(June 11, 2010) -- Turquoise and white balloons are spread around the banquet hall; floral arrangements adorn the tables and the number sixteen sits atop the birthday cake.  
It is every girl’s dream to have the perfect super-sweet sixteen party.

Whether going to the extreme with decorations or planning the most unique grand entrance, the idea of becoming sixteen has made girls fixate on the smallest, most insignificant detail. Senior Lana Mousessian admitted that although it had seemed simple to plan her party, paying attention to the smallest details proved quite tedious at times.

“I didn’t want my party to be too extravagant, but at the same time, I didn’t want it to resemble all my previous birthday parties,” Mousessian said. Though her party was more formal than her previous celebrations, most of which were pool parties, she didn’t want to go over the top and place too much importance to it.

Despite the long invitation list Mousessian had, approximately 30 of them had come. “In the beginning, I was really disappointed when a majority of my friends I invited didn’t show up, but the ones who came made it fun for me,” Mousessian said. Surrounded with friends and family members, Mousessian remembers partying the night away.

After contemplating the idea several times, senior Jacqueline Nazarian decided to have a small party as well. Though at first she wasn’t too fond of the idea, her cousin finally convinced her into having a party.

“Having a grand sweet sixteen wasn’t really my dream. I guess I just saw it as just another birthday party. I really didn’t think being sixteen was really a big deal, because I couldn’t even drive then to expect a car as a gift, as most people do,” Nazarian said.
     
 She and her closest friends gathered at her cousin’s dance studio. Nazarian’s favorite memory was her cousin teaching her and her guests steps to an Armenian dance; although some of them couldn’t get the steps right, at the end of the night she was glad for the celebration. “Even though it was small, I had a ton of fun and it’s something I’ll one day look back on with a smile,” Nazarian said.

Though Mousessian and Nazarian’s parties were different in many aspects, one idea they had in common was the desire to make it the best sweet sixteen possible: “It’s what you make it that counts,” Mousessian said.