowers, hearts, roses and princess depictions. They can look like a candy wrapper with a big '16' emblazoned on the front to emphasize the sweet sixteen concept. They can illustrate the birthday girl's utmost fantasy - surfing Hawaii, meeting the President, being a world famous movie star or visiting all the continents on the planet.

Though many guests may discard sweet sixteen invitations after the party, others will treasure them as keepsakes in a scrapbook for years, so it's a lovely idea to make them with that in mind.