While many families focus on their children turning 18 or 21, in a lot of households there is much excitement about the year when daughters turn 15. If you want to plan a beautiful quinceanera for your child that you know she and you will remember forever, it pays to follow various steps to ensure the event is as special as you’ve all dreamed.
Allow Enough Time to Plan and Prepare for the Party Properly
Firstly, don’t leave all the planning for the party until the last minute. To pull off the best event possible, you must allow yourself enough time to properly prepare every little detail.
Plus, you’ll need to book contractors and other third parties in advance, and you’ll give yourself more options if you don’t leave things too late. It’s usually necessary to start planning a special occasion at least a few months ahead of time, or even six months or more if you know you want to book top-rated vendors.
Develop a Guest List
One of the initial preparation elements is coming up with a guest list. You’ll want to spend time curating this as it’s easy for the numbers to quickly add up with many people in your friend and family group sure to want to help celebrate your daughter’s birthday and her friends and contacts to invite, too, of course.
It’s best to think about how many people in total you’ll feel comfortable having at the event and then work back from there to pare your list to an appropriate number. Pick out those who are closest to your daughter first and have had the most positive impact on her over her life, and then add in extra people if you have room.
Get Input from Your Daughter
While you’ll be footing the bill for the big party, remember that it’s a celebration of your daughter, so she should be able to have a considerable say in the party planning. Ask for her input on not just the guest list but also the type of event she wants, where she might like to have it, the time of year she’d prefer, the decorations she has pictured, the type of entertainment she’d love, and more.
You may have very different expectations and ideas than her but try to be open and compromise where you can and let her have her way in areas that aren’t as important to you as others.
Select a Theme for the Party
Don’t forget to select a theme for the party, as this helps bring all the elements of the occasion together and can make it easier to make decisions as the planning proceeds. You could choose all sorts of vibes for the event, but it pays to keep in mind all of your daughter’s favorite things.
For example, consider her favorite colors, TV shows and movies, books, travel destination, cuisine, animal, era, hobbies, etc. Once you’ve selected a theme, keep returning to it as you pick out décor, food, activities, dresses, party favors, and more for the special occasion.
Choose an Appropriate Venue
The venue you choose is one of the most critical factors in throwing a memorable party. Keeping your chosen theme in mind, look for the best place possible to host the event on your budget. Once you know your guest list numbers, you’ll know how large the venue needs to be or how intimate a space you can select.
For most people, the venue is the most significant expense when hosting a shindig. If you’re searching for a beautiful quinceanera space to celebrate and somewhere that provides food and drink on-site, factor in a higher amount than if you choose a location and then sort out catering separately. Read online reviews, ask friends and others in your circle for recommendations, or turn to professional party planners (if you’re hiring them) for tips on great venues.
Always investigate venues in person so you get a good feel for them, and chat with event planning staff there about available dates and features.
Design a Surprise or Extra Wow Element for the Event
Lastly, to design a genuinely epic quinceanera for your daughter that she’ll love and remember forever, consider ways to add some extra wow factor to the event. For instance, this might be through surprise entertainment (perhaps you can book your daughter’s favorite DJ or band) or by hiring a celebrity chef to cater.
You might bring an unexpected element through a guest your daughter didn’t think could make it to the party that you ensure can be in attendance, or you might buy fireworks online for a fireworks display that leaves every guest oohing and ahhing.
Do all these things to prepare for the quinceanera and make it as special as possible, but once the night arrives, be sure you also take time to sit back and take it all in and enjoy yourself.