Thursday, July 12, 2007

Quinceanera Invitation Tips

Quinceanera parties are many times as large and as formal as wedding parties. For these reasons, it is important to give your guest invitations to announce the upcoming event.

Choosing the Quinceanera Invitations
The quinceanera invitation sets the tone for the Quinceanera party. It should reflect the colors or theme of the party. For example if the quinceanera’s dress will be pink, then it would be nice for the invitation to have a hint of pink. If the Quinceanera party will be wrapped around a Cinderella theme, you may want to choose a Cinderella invitation or one that has a castle or coach.

Another popular alternative is to order invitations with a picture of the Quinceanera girl. Sometimes these can include a current picture as well as her baby picture.

Choosing the Quinceanera Invitations Ensemble
The invitation ensemble should at least include the outer envelope, the invitation, and respond card (or enclosure). The respond card envelopes can be printed with the return address, thus saving you time. You can request to have both outer and inner envelopes lined in the color of your choice.

You may also consider inner envelopes and reception cards if you are planning to invite people to the ceremony only.

Ordering the Quinceanera Invitations
Quinceanera invitations should be ordered as soon as the date, time, and place have been confirmed. This should be at least three months in advance before the party. This leaves room for any reprinting that may be necessary as well as allows the person addressing them plenty of time.

Calculating How Many Quinceanera Invitations
In determining how many to order you must count one invitation per household (parents and children under 18), 1 per couple, and 1 per each single person 18 years or older. It is a good idea to order a few extras for those last minute guests and for keepsakes. It is always cheaper to order these extras at the time of the initial purchase than to place another order later on.

Addressing and Mailing the Quinceanera Invitations
The invitations can be addressed by hand or by the help of a computer printer. However, choosing a professional calligrapher to address the invitations is preferable since it gives them an added touch of elegance.

It is a good idea to mail the quinceanera invitations approximately six weeks before the party. This gives your guest enough time to respond and you enough time to tally who will be attending. These numbers will be very important when calculating the amount of food, the number of tables, chairs, place sets and favors.

Wording the Quinceanera Invitations
Traditionally, the parents invite in honor of their daughter. However, it is also acceptable for the quinceanera girl to do the inviting and give her thanks to her parents. Many times the godparents’ names are included as well as a list of the quinceanera’s court (the names of the 15 couples).

The language in which to write them depends mainly on the guests. If the majority of the guests speak only Spanish, it would be a good idea to print the invitations in Spanish. Some quinceaneras choose to print the invitations in a combination of both the English and Spanish languages.

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