I know I have kept some of you in suspense…waiting to hear what this Quinceanera was all about!  I cannot wait to share some pics with you and tell you all the fun things that happened!!

For those of you who aren’t fortunate enough to be latino…(haha)….a Quinceanera is a special birthday party for a girl when she turns 15.  It’s kind of like a Sweet 16 or a bat mitzvah.  This is a time when we celebrate a girl’s transition from childhood to womanhood!  Yay! 🙂  Each latin culture celebrates it a little differently, and for those of you who are curious…yes I did have one myself!

Traditionally, the Quinceanera was supposed to wear white or light pink to represent purity.  Now a days the girls love to have fun with all sorts of fun and vibrant colors!

One of the fun parts of being the Quinceanera is that you are presented with a variety of gifts to commemorate your event.  This includes a ring, necklace, earrings, a tiara and sometimes a bible or prayer pillow.  Many of these are presented to you during the mass by the godparents.

We first met our Quinceanera, Ariadna, at her home to capture the moments as she got ready for her BIG DAY!!

The first event is the mass of thanksgiving.  The Quinceanera  goes to her church to give thanks to God for all he has done in her life and she also recommits to following the way of the Lord.

After the service we headed off with her chambelanes for some pictures.  “Chambelanes” are honored guy friends that she has stand up with her.  Other quinceaneras also have “damas” which are girl friends that stand up as well.  These friends often spend hours rehearsing a choreographed dance in preparation for the big event.

You can see these chambelanes were a lot of fun!

After the pictures outside, we headed off to the reception!  Here you can see the last doll that is given.  The quinceanera is also presented with a larger tiara and heels and there is also a toast done in her honor.

And who could forget the cake?!! Yum!!

And finally the long awaited dances that they have spent hours rehearsing!