The planning and preparation of a Quinceañera is nothing easy. It requires a lot of planning and creativity so that the results can be excellent. The participation of the family along with close friends makes this experience more enjoyable. But in the end, on the day of the Quinceañera is where they see the joy of this young lady and all who surround her, as all those worries and stressful moments that come with planning this wonderful event are forgotten.
Today, a Quinceañera requires more time to prepare. Before, a day like this could be planned 6 or 7 months in advance, but as the years go by, times change and new things come your way. Now a Quinceañera is celebrated at a bigger scale than before because there wasn’t a lot to choose from before. For example before there weren’t
a lot of stores where you could choose items from. Many people had to travel to other cities and states in order to find whatever was necessary, but now you can find many stores with new and different styles and ideas for this grand day. The styles of dresses and decorations were used to be very limited and traditional, but today we can even design and create various other things for different styles that have more of a personal touch. Even the smallest detail requires a lot of attention so that it coordinates with the rest of the accessories. Every year more Quinceañeras are celebrated, due to the rapid growth of Hispanics in this country. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the party is, every Quinceañera wishes that their day is wonderful, but more importantly, they want it to be different from others and unforgettable. A party like this should be planned about a year or a year and a half in advance. Usually with this kind of time people have the advantage of booking the place of reception on time and booking the entertainment. But just like times change, so do the prices. A while back a Quinceañera would cost you $5,000 to $7,000, and now a Quinceañera runs between $7,000 and $12,000. This is why it is important to plan ahead, because this way it’s easier to find and carefully compare prices so that you get just what you want without such a high price.
In a Quinceañera there are certain details we have to pay close attention to, but the most important detail is the dress that the Quinceañera will wear. The second most important thing is to make the list of godparents and personally ask them if they wish to participate, being that they are people who are very important to you. Every godparent in one way or another is going to help make your day more perfect, because every godparent is going to provide a certain detail for your fest, which is why you chose them. Being a godparent gives the honor of being someone the Quinceañera considers responsible and trustworthy. Who ever accepts being a godparent does it because they are going to take it seriously without being bothered with whatever task they were chosen for. It is very bad to accept to be a godparent and then at the last minute back out.
Some thing else that is very important, apart from the godparents, is the maids and chambelanes (like groomsmen). For this the Quinceañera chooses her closest friends and cousins. Today some girls choose to only have chambelanes. It is very important to choose people who are serious about doing this, because at the moment that you decide to ask them for their participation, you’re depending on them for a very important detail of your party, so pick the people wisely who will take this task seriously. The Quinceañera chooses her court of honor so that they can dance the grand waltz with her. The waltz is danced by the Quinceañera to celebrate that the girl has matured, this is why, when you plan a waltz it’s important that it’s taken seriously, because many people will be watching this moment.
A waltz is the presentation that officially starts the party. All the attention is on the Quinceañera and her court of honor. It is very important to begin practicing from early on so that everyone can be well coordinated. Six or seven months prior is a good time to begin planning and a great time to begin the practices for the waltz, usually the waltz is practiced every weekend. It is important to pick a song and use movements and steps that go with the rhythm of the song. A waltz should take no more than 5 minutes depending on the song. More than anything it should be enjoyable. To dance a waltz that is boring may come out looking bad or it looks like the dancer are forcing themselves, this will make the audience become bored. It is very important to smile because in this way you show every one that you’re having fun and you’re happy. This might help you calm the nerves that might that come right before the presentation. During this same time it is important to pick and choose the outfits that your court of honor will wear.
The planning of a Quinceañera is not a small task, but I don’t want to say that you can’t have too much fun while doing this. It is very important to have communication with the people that help in this celebration especially the family and the daughters because in this way they demonstrate that they can depend on each other in difficult times as well as good times. Of course during this there will be stressful times, there will be fights, you might get angry, and you’ll get worried over details and money, but in the end when the day comes and they realize how important this day is for the Quinceañera, you’ll come to the conclusion that it was all worth it when the face of the Quinceañera is filled with joy and thankfulness for making her childhood dream become a reality.