One $weet Sixteen

"This is nothing for him," says George Anton, one of Ahmet's employees chilling in the grown-ups-only area (read: open bar). "His 50th birthday party had some of the biggest people in the D.C. metropolitan area."

There were a few parents there, too, some dancing to Soulja Boy and others, well, not. Ayse's mother is one of the dancers -- and she is really, really into it. Her shoes are off, she's waving them in the air.

"Honestly, it's been challenging at times raising our daughter around all of this," says Melanie Braun, mother of Ayse's best friend Maddy. She gestures around the club. "It's not our lifestyle at all. But the Halacs are a wonderful family, very generous. I think Ahmet contributes to charities in Turkey, or something."

Everyone, of course, is floored by the lavishness. Even though Loudoun County has the nation's highest per capita income, few locals have seen a party on this scale. Even the talent is awed.

"I've seen grown people with parties like this. Not often. But never a 16-year-old," says host Big Tigger, a local television and radio personality.

"You would think she's a celebrity," says Soulja Boy. (He, by the way, is a little miffed because he thought it was a club performance, not a private party. He charges more for those.)

Ayse's friends and acquaintances -- about 200 of them -- were picked up at Stone Bridge High School in limo-buses and chauffeured to the club at 8 p.m., a full two hours before Ayse arrived, fashionably late. They had to present their invitations and photo ID at the door; the invitations, shipped from China, were fake American Express black credit cards engraved with the guests' names.

Of course, not all of the 200 guests are close with Ayse. Asked whether he is, Kaine Higgins shrugs. "Eh," he says.

Colored wristbands correspond with how closely you orbit Planet Ayse. Those with the red can enter the performers' VIP lounge, those with the blue can stand onstage during the performance, and those with the gold can get into the grown-ups' area. The vast majority have no wristbands at all.

Ayse named the evening's three mocktails after things she likes, says the club's general manager, Sherwin Robinson: "Hollywood Mojito because that's the theme, Sunset Smoothies because she likes sunsets, and Sweet Devil, I don't know, I guess she has something with the devil."

Ayse herself doesn't talk much. Of the commotion, she says, "I liked everything about it." Of Mario's surprise serenade, she says, "I was excited."

Gifts from her family include a tricked-out Range Rover from her dad with "Little Devil" plates. "My mom got me a ring from somewhere exotic; I don't remember where. My sister got me a bunch of clothes and makeup because I love clothes and makeup."

Her birthday was July 10; her dad took her shopping in Los Angeles last month as another present. There, she bought three designer dresses for the party. She's wearing the strapless white number now, with the same Christian Dior gladiator shoes that Carrie wore in the "Sex and the City" movie. They were able to find the shoes because "my dad takes us shopping at Neiman Marcus so we know the people who work there," Sibel reports. "We were like, 'You have to find us these.' "

So how did Ayse celebrate on her real birthday? She and a few friends and family went to Mie N Yu in Georgetown for a small dinner party.

"I'm a low-key kind of person," Ayse says.