Nobody I knew had a Sweet Sixteen. I think the last birthday party I even bothered with was my 14th, then it seemed like too much trouble and fuss. The thing in high school was for friends to decorate the birthday person’s locker and bring gift bags with attached helium balloons for you to carry around all day so everyone would know. At home, the birthday child got a cake and a pile of presents on the day of, then picked a restaurant for the family to go to on the nearest weekend night.
My son and most of his friends (boys and girls) are turning 16 this year. Most of the rest of them turned 16 last year. None of the girls had big Sweet 16 parties. In fact, none of the kids really did anything out of the usual for their birthday. None of them even went and got their drivers licenses.
One of the girls who is from a Mexican Catholic family had a huge quinceañera two years ago, but my son and she were not friends yet so we did not attend. From the pictures, it must have been amazing.
My niece passed up her quinceanera so she could go to an aspiring scientist/doctor conference in Washington DC.
I did not have a quinceañera because my parents could not afford one, and I didn’t have enough friends to invite anyway. The best they could do was give me $100 and a trip to the mall, so I ended up buying a couple items of clothing and spending the rest on my siblings. By the time the twins turned 15, my family was in a better financial condition, so they had their quinceañera together. My grandma made the dresses for my sisters and their attendants, myself included (hey, just because I was 19 didn’t mean I was gonna get out of it, but somehow my youngest sister did, go figure), and Mom, Grandma and some aunts cooked the food. I still have photos of all of us with teased hair and puffy pink dresses, and the twins in their tiaras and matching white clouds of tulle with pink sashes.
When my older niece, the Diva, turned 15, she had a quinceañera, of course - she wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would Sis. The Diva broke tradition and chose a beautiful teal gown instead of the usual white, and Sis and BIL rented a hall in a restaurant, so that took care of location and food. Every single one of the Diva’s friends was there, and she and her attendants danced a waltz and a tango (the “surprise dance,” which has become a common part of a quinceañera, at least in the LA area). My daughter liked it so much she now wants a quinceañera of her own. I better start saving.