Having a Quinceañera is a very special day for many Long Island girls growing up in Latino Cultures.  This is a day they have been thinking about for years! I imagine there has been a lot of brainstorming and planning how to make this the perfect event for your daughter here on Long Island.  The time has come to pinpoint some ideas and run with it.  It’s your daughters fifteenth birthday.  She’s becoming a woman.  Let’s make this a amazing event never to be forgotten!

Quinceañera’s can be celebrated differently depending on the family, and the culture.  Some families like to keep things simple.  They only want to celebrate with their closest friends and family, and they don’t want to get too fancy with the decorations.  Other families have an extravagant evening with tons of food, and presents.  There tend to be more gifts at the high end celebrations as well.  No matter which way you decide to go, keep in mind that the focus on this event is to honor your daughter.

Part of the tradition of the Quinceañera is having your daughter put together a court consisting of 14 people.  This will represent the 14 years of childhood she has lived.  These members of the court will be dressed in matching formal wear.  Be sure to hire a professional choreographer, because this court will be learning dances and performing for the guests leading up to the father and daughter dance.

You shouldn’t make things complicated when choosing the music.  Just go with whatever your daughter’s personal taste is.  As hard as this might be, remember, it’s her special night, and a lot of her friends will be there with the same taste.  You can hire a DJ to play a mix of her favorite songs, or if you want to keep things on a budget, you can always put together a playlist on your iPod.  There are apps out there that will mix the music perfectly, as if a DJ was there.  But on a night like this, you might want to hire a DJ because there will be different things going on throughout the night.  So you may want that DJ moving the guests from thing to thing.  Feel free to throw in some songs you and your friends might like.  Depending on your budget, you may want to hire a Mariachi Band, or a Salsa Band.  This will give the evening a more traditional feel.  If you want to keep things less expensive, you could always hire a guitarist who can play Spanish guitar.

Now, you’re going to want to feed these guests right?  But before we get to that, why don’t we get to what’s really important.  The Cake! Seek out the best Cake Decorator for what you and your daughter are expecting for this night.  Some people would rather go with cupcakes, but hey, she’s only going to be 15 once, so a tier cake seems fitting for sure.

When it comes to food, you’ll have many Long Island Catering Halls to choose from.  So you might want to find a venue on Long Island that will cater in house.  Of course you can always choose off site catering, depending on what food you’ll be serving.  If your daughter’s birthday is during the wedding off season, it might be nice to check out some Long Island wedding venues to see if they are offering any special deals for Quinceañeras. Don’t forget how much you have going on with the planning, so you find yourself a caterer who will take some of the food stress off your hands. You and your daughter can plan the menu with the caterer and then leave it to them to make your meal ideas come to life.

You’ll want to look at the budget again to decide if you want a sit down dinner, or if you are going to go buffet  style.  Keep in mind, if the food is good, either option will be great.

Remember this is an occasion in your daughter’s life you’ll never want her to forget.  So do all you can to capture the events of the evening.  Sometimes it’s fun to put disposable cameras on the tables.  Once you get the film developed, it can be hilarious to see what people took pictures of.  It usually doesn’t cost to much to put together a fun photo booth for your guests to get together and have fun snapshots taken in there. If you have a friend or relative who is proficient in the world of photography, you may want to offer them a small stipend to take pictures of the night for you.  I would suggest if there is room in the budget, hire a professional photographer.  That way they’ll capture everything going on that night.

Lastly, remember that your daughter has been dreaming of this night, and waiting for it to be here for a long time.  At least a long time in her mind.  Make sure she is in a position where she can take it all in, and enjoy herself.  When all is said and done, make sure your daughter writes in a diary her greatest memories of her Quinceañera.  If you are able to plan ahead, and keep things organized, I know she’ll have the Quinceañera she always dreamed of!