”Someday My Quince Will Come…”’
Celebrate Your Magical Night with a Cinderella 
Theme!
You’ve dreamed of this night for 15 years…and finally, a spectacular ball gown and a sparkling tiara await and some high-heeled glass and rhinestone slippers are ready for your own Prince Charming (Daddy) to place on your feet. After all the details for the ceremony are taken care of, turn your thoughts to planning the fairytale reception of your dreams.
Start planning for your Cinderella-themed Quinceañera by choosing a slogan to use throughout your party including imprinted invitations, banners and favors for your guests. Try one of the following or brainstorm with your damas to come up with the perfect saying for your 15th birthday celebration:
• “Aliana’s Dream Come True Quinceañera Ball”
• “Cristina’s Happily-Ever-After Quinceañera”
• “Princess Paola’s Palace Party”
• “Hear Ye, Hear Ye…Princess Marisol is 15!”
Cinderella Quinceañera Invitations:
• Choose an invitation that will give your family and friends a sneak preview of your theme. Either an enchanting castle or a fairytale carriage shaped invitation would be perfect. Consider sprinkling some castle-shaped confetti or Fairy Godmother dust (sparkly powder) inside the envelope to make your invitation stand out.
• As an alternative consider attaching a computer-generated tag to a mini glass slipper with silver curling ribbon. Invite guests by saying, “Only you can fill this shoe…by coming to Isobel’s Cinderella Quinceañera Party!” They can be mailed in small padded envelopes. If you want to save money on postage, recruit the help of your chambelanes, dress them up as footmen and hand-deliver these invites on a lovely white satin pillow (leaving only the shoe invitation with each invited family!)
Cinderella Quinceañera Decorations:
There are countless ways to decorate to create an elegant Quince reception whether you are on a shoe-string or a sky’s-the-limit budget. Whether your party is being held in a large reception hall, a church community room or at your own home, you can tie your Cinderella theme into your décor.
• Entrance: Start by greeting guests with a dazzling arch or gateway to enter the reception room. A balloon arch, a pair of dreamy cloud columns, a castle gate or a personalized memory mural are all excellent choices.
• Reception Hall:
o Add a fairytale focal point decoration that is sized appropriately for your reception location and you’ll have the perfect spot for the presentation with your damita. A larger-than-life castle or castle entrance in shimmering shades of icy blue, silver and white would be lovely. A stunning carriage fit for a fairytale princess would be another wonderful choice.
o Swans, a castle bridge, a fountain or a grouping of faux trees filled with sparkling white twinkle lights would all be excellent choices as accents for decorating.
o Balloons, streamers and gossamer are always excellent choices for economical decorating. You can transform any room into a festive space in a matter of minutes by using some of the following ideas with balloons. Place groupings of helium-filled balloons tied with curling ribbon around the party room. (Odd numbers look best: 3, 5 or 7.) To fill a larger “ballroom” setting create a balloon arch, swags or column using white, silver and light blue balloons, or balloon clouds using white balloons. Make sure that you recruit plenty of help from family and friends early in the day if you are planning to create large scale arches or swags. If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying lengths of curling ribbon and hang them from the ceiling. Using gossamer or streamers is a budget-conscious way to splash lots of color and warmth around the site of your party.
o Create a lovely, elegant effect by draping white and silver metallic gossamer or streamers from the center of the ceiling to the walls on each side of the room. Two different colored streamers or lengths of gossamer can be placed back to back and twisted for a unique look.
• Photo Setting: A Quinceañera is the ideal time to capture some priceless memories as you’ll be surrounded by all the people you love most. You can actually plan this as a party activity. Set up an area with a Cinderella-themed decoration specifically for picture taking. Whether you are hiring a professional photographer or recruiting Uncle Carlos, take pictures of each guest at the party and of different groups of guests standing by the photo backdrop. The photos can be mailed or emailed to friends and family after the party with a note saying “gracias”. Another nice touch for the reception would be to use the photo setting for video recording. A set of numbers showing the year of your Quince would be ideal. Ask guests to stop by at some point during the party and record a spontaneous message. Have each guest start by saying “I’m proud of you because…” or “My favorite memory of you growing up is….” Throughout the course of the party you will create a touching tribute, filled with warm memories, funny stories, and the smiling faces of those who came to say, “Feliz Cumpleaños!”
