Recently in Quinceanera Category
For me, it started with Groupon. I remember when this social group discount site was just starting out in a small market. Now it has spread all over the country and several others, bringing with it unbelievable prices and finds for lavish spas, decadent culinary delights and more.
These group-buying Web sites work with companies to offer daily deals on anything from house cleaning to yoga classes.
I'll admit that I was an addict for a couple months. There were just so many deals too good to pass up. And none of them broke the bank!
There are plenty of offers and deals in the San Gabriel Valley. Here are a few I have yet to enjoy in Pasadena.
I scored a few hair laser removal group discounts that made me feel better about my strapless gown before my wedding. Definitely needed in a time where I couldn't afford to shell out a couple hundred bucks per session.
Then, I discovered Living Social, Tippr and LA Weekly's VOICE Deal of the Day. More recently Daily Candy, a social cultural website geared specifically towards various metro areas, launched its own Daily Deals for its Los Angeles edition.
The market is definitely expanding for these sites and who wins - us, the consumers!
Go ahead and plan that birthday outing, girl's night, date night, or get a great gift at a great price with the help of these sites. Let your imagination soar without the bill following suit.
Tippr's latest deal is perfect for a great birthday gathering, bridal shower or bachelorette/bachelor party or get it with the excuse to get friends and family together: $49 buys you an in-home or in-office wine tasting party for up to ten people from PRP Wine International for up to ten people. Check out the details HERE. This offer expires in two days and about 5 hours since this has been posted. ENJOY!
Got any other places you get discounts, coupons or deals for celebrations? Share!
Just a few updates on previous posts:
In Ceremony conundrum, my fiance and I still didn't have a Catholic church to hold our ceremony at.
Well, not too long after that posting, we finally heard back from St. Benedict Catholic church in Montebello and got the thumbs up. The most humble and honorable Father Maguire will assist us in our marriage vows.
Despite the little bit of panic on our part for waiting so long, we are relieved and very happy to be married at St. Benedict, which was where my fiance originally wanted to hold the ceremony since it has been his family's church for many years.
Only a few more months to go.....
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In this Quinceañera posting, we got a mother's perspective on planning for this big 15th birthday tradition.
With all the hush-hush and sneaking around, surprisingly the birthday girl still had no clue up until the time she reached mom's driveway, which served the entrance to her big surprise party.
As mentioned in the previous posting, the quinceañera didn't want a big fancy bash but rather a smaller kid's party at the park. But of course, this princess did want a fancy dress to take studio pictures in.
Well, she got her dress and took her studio pictures, then held the party at the park.
But after that fun celebration, we convinced the birthday girl to get back into her dress to take more photos with her grandmother and aunts who came in from out of town.
After a little hesitation, we dressed the birthday girl up in her dress at a separate location (away from the surprise party). We finished with a quick swipe of makeup and then headed to mom's house to "take pictures."
As we drove up to the house, balloons could be seen and loud music could be heard, coming from mom's driveway.
Though the birthday girl noticed that, she didn't think it too strange. She thought it was just stepdad blasting his ranchera music while hanging out with brothers and neighbors, relaxing after work.
Then she opened the driveway gate and saw a row of family and friends, all dressed up, waiting to greet her, and she could see the party decorations behind them. The shocked look on her face was priceless.
After the last song was danced, and the last piece of cake was eaten, I know my mother thanked everyone who helped in putting the surprise party together.
But I believe my mom deserved the greatest recognition for being the genius who beautifully coordinated the whole surprise, making it a fun, unforgettable celebration.
By Elvira, the quinceañera's mom:
To start, I will say that my three daughters didn't want a traditional quinceañera party, you know, the big thing. They all just wanted a regular party like it was any other birthday.
With the youngest one, I asked her to at least have some pictures taken with a nice dress, something that I regret not doing with my other two daughters. At first, she didn't want to do it but once she thought about it more and went to a photo studio to look at pictures, she liked the idea.
So began the planning for the photo shoot and the party. My daughter asked my sister, who lives in Ensenada, Mexico, if she would be her madrina and get some "recuerdos", favor mementos, for the party at the park that she did ask for.
Then, she asked my good friend, a friend of the family that has known her since she was a baby, if she would be her madrina for her ring - a quinceañera ring - which of course, my friend said she would love to.
We went to downtown Los Angeles to look for a dress for the photo shoot. She wanted purple so she tried on a few dresses in different shades of purple and eventually decided on a lilac dress. It was also not too expensive (about $200) - thank God!
