A Sweet Sixteen birthday celebration commemorates a young girl's passage into womanhood—and it's also an opportunity to plan a fun event with your daughter. Throw a sophisticated 16th birthday party for her and her best friends with some of these suggestions:

Kick off the festivities with an elegant meal

• Avoid standard kids' party fare because a Sweet Sixteen party marks the transition from girl to young woman.
• Give the celebration an elegant twist with finger sandwiches, fresh fruit platters and delectable desserts.
• Decorate tables with fresh floral centerpieces and pretty tablecloths based on the season or the girl's favorite colors. If the August birthday girl loves gerbera daisies, for example, place vibrant arrangements of the hot pink and white flowers on hot pink tablecloths.

Send her out on the town

• Make the party all about your daughter. If she spends her afternoons perfecting her diving routines at swim team practices, host a beach or pool party.
• Hire a limo to drive guests around town in style.
• Put an upscale twist on a typical sleepover by hosting the party at a hotel, complete with a pool and room service. To chaperone without being in the way, ask for adjacent rooms separated by a door.
• Create a lounge atmosphere for a coed party. Convert your family room into a party zone—arrange your furniture so there's ample room for dancing and mingling. Dim the lights and create lively ambience with multicolor string lights.
• Give your daughter the royal treatment with a day of shopping accompanied by a full makeup and hair makeover.
• Throw a Girls' Day Out party, where you pamper the birthday girl and her friends with manicures and pedicures at the spa.

Keep costs reasonable

• Make a compromise between what the birthday girl wants to do and what you want to spend so costs don't get out of hand.
• If you want to document the event, have a friend photograph or videotape the celebration.
• For music, hire a professional DJ, rent a karaoke machine or simply crank up the volume on your CD player.