Please describe your invitations
My invitation was printed in light blue ink.  It showed a Quinceanera girl on the cover with a white Cinderella dress.

How many people attended your Quinceanera?
Through out the night over 500 people.

On the morning of your Quinceanera what was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
“Today is the day!”

What did you wear?
I wore a white strapless dress with lots of sequins and glitter embedded in the dress.  A white jacket complimented the dress. 

How did you wear your hair?
My hair was in an updo with lots of curls hanging just over my shoulder

What did you wear on your feet?
Silver 2” inch heel shoes with shimmering sparkles through the strap.

Did you wear anything on your head?
A Tiara full of diamond rhinestones with a small dangling “15”.

Please describe the moment when you first saw yourself after you were dressed.
“I felt like a Princess”

Did you have a mass for your Quincenanera?
Yes

Where was the mass held?
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Temple, Texas

Describe going to the church.
A stretch hummer limo came to my house to take me and my court to the church.  We were so excited and I was very nervous.
Were there any Quinceanera rituals performed during your mass?
Yes, this was the most special part of my Quincenaera.

Please describe them
Father Charles Davis renewed my baptismal vows with my Godparents.  This was very meaningful because Father Davis baptized me when I was born.  My Godmother, Aunt Nancy, had been saving the original candles from my baptism for my Quince.  I stood there with Uncle George and Aunt Nancy and was blessed.  Then I was presented with a pillow, Bible and Rosary, Ring, Medallion of Saint Theresa, Crown and a bouquet of fresh blue daisies and white roses.

Please describe what it was like to enter the ceremony for your Quinceanera.
It was amazing…to see all my family and friends seated to share this special moment.

What would be your number one reason for having a ceremony for a Quinceanera?
The ceremony is the heart of the Quinceanera.  To renew my baptismal vows in front of all my guests and to accept Christ as a young lady.

How did you incorporate your theme into your Quinceanera?
“Find Your Wings” was my theme song.  This song was played when I walked out of the church after the service and also at the reception when I danced with my Dad.

What was your favorite thing about your choice of theme?
It expresses how a young child is all grown up to fly away with the love of parents and God to guide them.

In your opinion what should a theme do for a Quinceanera?
To express what the true meaning of the Quinceanera.

Describe going to your reception.
This was one of the biggest surprises.  My father made a special DVD for me to watch in the stretch hummer limo with my court.  It was a DVD of me as a baby and showed pictures of me growing up with my friends.  It made me cry.

My Quinceanera reception was held at
Reception /Dance – Frank Mayborn Civic & Convention Center

Please describe this place
The Mayborn is our civic center. Outside on the marquee it read: Happy 15th Birthday Desiree.
As guests arrived they were greeted by the hostess and then walked between huge columns decorated with large floral arrangements.  There was a table for guests to sign a guest book and next to it was a large portrait of me in my Qiunceanera dress.  The Convention Center hall was set to seat 600 people.  Tables were in white linen with a baby blue cover in the center of the table.  All of the chairs were covered in white linen with a baby blue bow.  Vases with baby blue flowers complimented each table. As the night progressed glow sticks were placed in the vases to give off a soft glow.  A large chandelier hung in the middle of the dance floor as Christmas lights draped the ceiling giving it a feeling of stars twinkling in the night. 

Did you have a court?
Yes

If so how many?
Seven girls
Seven Chamberlains
My escort

What did they wear?
The ladies wore strapless baby blue silk dresses with a shimmering see through shawl.  The gentlemen wore black tuxedos with baby blue vest and tie.

Did your court dance?
Yes, when we entered the reception my whole court did a soul train.  It wasn’t formal though, it was fun and we all had our own rhythm.  Then after dinner I danced with all of the guys in my court leading up to the dance with my Dad.

What was the greatest part about having a court?
Having my closest friends/family share in the special event.

Is there anything at all about your court that you wished had been different?
No, everything was perfect.

What kind of refreshments or food did you serve to your guests?
The food was catered by Mungria and we had a Barb-B-Que buffet with sausage and beans, brisket, and potato salad.  My Aunt Angie made my cake, it was blue and white and had four tiers.  There was a water fountain at the base and the sides of the cake were decorated staircases with dolls of my damas and chamberlanes. The cake served 500 and we also had fruit trays.

