If you haven’t heard of a Quinceañera before, you may be wondering what it is and what do you do at a Quinceañera. A Quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, marking her coming of age into womanhood and adulthood. It is a religious and social event where friends and family come to celebrate and is typically recognized in Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as Latino communities in the U.S. and around the world. We wanted to put together some party planning tips on how to organize a Quinceañera party to make your life a little easier.

Quinceañera Party Planning

1. Set a Budget

You will first want to start with the budget. Set an overall amount you do not want to exceed and then break that budget down into smaller categories such as party venues for Quinceañeras, décor, furniture, food, and drinks, additional staff, and so forth. This will make it easier for you to track and manage where your money is going so you don’t get carried away. It’s easy to do when you want your child’s birthday to be spectacular.

2. Select Your Guest List

Next you will select your guest list. Figure out how many people you want to invite and the size of the party you want to have. This will influence many of your decisions like the venue you choose and what kind of food option you go with. Once you decide on the number of people, you can start sending out invitations to invite people to the big celebration.

3. Find a Venue

Now that you set your budget and selected your number of guests, you can start your search for Quinceañera venues near me. Do you want a grandiose event space or something simpler and more intimate? Do you prefer outdoor or indoor event venues? We recommend going in with a list of needs and wants for the venue, after all, the event space is what is going to bring your celebration to life. You can always hire an event management company as well to help you in your search. They are well-versed in the event space industry and more often than not, already have a long list of connections and venues for you to choose from. This will also make your job a lot easier when it comes to the heavy lifting of planning your Quinceañera.

4. Choose a Theme

Next you will want to choose a theme. There are endless Quinceañera party ideas to choose from, so we recommend really catering the theme to your daughter's likes and passions. Then the celebration feels like her and will make it all the more special on her big day. The theme will touch every visual in the party such as the décor, the invitations, the furniture, the food and drinks and so on.

5. Pick an Outfit

You will also want to pick out a beautiful outfit since your daughter will be the center of attention all day long. Traditionally, it’s usually a ball gown that is chosen; however, you will want to make sure it showcases her personality and is something she feels confident and beautiful in. It is also common to have multiple dresses throughout the night and she changes when she pleases into the next outfit.

6. Choose a Court of Honor

Next, you will want to choose her court of honor. This is a group of people supporting your daughter throughout her big day, making it extra special, to help her shine and create magic.

7. Find Vendors

Finally, you will want to find your vendors for catering, furniture, coat check, valet, décor, entertainment, and so on. You have flexibility when it comes to what you want at the party, but then you will want to find the right vendors to help execute and bring your vision to life.

At Ovation Square, we are located in the heart of downtown Long Beach and have a beautiful venue perfect for celebrating a Quinceañera. We would be more than happy to help bring your daughter’s special day to life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Ovation Square have an event planning team?
A: Yes we do! We have a team of experts behind us that can help bring any celebration to life exactly how you envision it.

Q: What if I don’t know what theme to choose?
A: We recommend discussing this with your daughter and making sure her ideas are incorporated into the theme. After all, you want this day to be all about her and make sure that she is represented.

Q: How many people are typically in a court of honor?
A: Traditionally there are 14 chambelanes and 14 damas, however, you can definitely stray from tradition and only have female friends or a smaller, more intimate group.