After she got the dress and other accessories for her photo shoot outfit, I got to thinking. I know she told me she wanted to have a kid-like party at the park, to have fun because she said "I don't want to grow up," but I want to show her that even if she doesn't want to grow up, a 15th birthday is the celebration of a girl becoming a woman (and she is, unavoidably), so I decided to throw her a surprise party, after the party at the park.
A big celebration complete with a dj and dancing, dinner and cake, and all that. Almost like the traditional quinceañera party but without the church ceremony or choreographed waltz dance. It would be hard to ask her to rehearse that without blowing the surprise.
Though I wanted to throw a great party for my daughter, with my limited funds being diversified for other things, I looked to my family and friends for help. They loved the idea and were happy to help.
I also decided to make all the decorations myself with the help of my co-conspirator/friend Rosemary. We made the flower arrangements for the table centerpieces. I first thought of using fresh flowers but with little free time on the day of the party, I went with silk flowers instead. We have all the decorations and other items hidden in Rosemary's garage for the time being and everytime I get something new for the party - napkins, decorations, etc. - I take them to the "secret hiding place" so my daughter doesn't see them at our house.
As the day gets closer I get excited and nervous at the same time. I'm hoping that she has a nice time on her birthday and that she likes the surprise party. Sometimes I feel as if I failed my two older daughters for not having a big party or a surprise party, but I know (and hope) they can see that the situation was different at that time, and so was I.
[P.S.: Mom, we are grateful for the memories you gave us, there is nothing missing. And it's always a great party when we're surrounded by family! - your eldest daughter]
A quinceañera is a Hispanic tradition celebrating a young girl's coming of age - or becoming a young woman - on her 15th birthday. 'Quince' translates to fifteen in Spanish.
Many traditional quinceañera's consist of a religious ceremony followed by a reception with food and music, and may also include a choreographed waltz or dance performed by the quinceañera and her court.
A court, usually consists of friends or family members, typically around the same age as the quinceañera, a.k.a., the birthday girl, and chosen by her.
The court can be all girls or 'damas', all boys or 'chambelan' or 'galan', or a combination of both. The quinceañera celebration is formal with the birthday girl traditionally dressed in a ball gown. The court is also dressed in gowns or tuxedos.
There are also 'padrinos' or 'padrinas', who traditionally are like godparents of the quinceañera. They help with gifts or in planning the celebration by being sponsors of the cake, flowers, invitations, etc. They can be family members or close friends of the family.
There are many traditions for a quinceañera celebration. One is the last doll, or muñeca, that is presented to the birthday girl during the ceremony as a decoration or keepsake. The doll can represent the last things of a child now that the quinceañera will become a lady and not have much use for child things.
Another tradition is the changing of the shoes, where typically the quinceañera's father ceremoniously changes the young girl's flat shoes to heels, symbolizing the transformation from a little girl to a young lady.
Other traditions include a presentation of a tiara, a ceremony pillow used in the religious ceremony, and decorated champagne glasses to toast to the quinceañera, to congratulate her on the transition and best wishes.
If all this sounds familiar, quinceañeras have been compared for years to weddings because of all the similar details - gown, cake, reception, invitations, favors, etc. Some can be like mini-weddings without the mini budget.
Well this year is certainly keeping my mom and family busy.
First, the youngest of my mom's six children and the youngest girl, will be turning 15 this April, going from a teeny-bopper to a grown young woman (aahh! scary). Sensing she has to eventually grow out of her tomboy shell, my sister decided she wants to have one more day to act like a kid, hence the Sesame Street themed party.
Being a little envious of other friend's and family member's quinceanera parties, she convinced my mom that she wanted to also get a princess-like dress just to take pictures in. But, my mom not being one to do things small, has bigger (secret) plans for her and that dress. (More on that in another post.)
Then, I, my mom's first girl, is engaged to be married in September. Though I am not the first of her children to be married or have weddings, my brother's have been married for some time, I know my mom is excited this time to be involved in all the girly details of planning a wedding and being a mother-of-the-bride.
Party planning is not a first for my mom or I, but quinceaneras and weddings are another thing. Both my other younger sister, now 23, and I were not the quinceanera party type, so this is my mom's first time planning one of her own daughter's.
And though I have been a bridesmaid in three weddings, two being my brother's, I have never been involved in any part of the planning process so to my surprise, it's nothing like planning a birthday party.
Follow me as my mom and I try not to go broke or crazy as we plan these two happy celebrations.
What celebrations are you looking forward to this year?
