Great Ideas for a Quinceañera Theme

If you’re like many young girls planning their Quinceañera, one of the most exciting yet most challenging decisions has to be selecting the theme for your quince. Sure, you want to have a celebration that’s traditional and doesn’t stray too far from the long-established Quinceañera customs, but who says you can’t add your own personal touch to your big day? Below are five cool ideas to help you select the quince theme that’s perfect for you.

Classic and Sophisticated
This theme is perfect for you to demonstrate your “grown up” taste and style. If you’re planning a formal party or just trying to make your celebration one of quiet, understated elegance, going the Classic/Sophisticated route creates an ambience similar to a bridal reception or a school prom. The trick with this theme is to keep in mind that “less is more”, and instead of lavish decorations you want to opt for favors that are very neutral in color, but also have hints of shimmer and glamour.
Time of Year: Any time
Your Dress: White, Black, or any muted color (nothing bright)
Your Court: Any low-key color that doesn’t take the attention away from you (think silver, gold, brown, royal blue…). The damas’ dresses should ideally all be the same color so that, again, none of the attention is distracted from you.
Decoration: Any favors that are neutral in color (white, gold, silver, earth tones), but also have hints of shimmer and glamour. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of keeping decorations subtle yet elegant.
Food: Any traditional dish such as chicken, fish or steak will do. It’s also a good idea to have trays of delicious hors d’oeuvres floating around throughout the party.
Music: Just like your decorations, you’ll want to keep your playlist simple in order to pull off a “Classic and Sophisticated” theme. As much as you may love rap or hip hop, you’ll want to stick with traditional songs popular for quinceañeras, and include of course the traditional Waltz.

Quince Beach Bash
A beach-themed quince allows you and your guests to have the fun and frolic of a day at the beach, no matter what the weather is like outside. The great thing about this theme is that it adapts perfectly to formal and informal events, so you can pick the level of dress up you want your guests to see.
Time of Year: Preferably summer, but any time of the year will do.
Your Dress: A simple dress (i.e.: nothing too puffy or elaborate) that’s white, aqua green, aqua blue, or coral will do if you are opting for an informal and totally beach-y look. Otherwise, your dress can be as formal and elaborate as you want, but preferably in the colors mentioned above.
Your Court: As long as your damas’ dresses always less elaborate than yours, their color is up to you. For an informal look the chambelanes can also dress down a bit by wearing a nice suit (any color), or dress up for a formal look by going for the formal tuxedo.
Decorations: If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a friend who’s willing to host your reception at his/her beachside pad, you can still achieve the beach theme at just about any location by getting creative with the decorations. You can decorate the space with fisherman’s nets, beach balls, tiny lighthouses and lifeguard shacks, and anything else you can think of to bring the motif to life. The favors you give can be of any of dozens charming gifts such as candles or photo frames.
Food: It is best to stick with a seafood menu for this. A great idea is to serve shrimp cocktails, or have shrimp hors d’oeuvres floating among your guests.
Music: Once you have set the theme through your decorations, you can pretty much safely choose any style of music you wish… keeping in mind, of course, that tropical music is always reminiscent of the beach.

Princess Quince
This is similar to the “Classic and Sophisticated” theme, but it is usually a bit more lavish. With the “Princess” theme, you go all out converting your quince venue into a fairy tale kingdom where you are its ruler. This theme can be girly and effeminate (like Cinderella) or it can be something more adventurous… it’s up to you!
Time of Year: Any time
Your Dress: Preferably gold or white, but any soft color will do so long as it is finished off with a nice tiara.
Your Court: Your court’s attire should not take any attention from the quinceañera, but rather complement her dress. Therefore, it’s a good idea to ensure that the damas wear matching dresses in the same muted color (pale pink, earth tones, pastels). The chambelanes can wear any color suit or tux.
Decorations: Depending on the type of princess you want to be, your decorations can be either soft and feminine, reminiscent of Snow White or Cinderella, or they can be more modern and resemble the kingdom of Princess Mononoke in Lord of the Rings. The decorations are similar to the ones described for the “Classic & Sophisticated” theme, but with even more lavish elegance.
Food: You’ll want your guests to partake in a royal feast fit for kings and queens, so be prepared to offer a hearty assortment of entrees (steaks, chicken, fish, turkey) from which your guests can choose. If you can arrange it with the catering company, have them serve every course in their best gold-plated china (or something that looks just as fancy/regal), and glassware. You and your court can even drink out of special goblets to complete the look.
Music: The choice is yours.

Personalized Quince
Since the quince celebration is all about you, why not take that idea and run with it? Personalized decorations and favors make a great impression with your guests, and the hand-made (or hand-selected) favors can be taken home afterwards as a lovely souvenir. This theme is the easiest to pull off and perhaps the most exciting because you don’t have to go crazy searching for decorations and ideas that correspond to any particular theme; the only requirement is that whatever you choose in terms of music, food, decoration tones and favors all reflect your own personal taste and style.

This post is also available in: Spanish