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by Michael Kabel
As you plan your Quinceañera, do you have someone to cover all the expenses?
In some quince traditions, the Quinceañera girl designates two or more adult friends to be her padrinos, or benefactors. They help with covering all the costs of the Mass and fiesta.
The average Quinceañera costs thousands of dollars. That's more than some families can afford to spend by themselves at one time. With padrinos, you're able to spread that cost around more, so that not everyone has to pay for so much at a time.
Padrinos All Contribute Their Part
In times past, quince girls only had two padrinos, and these were usually her grandparents or godparents. Today, however, with the rising costs of staging a full-blown Quinceañera celebration, the number of padrinos has expanded. Now, the padrinos can cooperate and pay for the food, entertainment, venue rental, and all the other expenses of the Mass and fiesta. Because there are more people, not every padrino has to pay for as much.
You might wish to have an entire committee of padrinos. This group could include your grandparents, aunts and uncles, and adult friends of your family. You can also invite the parents of your close friend to help out, too, or even members of your community.
The trick to organizing your padrinos for the best effect is timing. You want to have all your financing in place well before the Quinceañera itself. Many party planning experts recommend you have your padrinos named up to a year in advance of your Quinceañera celebration. This makes the arrangement easier on everyone. It lets you know where the money to pay for any one thing will come from. For your padrinos, it gives them to make sure the money is ready for you. And to be blunt, it also allows you to replace or find more padrinos if necessary.
As a show of good faith, you should also contribute some of your money to help pay for any number of items and supplies. You can also accept smaller, one-time donations to help fill your Quinceañera "campaign fund."
Dividing Expenses Gives Everyone A Role
Another strategy for naming padrinos is to recruit a separate sponsor for each part of the fiesta and Mass. One padrino could be in charge of your fiesta decorations. Another could supply all your food and drink, while third pays for your kneeling pillow, ultima muñeca, and Bible.
It's only respectful to give your Quinceañera padrinos some choice in what they'll fund for your celebration. Of course, many will want to buy the same thing - who wouldn't want to give the Quince princess her last shoes? But you can solve this by treating everything on a first come, first serve basis.
When To Say Thank You
Sending out "thank you" notes is a great way to demonstrate the maturity that the Quinceañera celebrates. The trick is to send them at the right time - not too soon, and not too long after the fiesta. As a rule of thumb, handwritten thank you cards should be sent one week after.
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