Floral Birthday Cake

• Make sure every guest knows this is an important birthday party by placing a giant floral cake centerpiece on every table. Glue together Styrofoam discs to create a 3-foot-tall, three-tiered cake form. Cut the stems short on assorted silk carnations, such as pink, white and green. Press each flower stem into the foam until the entire cake is covered in a thick layer of "floral" frosting. Place the cake on a cake stand or directly in the middle of the table.
  
  

Candy Bouquet

• Bring out the "sweet" part of a sweet 16 birthday party with a candy-filled centerpiece. Clean a large, rectangular, clear glass vase for each one. Fill the vase three-quarters full with layers of assorted small candies, such as white, red, yellow, blue, green and orange jelly beans.
  
  Select 16 "all-day" lollipops with large tops and long sticks. Arrange them into a rounded bouquet and slide the sticks into the candy just deep enough to keep them secure. The lollipops should stick out well above the vase rim. Place the vase in the middle of the table. Sprinkle paper confetti over and around the centerpiece as an accent.
  
  

Big Balloon Bouquet

• Get creative with helium and balloons to make a sweet 16 centerpiece that literally towers over the table. Select 16 large balloons in all, but make sure at least one has "Happy Birthday" printed on the front. Tie curly ribbon around each helium-filled balloon and arrange them into a rounded bouquet with the "message" balloon sticking up from the top.
  
  Tie the ends of the ribbons in a big bow around a large and heavy teddy bear's hands to secure the balloon bouquet. Place a paper party hat on the bear's head and tape a party horn in its mouth. Sprinkle a large circle of colorful tinsel in the middle of the table. Place the bear in the middle of the circle and sprinkle a pinch of tinsel over the centerpiece.
  
  

Sparkling Feather Bouquet

• Purchase ostrich feathers, a frosted glass tower vase and battery-powered LED light strings to create a sweet 16 centerpiece with a sophisticated style. Use clear tape to secure the lights to the upper-inside vase wall so that they fall down and provide twinkling lights inside the entire length of the tower vase. Arrange six to 10 ostrich feathers in a flared bouquet and slide them into the vase. Position the feathers so that a few stick straight up and the rest cascade down the vase sides.