• Dance Floor: For the court waltz create the look of an elegant ballroom floor by cutting black and white checkered flat paper to the size of your dance floor. Secure the flat paper with clear packing tape. Next, outline the perimeter of your dance floor by placing a column at each corner. Balloon, castle turret or cloud columns are all excellent choices. Finally, scatter balloons on the floor around the outside edge of the dance floor. Choose “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from the Cinderella soundtrack for your first dance as a woman with your father.
• Tables:
o Tie bows with gossamer or tulle across the top of each chair back. The bows can be cut to any length and even look lovely with tails trailing on the floor. The bows hold their shape beautifully at a fraction of the cost of wired ribbon.
o Order light blue or white napkins and have them imprinted with your Quince slogan. Select a metallic or foil imprint and the napkins will serve several purposes…great decorating in disguise and a treasured memento for a scrapbook.
o Try using a unique item that can double as a party favor as a napkin ring such as a key chain.
o Whether you are using formal table linens or plastic table cloths, cover the tables with large squares of light blue or metallic silver gossamer.
o While fresh flowers are fragrant and lovely, they are costly. You can create spectacular tables using Cinderella-themed castle centerpieces.
o For a whimsical touch, add enchanted pumpkins that are ready to become golden coaches at a moment’s notice to a few tables as centerpieces. Spray paint real pumpkins white or gold, and add metallic gold ivy to the top.
o Surround each centerpiece with some votive candle holders imprinted with your party slogan and a sprinkling of castle confetti. The candles can be lit for a warm glow during the party, and then can be sent home with your friends and family as party favors.
Cinderella Quinceañera Favors:
The latest trend for Quinceañeras is to share favor keepsakes that are personalized. You can have favors imprinted with a special thank you message along with your name and the date, with your Quinceañera slogan, or with a reference to the Cinderella theme such as, “May all your dreams and wishes come true!” with a graphic of a horse drawn carriage.
o Frames and candles are always much appreciated.
o Personalized mint tins, key chains and clocks are also very popular as party favors right now.
o Personalized glassware imprinted with a special message or your theme slogan makes a wonderful favor. Guests can drink from the special glass at the party, then take it home and fondly recall your special day every time they see the glass. As an alternative, glassware can be filled with metallic shred and little chocolate or candy treats.
o You could also have inexpensive bubbles imprinted with your party slogan…a magical touch for any birthday party! All of the favors listed above can and should be displayed on the tables where guests will sit during the reception, as they will make the tables look more festive.
o Mini glass slippers (they are actually acrylic) would be great favors to give away to your guests as a token of appreciation for sharing in your special day!
To make the table a standout, display your menu or individual place cards with names at each place setting in frames. Use a calligraphy font on your computer to generate the menus or tags. Name tags can also be tied with curling ribbon to the stems of glassware or candle holders.
Cinderella Quinceañera Memory Making:
While the customs and traditions of the ceremony that are important to you and your family should be honored, you may want to add a few new ideas to your reception. For this party, the best decorations can be those that your parents have carefully and lovingly preserved from your first 15 years of life. Prepare a “Quince Spotlight” area for guests to view during the party. Display scrapbooks, photo albums of family and friends, artwork, sports trophies, and awards on a table. This “chronicle” of the life of the Quince girl will be enjoyed by all. You could also create a Quinceañera Time Capsule to be opened in 10, 20, or 30 years. Ask guests to bring something small to the party that reflects the year in some way, or is a reminder of you. Years from now, you’ll have a sweet trip down memory lane of the incredible year that you turned 15!
If you find after all your planning that you have a little extra money to spend for your big day, hire a horse drawn carriage to deliver you and your damas from the church ceremony to the reception. Above all else, have fun planning your big day. When the clock strikes midnight, your carriage won’t turn into a pumpkin and you’ll still be the most stunning Quinceañera girl in a ball gown even if you dance till dawn!
Tell us about your Quinceanera memories and party ideas!
The first step to hosting your Quince is setting a budget and a guest list. Be sure to invite family, close friends, and family friends. Be sure to balance the guest list between your parents guests and your own crowd. This is an important day for both of you.
Decorate your tables to match the rest of the event with our awesome Hollywood tabletop supplies. Place a Clapboard Centerpiece on each table for the table number or a Top Hat Votive Holder for a more formal look. Line the edges of the table with star and clapboard garland and sprinkle Hollywood confetti for the finishing touch.
