Whether you’re entertaining a teen party for girls or for boys and whether is a long time planed party or a last-minute one, the right supplies and tools can save you for a lot of effort and make you and your guests have a great time. If you are one of the mums or dads that want to throw a super cool party for their teenage kids, let my tips for hosting the perfect teen party inspire you.
Tip 1: Invitations and best timing set
Irene, my daughter, went for the 14th birthday this year. She was so excited about this day. We kind off skipped the paper invitation step. Not so cool, you could say but for 3 years the guest list is pretty much the same and all year long they only switch from a party to another. They set the day together, usually on a Friday, the week before or after the actual birthday date. Arriving time is around 6 o’clock after parents come from work and the party finishes the day after at 11 am. They always choose to start on Friday because there are many chances that on Saturday night their families have other arrangements.
And the best part in my case is that there were only girls invited. I have a hunch though that this was the last year without boys. So we had a slumber party.
Tip 2: Planning the menu
Dinner
Irene said to me: “Mummy, I don’t want pizza this year. I want some Mexican food and chicken skewers!”So here we go. I bought from Costco a box of 50 mini tacos and a bag with frozen chicken breast fillets. I served the tacos as aperitifs with sweet orange and carrot slices. The girls enjoyed it until the last slice of carrot.
After that were the chicken skewers, very easy to make. I usually mix some spices with vegetable oil and cover the meet with a layer of the mixture before cooking them in the oven. I made some skewers with fresh tomatoes, yellow and orange pepper, and olives. I served them with the rice. Some celery sticks and orange slices brought not only color to my presentation but also a tasty- healthy accent. The food was well appreciated until the last bite.
As a beverage, we had natural orange juice, filtered water, and Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale. The girls seemed to enjoy the flavor of cranberries and the bubbles. What’s a party without bubbles?
The birthday cake
“No black chocolate cake and I want to be something special, tasty and beautiful!” were the last instructions from Irene. This is tough. Irene is putting a lot of pressure on me each year.
Making the cake scares me, every time. I know she wants it to be special, and she likes to participate when is made. It became a tradition to buy already prepared items than combining them in different ways. Last years I have to say that the look of the birthday cake was great. We bought two different size maple cakes, we put them one on top of the other and cover them with a layer of white fondant. As decoration I made white flowers, and gold sprinkles accents. But the taste was too sweet because of the maple syrup and the glaze inside. A lot of it remained on the plates. What a waste!
This year was a big-time success. We bought a ready-made wite chocolate cake with cheese cream from Provigo. We asked for no ornaments. Just covered with a layer of the cheese/chocolate cream that it was on their recipe. Then we bought a box of macaroons, meringues, raspberries, and blackberries for decoration. We have already some sliced almonds and some sprinkles at home. The decoration last 7 minutes top. Unbelievable, right? At the end we put the candles. We bought 14 candles with different patterns and two colors that we have chopped them in different sizes than plant them all, in groups or in a circle around the cake.
Little more sweetness. The lolly bar
The marshmallow pops have a simple recipe and it goes so fast. I melted in the microwave some chocolate for baking. In a bowl, I grinded sliced almonds with a pestle. Then all you have to do is to put a wood stick in each marshmallow and to turn their tips through chocolate, then tap on the grinded almonds.
The marshmallow pops and a jar with combined candies from Bulk and Barn were our lolly bar and were a good companion on the chit-chat moments.
Breakfast in the morning
This idea was awesome. I prepared fresh baked croissants and milk. We bought the croissants from Costco, the ones that are frozen. They have a really soft texture and they smell so good.
For some of the girls, we add some vanilla drops in the milk and we served it from the bottles. I saved some chocolate and some grind almonds from the marshmallow pops and I decorated the tips of the bottles.
Tip 3: Ask for help and you will receive it
The girls were so nice. They offered their help and I took it. Maëlys and Charline arrived in the first place. Together with Irene, they help me with the marshmallow pops.
I also asked for help with placing the table and gather the dishes. So they helped me. Every time that a girl came upstairs she would bring me some dishes and glasses they won’t need anymore. They saved me for a lot of effort.
Tip 4: Gadgets and Popcorn
A TV on the wall and an Xbox make the evening more fun. You can imagine their activities: just dance, music, movies and popcorn. No cinema without popcorn.
Tip 5: Set up a theme. Choose an original way to make your party so it can be remembered.
It came naturally for us to have a tent party because we lend tents for camp parties, slumber parties or sleepovers. It is our first year in this business and Irene was so excited to have a party in tents.
The decor was really exceptional. Beautiful lighting atmosphere, elegant textures, cozy blankets. You should have heard the wow from the girls when they entered the room. We made a bunch of Irene’s chiddhood photos to look like polaroids photo, and we hung them on the garlands. We also had balloons hanged from the spots on the ceiling. We clamp some photos on them, too.
The birthday was perfect. The girls have a lot of fun and they enjoyed the setup and the food.
And I felt so relieved all day, all night and all morning. Everything went perfectly fine. I had time to participate to the gifts opening and I have plenty of time to stay in my living room and to watch my movies.
I would say that 90 percent of the time, the girls spend it in the birthday room which was in the basement. They eat there, they slept there, they play just dance and watch the movies. Even in the morning, they ask me to bring their breakfast down. A true camp, we can say. It is amazing what can do a smart set up.
If you have a birthday to come, I wish you to find in my story the tips that will save you for a lot of effort and make your child’s birthday as much as enjoyable for you as it will be for them and their guests.
Don’t hesitate to comment or ask any question on my facebook page or directly on my website, minyworld.ca
I hope my teen party tips help you to be the perfect host to the coolest party that will set memories for a lifetime.
