Party Planning Tips for a Quinceanera Celebration

For people of Spanish descent, a Quinceanera celebration is almost as big of a deal as a wedding. A Quinceanera party is thrown for a girl when she turns fifteen and is usually a very, very big deal. The day generally consists of the birthday girl wearing a beautiful gown, a tiara, a limo ride, a church service, flowers, a bible, dancing, and more.

The history of the Quinceanera celebration goes all the way back to Aztec times when fifteen was the age of marriage for girls. In Hispanic culture, this tradition has carried over and at fifteen a celebration is held to signify womanhood for all Latina girls. The celebration is meant to celebrate a coming of age and is an acknowledgment by friends and family that the girl is now to be considered a young lady.

Party planning for the Quinceanera ceremony begins a year before the date of the event. The first step is to reserve a church and reception hall for the event. Especially in areas with a large Hispanic population, churches and halls will be booked very early and competition can be fierce for the best venue.

The traditional Quinceanera celebration is traditionally planned by friends and family of the guest of honor. However, at times a professional party planner is asked to plan the event if the family is overwhelmed or the party will be overly large. The party planner will work closely with the family and help them to make decisions on the invitations, decorations, menu, music, and more.

Once the date and location have been determined then it is time to begin the other planning. The color scheme and decorations will have to be decided on and the decorations purchased or ordered. Initiations will need to be professionally printed and mailed to all invited guests about six to eight weeks before the event. The menu for the event will need to be chosen and a caterer hired. A florist will need to be consulted to make the bouquet for the guest of honor and other flowers for the church and reception hall.

In today’s Internet age, many young girls use websites and blogs to talk about the planning for their Quinceanera celebration. They use them to swap information with others and to get ideas for their own parties as well. Often they discuss the nitty-gritty details such as what flowers to have in their bouquet and which music to use for the event.

In addition to blogs and websites, it is very common today for the guest of honor to register for gifts. Gift registry items generally include dowry-type items such as linens, dinnerware, and other items required to set up home at some future date. While these are the usual gifts registered for, it is also common to find other items on a registry or for the guests to simply give the guest of honor cash in honor of the event.

Another tradition today is to set up a website after the Quinceanera where the guest of honor can display all of her photos and mementos of the day. This website is generally shared with family and friends, both those in attendance and those who were not. The Quinceanera is meant to be a fun day shared with everyone and the Internet now allows for friends and relatives who are too far to make the trip to enjoy the event as well.