Quinceanera Celebration
If you take the Quinceanera celebration from an anglo point of view, you would probably say that it is a combination of the American girl’s Sweet 16 party and a young lady’s “coming out “party, known as “making her debut”. This Latino event is a way of not only celebrating the young lady’s fifteenth birthday, but also is a time to honor her parents and her godparents (padrinos). Although the reason for the quinceanera was to mark the day when a girl became a woman, was fully responsible, was at the age to marry. Today, that part of the custom has changed quite drastically. While it is still a celebration of womanhood, family, and community, today it is a festive party, filled with special customs, with dancing, and fun.
The cake is important and is exceptionally beautiful. But the festejada’s (birthday girl’s) gown is the absolute centerpiece of the whole celebration. Much like a wedding, the proper dress for a quinceanera party is formal. For the birthday girl and her court, it is important to look absolutely fabulous, but also be comfortable, since the party can be as long as 6 hours. Traditionally, quinceanera dresses are ball gowns, highly embellished, and often in vivid colors. But what about the guys? Well, since there is a church service (very much akin to a mass) before the “ball”, let’s talk about what to wear to the church, first.
The church service requires a suit, or can be a business casual type look. The point is to dress appropriately for church. If you are a growing young man, and do not have a suit, it is a great idea to rent one, rather than buy a suit. You’ll want to save buying your first good suit until you are out of school, which is when most guys reach their full growth. Until then, you can rent a suit from Rose Tuxedo , along with shoes, tie, and shirt. It’s so easy, and we have the best prices to suit your budget (pun intended). At the party, it’s O.K. to wear western dress, unless you are part of the family or one of the maids’ escorts ( chambelans). In that case, the girls will be wearing matching gowns, like the bridesmaids at a wedding. The chambelans will be required to wear tuxedos.
The color of the festejada’s dress and her maids’ dresses will determine the accessories for the chambelans. Many experts in the field of quinceanera celebrations say that at least three months before the event, the festejada should be checking out tuxedos.
These are the questions you want to ask yourself:
- Do you want the guys to wear a vest and tie, or a cummerbund and bow tie?
- Do you want their ties and cummerbunds to match the damas’ dresses?
- Do you know what style of tuxedo you want your guys to wear? Yes, there are different styles.
Are you going to have a special theme that you might want to play with as far as what the guys wear?
Here is the best thing of all. If you go to Rose Tuxedo, or any of its three locations in the Phoenix area, they know:
- Exactly what is “in”
- What others have done at their parties
- How to get the tux you choose to fit each guy
- How to save your guys money when renting
- That you may need colored vests and accessories (and they have any color you need)
- That you may need these tuxedos during a “busy season” ( no problem, they have a huge inventory)
In other words, let Rose Tuxedo know what you need, and they will take it from there!
NW Phoenix – 602 375-8280
Central Phoenix – 602 957-0089
Mesa – 480 831-5255
Arizona’s Tuxedo Headquarters
Email us directly with any questions