Your Quinceañera Gowns: Say It With Color!

by Susan Hawkins

The day you've waited almost 15 years for is just a short time away, and you're putting all your Quince dreams in motion--planning, choosing and buying all the things a Quinceañera requires-your tiara, your scepter, invitations, a cake, Quinceañera favors and a guest book. Shopping for your gown is probably the most exciting part because each time you look in the mirror wearing a different gown, you see a beautiful princess and the woman you've become.

Design, color and usually price go into finding the perfect gown. You'll want an elegant, chic design that flatters you, and of course, you want a color that complements your beauty, too. But perhaps you'd like to choose your gown colors and those of your damas based on their meanings, so you can communicate certain messages to your guests. Our response to color is influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, social and cultural factors, but the messages we receive from colors are mostly a result of dynamic and social factors. Here are some popular gown colors and what you can communciate by wearing them:

White-Comprised of all the colors in the spectrum, white reflects light to keep you cool, and it complements virtually every other color. White symbolizes innocence and purity, which is why brides wear white. And you'd look lovely in white.

Red-Easily the most emotionally intense color, red is the color of passion and love. "Seeing red" actually causes a biological reaction-quickening pulse and increased breathing rate. A word of caution: Red makes you look heavier and is an appetite stimulant. Maybe you should pass on red. You'd be doing yourself and your damas a favor.

Blue-One of the most popular colors, blue produces feelings of peace and tranquility, which is a lovely message to communicate.

Pink-Princesses love pink! Pink is a very gentle, relaxing and calming color that brings forth feelings of innocent romance. Always a nice choice!

Purple-If you want to project your dreams for the future, maybe purple is your color. It has a feminine and romantic appeal, and purple represents luxury, royalty, wealth and sophistication.

Green-Also calming and refreshing, green suggests wealth and prosperity. Medieval brides wore green to symbolize fertility.

Yellow-Yellow can be an overpowering color-it's the most difficult for the eye to process-yet it's a cheery color that attracts attention.

Brown-An earthy color, shades of brown symbolize reliability, which is a great attribute, but not as romantic a color as some of the others.

Black-Even though black is probably the most stylish color in fashion, it may not communicate the message you have in mind. In our society, black is the color of authority and power, but it's also the color of creativity.

Now that you have the inside scoop on colors and the messages they send, you can say what's in your heart when you choose your Quinceañera gowns!