Fundraiser/carnival ideas?

Fire and Ice Birthday Party Ideas?

• My 16th Birthday is coming up and I am thinking about doing a Fire & Ice party because it is a theme not a lot of people do and I want my guests to really enjoy the party. My parents are renting a place for me and a DJ (we still need to find one that is cheap so if you have any ideas about that let me know! We live in Renton, Washington and are looking for one preferably under about $150). I am planning on inviting around 150 - 200 guests, and assuming that only about 50% will come. I need ideas for: * Invitations - I would want to make them fire & ice themed with a touch of Sweet 16. I also think I want to make a girls card and a boys card and put on the boys card a request not to bring a gift just so that they know they're off the hook on that in hopes that more will come. * Decorations!!! (this is the most important part that I would need help on) and centerpieces * Maybe some special songs, I already have a list of ones I definitely want :) * Cake ideas * Food ideas * Security ideas - we talked about getting a cop to stand outside to make sure no drunk/uninvited people come in and I was also thinking about sending everyone a wristband to wear to the party. That way only people with wristbands could come in. The problem is that I won't be giving out all my invitations by hand, some will just get a message on facebook/email because I don't really mind if they don't come or not :P Are there any other ideas out there??? * Game ideas? * Something to have the guests sign, like a picture/guest book... what works the best? * I would like the guests to dress up somehow for the party, not just in their normal everyday clothes... how can I corporate that into the theme? * I would love to get a photo booth for the guests... if anyone has any cheap ideas on how to rent one for the night that would be awesome!!! * Any other ideas are defintely welcome, thank you so much!! You should also know: * It is going to be after dinner so we are not ordering pizzas, etc. * We are trying to make it low budget. * Dancing will be the main part of the night :) * The age group will be all the way from 15 - 76, a lot of my friends will be there and also a lot of our family friends and family. * We honestly have a lot of months left until my birthday to plan but I am just too excited to not start now, my friend just had her 16th and only started planning about a month ahead and it didn't turn out the way I think she hoped it to be (nevertheless, it was a very fun night!) * The place we are renting is about $400 for the night, and my parents are splitting the cost for everything (they are divorced and my wonderful stepmom is planning basically everything :D) I think that is about it.... if you have any questions let me know!

• Answer:

  Woah. First of all how nice of you to mention that you have a wonderful step-mom. That is great. I love the Fire & Ice theme and I've actually done a "Fire Ball" AND and an "Snow Ball". Go get the Christmas decorations out again. Get strings of white lights and drape them on the walls, around the food table, etc. You have to think colors. Ice is white, silver, light blue. Fire is red, orange & gold. Hit the dollar stores and craft stores. Ice tables with white tablecloths and silver napkins. You can get styrofoam balls and spray them with fake snow that you spray on windows (flocking) - now you have snow balls. You can also spray some silver and some light blue with silver glitter on top (way messy) and string them together and hang them from the ceiling or glue them together and use them as centerpieces (a pile of snow balls) - you could add a few crystals or put them in a plastic silver bowl with a touch light (with batteries) under the snowballs so they glow. You could do the same with clear Christmas ornaments. Some Christmas ornaments look like icicles and they can be part of a centerpiece - some string lights look like icicles too, if you can find them. Fire tables with gold table clothes and red napkins. (don't use red tablecloths with the white tablecloths or it will look like a picnic) Use construction paper cut in the shape of flames - Glue around a small bowl - put touch light in the bowl so it glows. You could use tea light candles but they burn out in about an hour so you have to keep changing them. You could cut out more flames ( big ones) and tape them to the backs of the chairs - cut out snow balls and do the same. At the dollar store you can get clear glass bowls or vases or round glasses of some sort. Spray the ice ones with snow or paint them with white glitter paint. The fire ones can be painted with red glitter paint. You could even use flowers inside of them but paint the flowers with the same color glitter paint. Then you could put candles on the tables. You could have a small framed picture (paint frame a flame color or ice color) and put a picture of yourself inside when you were different ages - from baby to 16. Write somewhere how old you were in the picture or people will bug you all night asking, "how old were you in this picture?" Look online for invitations - there are tons. Or download pictures of fire & ice and make a design and copy them on a color copier. Make sure you use an RSVP so you know how many wrist bands to get, which is a great idea. Add something like, "The attire recommendation is "theme appropriate" dressy" or formal or however you wish to word it. two cakes - one red velvet - one white & shiny - a bakery will hook you up. They can even put them together - have sparklers coming out of ice or something............oooo an ice sculpture would be cook if you were rich. Maybe a chocolate fountain with strawberries and pound cake? You could go on and on. Some kind of spicy hors d'oeuvres like hot wings and icy food like.....iced coffee...smoothies....ice cream. Ever hear of cake balls? So easy. You make a regular boxed cake - like red velvet. Then after it cools you crumble it up and mix in a can of frosting - form it into a ball and put it on a stick. You can have them sticking out of something! Or dip them in white chocolate and they could be snow balls. Check it out: http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/ Spot lights are effective - the kind you stick in the ground for Christmas. Also, once I made a fake fire. It was a small fan (facing the ceiling) with light weight fabric attached in red & yellow & orange flame shapes. Somehow I lit it from the bottom - can't remember - maybe a touch light. You turn on the fan and it looks like fire. You can also rent stuff - like fog machines & stuff. The place you have the party will have rules of what you can & can't do. The most important thing is to have fun. You don't need a lot and it doesn't have to be expensive but it does take time to make these things so you have a good start. happy birthday - hope this helped