A Bridgerton Inspired Quinceanera

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A quinceañera is a traditional Latin American celebration that marks a girl's transition from childhood to womanhood on her 15th birthday. The term "quinceañera" is derived from the Spanish words "quince," meaning fifteen, and "años," meaning years.

I still remember my quince - it was Beauty and the Beast themed and the party was a blast. I had been planning my quince ever since I was little and I was so excited when the time finally came for me to celebrate my 15th birthday with all of my friends and family. I'd never felt more loved.

So when a friend asked me if I could help her plan and execute her adult quince, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity.

She was unable to have a party of her own for her real 15th birthday years ago, so she decided to make her birthday this year, an honorary quinceanera celebration. And I was so excited to help make her vision come to life!

The Theme: Pastels

When my friend sent me her mood board, I immediately knew I was the girl for the job. She wanted pastels and wildflowers, two of my favorite things.

We opted for light pinks, peach, greens and periwinkle blue. We utilized the colors throughout the decor - in the flowers, balloons, candles and of course the wardrobe! The guest of honor wore a fabulous pastel rainbow of a Selkie dress and looked phenomenal.

The use of these light colors truly made it feel like a traditional quinceanera, and since these colors are traditionally used in the Spring, they brought such a brightness to a somewhat gloomy December day.

The Decor

For the decor, I opted for simple elegance, with a touch of whimsy. We weren't working with a huge budget, so most of what I utilized were items I already had at home. With the exception of the flowers, which were purchased at the Wholesale Flower Market, and the candles, which I scored at Home Goods.

Life Lesson: If you're ever searching for taper candles, go to Home Goods before going to Anthropologie....you'll save yourself about $40.

The space was already so beautiful, with wooden structure and golden light streaming in from large bay windows, so I didn't think too much needed to be done! We decided to focus on the table setting and the cake table.

For the table, I decided to mix and match vintage plates that went well with our color scheme. You guys know me, I love any excuse to use vintage dinnerware. I just think it adds such a whimsical and unique touch. And since it's often difficult to find a set of 12 matching vintage plates, it turns into a beautiful array of artfully crafted dishes.

We mixed some of what I had with some of what my friend had, and it was so much fun to see the different plates and settings on the table.

I went to Joann's and bought some shimmery and matte tulle which I layered on the table as a runner. I scattered some periwinkle delphinium petals, rose petals and chamomile flowers along the runner.

The Flowers

I decided to give the flowers their own section because they came out so beautifully, and honestly, were the real stars of the show.

I stopped by the Wholesale Flower Market the day before the party, naively thinking that I'd be able to score a lot of flowers for a little money. Unfortunately, it seems that the flower market is not that much more affordable than getting flowers from anywhere else.

I had my mind set on ranunculus or cosmos or peonies, but once I arrived and saw the prices, ($30 for 6 peonies?!), I had to change course.

I opted for a mixture of baby pink garden roses, delphiniums, white snapdragons, yellow carnations, and chamomile flowers. And filled in the spaces with baby's breath.

I used a vase that I bought a few months back from World Market, and a flower frog to hold the flowers in place.

Some Tips for Flower Arranging:

• Keep the flowers in a very cold place until you're ready to use them. When warm, flowers will open up and die sooner, which will shorten the length of time you're able to enjoy them! I made all of the flower arrangements the night before the party and set them out in the living room - which worked in this case, since the house was frigid.

• Use your fingers to open up the rose petals. This gives them that professional look, and style as opposed to the run of the mill flowers you see in the grocery store.

• Keep them hydrated! Some flowers drink their water a lot faster than others, so make sure you're keeping them hydrated with fresh water. And if you want your flowers to last long after your party is over, then add fresh water to your vase every other day.

• While working on your arrangement, make sure you're spinning the vase around while you're adding the flowers, so you can see what the arrangement looks like from all sides. It can be easy to just look at it from your perspective of "the front" but the front will be different depending on where all of your guests are standing. So your arrangment should look beautiful from all angles.

• Prep your flowers by removing all leaves and thorns. This allows water to penetrate faster and go where it needs to go. Instead of wasting water on leaves, you're able to utilize it for your beautiful flower petals.

We also decided to hang some flowers from the cieling! I used twine that I purchased and tacked it to each end of the doorway, then cut smaller pieces of twine to tie the flowers to the string.

The Cake

My friend's 18 year old niece made her a delicious vegan cake topped with chocolate and churros. We were all so impressed with her work!

I brought a few figurines from my own quince and used them to top the cake and decorate on the fireplace mantle. It was such a sweet touch to have these little doll like figurines that said "15".

We decorated the table using my pink and white checkered tablecloth and a green ribbon that I had tied into a bow for my Christmas Cookie party! I repurposed much of which I used at that party for the quince.

My friend had the great idea of decorating using oranges as well, so the fruit decor continues! I put some wildflowers into vases and stacked the cake plates next to the cake stand and the crown!

As I drove away from the party I was able to see the party through the window outside, and it was so magical. Friends laughing and celebrating. Enjoying a beautiful evening and a beautiful person.