Were there any Quinceanera rituals performed during your reception?
My Dad and I danced to ‘Find Your Wings” and then I danced with all of my padrinos.

What role did your parents play in your Quinceaenera?
My parents played a huge part in preparation and standing by me every step of the way.

Did you have any Godparents participate?
Yes.  My Godparents stood by my side as I renewed my baptismal vowels along with crowning me with my Tierra.

Are Quinceaneras traditional in your family?
Yes.
What and when was the first Quinceanera that you ever attended?
I was 8 years old and attended my cousin’s Quinceanera.

What impressed you the most about this Quinceanera?
The beautiful dress and thinking how she looked like Cinderella.

How did you feel when you arrived at the reception?
I was speechless….everything was just so pretty.

Did you make a speech during your Quinceanera?
Yes.

If you did, what did you say to your guests?
I expressed my sincere gratitude to all my guests, my grandparents and especially my parents.

How did you prepare for this?
I knew I had to thank all those that made the event special in the ways they assisted.  I was prepared with a speech.  I worked on my speech with my mother and made sure that I had included everyone.

What kind of music did you play at your Quinceanera?
We had all kinds of music that would appeal to all ages.

Did you have a DJ or a live band or something else?
We had two-time Grammy Award winner Little Joe Y La Familia perform.  Johnny Hernandez was also present.

We also had DJ Avenger out of Dallas, Texas

How did your Quinceanera end?
The DJ played the final song.  The Hummer Limo arrived to transport me and my Court of Honor home.  WE got home and all of my damas slept over night—we were up until 4am!

What was the last thing you remember thinking before you closed your eyes to go to sleep?
Wow, what a wonderful party….I was sad to see it all come to end.  But the memories will always be there.

 
What was it that you worried about the most before your Quinceanera?
I was nervous about everything.  Like, would everyone come?  And everyone showed up and had a great time.

Was there any moment or event that took you by surprise?
After dinner Little Joe called me up on stage and had all my guests stand and sing Happy Birthday and Las Manyanita’s to me.  Then I cut the cake and went back-up on stage to make my speech.
Another was my cousin bought a dozen of roses for me to present to my mother during my speech.  It was a sincere moment and a speech from the heart.  I was crying my mother was crying and all my guest were crying! 
Prior to the event was receiving a phone call from Quince Girl Magazine.  All of my friends and family are so excited.

Another way of asking this is-- was everything just as you expected?
Yes, everything was as I dreamed it would be, but even better.

If you had to pick one moment from your Quinceanera to represent what it was all about to you what would it be and why?
The Church ceremony, renewing my baptismal vowels, because to me that is the heart of the Quinceanera.

What was the best piece of advice that you received before your Quinceanera?
My cousin Danielle that was part of my court told me to relax and just have fun.

What is the best piece of advice that you have to offer based on your experience?
I would say that an event such as this takes years of planning don’t try to plan at the last minute.  Do some researching and let other’s help with ideas. 

If you knew someone who was undecided about having a Quinceanera what would you tell her?
Oh, definitely have a Quinceanera.  It was by far the most enjoyable day of my life.  It was so much fun!  You get to spend time with family, friends and you only turn fifteen once!

Did you experience any post-Quinceanera let-down after the event?
No, my friends stayed overnight and we were up talking until dawn.  Then the next day they gave me a scrapbook that they had made for me with pictures from our lives together.

If so how did you handle it?
We all looked at the scrapbook and were saying things like ‘remember doing that?’  We were all crying and remembering all of the good times we have.

What was your favorite Quinceanera gift?
The gift of having all my friends and family get together to celebrate this memorable event.

How did you go about writing thank you notes to your guests?
My thank you notes were printed identical to my invitation.   I expressed my sincere thank you to each and every person.  I really wanted everyone to know how much everything meant to me.

What is the biggest difference in your life that you have noticed since your Quinceanera?
The impact that it made on my friends.  The true understanding of a Quinceanera.  Everyone was blown away that this was what a Quinceanera was like.  All of these people kept on telling my Dad “if this is what a Quinceanera looks like—what’s a wedding?”