Your Quinceanera Venue Shows Your Style
By: Vanessa Rosen

Alicia stood outside the ballroom in her gleaming full-length ivory gown. For months, she and her mother and aunts had worked to create a theme of timeless elegance, like she'd grown up watching in the classic movie musicals. She'd chosen to have the celebration here, in the grand ballroom of the city's oldest mansion, exactly because its old school, Old World charm so closely matched the sets she'd seen in those films.
Through a little open space between the doors she could see all her guests standing and waiting for her entrance. Farther back, her court of honor, a gleaming troupe of her friends and cousins, waited to receive her in shimmering gowns and tuxedos. Overhead her favorite slow ballad began playing on the ballroom's speakers.

Her breath sped up, and she realized she couldn't wait another second. She gathered the folds of her skirt and stepped into the dazzlingly bright ballroom.

In the little scene above, Alicia and her family were able to bring together her perfect Quinceanera vision largely because they'd found the right venue, or location. Because the fiesta was held in a slow time of the year for the mansion - in this case, early February - the cost of renting its ballroom was much cheaper than usual.
"Finding the right venue for the right price can be tough. You're searching for the best of both worlds," says Albert Mendez, an Atlanta-based hotel and restaurant expert. "You want a nice place, but nice often means expensive."

"Venues are like hotels, though - they don't make money standing empty. See what's available, and see if the venue organizers are willing to negotiate."
Community centers, convention halls, and conference forums all have slow periods in the winter and early spring. While they might go for a bargain, the downside is these facilities don't provide catering or supplies such as linens and tablecloths. Instead, they offer a large space that guests must bring to life themselves. The savings in money might be worth it, or it may not.

Another off-season choice is the wedding facility. "Practically nobody gets married in months like August, March, and April," says Bob Rayman, the manager of a Washington, D.C.-area wedding ballroom. "The wedding season doesn't really pick up until May. For the rest of the time, the hall and the kitchen usually just sit around idle." 

These halls and manors usually feature catering and beverage service built into their rental packages, leaving the Quince girl and her helpers free to concentrate on decorations.
But ultimately, choosing the venue shouldn't be about money but about creating a once-in-a-lifetime setting for the Quince girl's special day. When planning the celebration, consider what setting complements the girl's ideal theme and personality. If the Quince girl loves the outdoors, a venue with a large, sprawling garden would probably make a good fit. Or, if she's more of the outgoing and social type, using a larger venue to recreate a South Miami Beach nightclub might also offer a solution.

In order to find the best place, experts recommend touring each facility first, either on their "open house" days or by appointment with a facility booking agent. Website images and brochure photographs can be carefully staged to give an unrealistic look at the venue's space and condition. "There's no substitute for actually walking around, looking in the corners and seeing if the floors are clean," Mendez says. "Ask yourself if you feel comfortable with it. Would you recommend it to friends? Would you want to be a guest there?"

Experts say the venue is ultimately like a blank slate or stage on which to produce your Quince celebration. It's a backdrop, not the party itself. But the right backdrop - the right "setting" - can go a long way to creating the kind of fiesta you'll remember forever.