Spending time upfront with the planning of your celebration is what will make the difference between having a great celebration and taking the risk of having an unexpected nightmare occurring at the last minute. The planning and follow through is what can save you lots of money and prevent unnecessary mistakes. If you are like most families you probably have been thinking about how much money you will have to spend on your celebration for a long time.
It is best to start your planning for the Quinceanera celebration as early as possible. If the date for your celebration is during peak wedding season you will have trouble reserving a venue and other prime vendors. If this is so you will need to plan and reserve space and contract with vendors at least one year ahead of time. If your date is off season then you will have a much easier time reserving a venue and contracting with prime vendors. Plus everything will cost you less money.
Step 1.
You will need to have a small family meeting to start. It is best to schedule a meeting when everyone is relaxed and not having to run off. The first meeting should be a meeting where everyone shares ideas and the budget. It should be an open discussion with out any criticism. The meeting is to get things out in the open. During the first meeting develop an outline of the ideas for everyone to think about and maybe perform some research before the second meeting. Suggestion of Items to be discussed at the first meeting:
Date of the celebration.
The budget. This is the approximate amount of money you plan on pending on the celebration.
The approximate number of guests to be invited.
The list of possible contributing sponsors and the amount they will contribute.
Possible venues and where the mass or religious ceremony would be held.
Decide who will contact the sponsors.
Decide if you want to hire a party/event planner. The more organized you are the less you will have to pay a party/event planner.
Step 2.
If you have a sponsor who is going to contribute a major amount of money toward the Quinceanera Celebration and they are easy to work with. It is recommended, if possible to invite them to the second meeting.
At the second meeting all the major areas should be addressed and a schedule planned for checking out venues, the church and any other major vendors such as musicians and photographers.
Step 3.
After you have checked out the different venues and other vendors and the approximate cost of each. Contact your sponsors and obtain a commitment for their sponsorship.
Step 4.
Write up your guest list. Schedule and put on your calendar to send out, save the date, announcements to the guests you are inviting. It is customary to let your guests know as early as possible when you are having your celebration. If the date of your celebration is during the summer or during a major holiday you should send the announcement out as early as you want. The norm during non-peak travel times is three to six months ahead of the Quinceanera celebration.
Step. 5.
More decisions that need to be addressed:
Are you going to have a Corte de Honor? If so how many will you have in your Corte?
Who do you want to invite to be in your Corte?
What colors and theme do you want for the reception?
Start to sign contracts with the vendors.
You will find if you keep all your flyers, records, receipts in a safe place it will make the planning process much easier and less stressful. Being organized is one of the secrets to having a dream Quinceanera celebration.
It is a good idea to use a Quinceanera planning workbook. It will help you keep track of all the details, appointments and financial records and contacts in one place. If you start out with a good foundation to work with the entire planning process will be a great bonding experience for the entire family. Everyone will be able to share every planning step along the way with smile.
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