By Hannah Langlie
Forget the bass, these parties are all about the chiffon.
One foot in the door and you are surrounded by enough light, poofy fabric to leave you up to your eyeballs, not to mention the rhinestones and the feathers. But according to Celeste Boutique manager Vilma Aguilar, the bigger the better.
She doesn’t seem worried that many Latina young women are changing the trends and choosing not to participate in a quinceañera celebration.
Born mostly out of Mexican tradition, the quinceañera is a celebration all about tradition and transformation. It serves to represent a young woman’s transition into adulthood, and, therefore, her eligibility on the marriage market. Strongly rooted in Catholic tradition, it begins with a church service in which the woman in question offers gifts to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and is then escorted by the important men in her life, often consisting of older male family members, to transform into a real princess.
That’s where Aguilar comes in. Her store works with designers from the United States and Mexico to bring the latest styles to the outskirts of Seattle.
“The colors for 2015 are more like light colors… like champagne, nude, cream colors, baby pink, all those colors,” Aguilar said. “We work with more than seven designers. Every designer has, you know, different ideas of styles.”
She said that while this year’s colors are more subdued, last year’s trends had everything to do with the brightest colors one could imagine. Tiffany blue was especially popular.
“Ruffles. A lot of ruffles,” she said. “Very big dresses, poofy poofy.”
Despite the roots in simplicity of many ceremonies, she says many young women opt for very shiny, elaborate dresses, with a lot of rhinestones, beaded detail, and maybe even some Swarovski crystals thrown in. Surprisingly, though, these dresses can be less expensive than one might think.
Aguilar says that a champagne-colored dress with a very large chiffon skirt in next year’s collection would probably run about $600. Dresses in the store could run anywhere from $400-$1500, depending on the designer. Some of the more sought-after designers include Mitzy and House of Wu .
The store also has a lot of accessories, including centerpieces, dolls and flower arrangements, all hand-designed in the shop to match the client’s theme. Aguilar designs many of the decorations herself, but she has another designer on staff as well.
Aguilar said that increasingly clients might want a travel-oriented theme.
“Quinceañeras are very smart. What they do is have the party, and for presents, they prefer, like, cash…. They can receive money and then pay for the trip.”
She said it is customary to give nice gifts such as cash or jewelry, and that many girls actually prefer the party as opposed to traveling to another exotic location.
But Angelica Romero , owner of Angelica’s Bridal Boutique and Spa Salon says it is most often a choice between either a large party or traveling.
“Some people don’t want the party because it spends too much money, and prefer to give her a trip to Mexico, or take her to Disneyland, or someplace that she can enjoy… That is a decision for the family. If you have the party, you don’t have the trip, because it’s your choice.”
Romero takes pride in being a “one-stop shop” at which a family can plan the entire event.
She contracts with many venues, including Kent Event Center in Kent/White Center; many well-known mariachis, including Banda Vagos ; catering, cake, hair, makeup, limousine, and photography services.
Altogether, costs may range from around $4,000-$15,000 depending on the level of extravagance. Romero said it is often appropriate for the immediate family members and godparents to pay for a portion of the celebration. She added that getting ready and attending the celebration usually takes all day.
“So the party starts at the quinceañera’s home to prepare the hair and makeup, to put on the dress, and to put on everything together.
“Next, we go to church, and prepare the church and everything to be ready,” adding that they make everything wonderful in time to receive the girl who has transformed into a princess.
Romero emphasizes how important the quinceañera celebration is to many Latina women: “When we don’t have the quinceañera, we have something missing in our life,” she said.
There are also other venues in the area. Francisco Chávez, owner of Seattle Club Sur, said that his venue is slowly becoming a more popular space to hold quinceañeras. The space comes equipped with tables, chairs, decor, tableware, catering, lighting, sound systems and the capability for live music, with a rental-fee ranging from $800 to $2,000.
But for many, this dream extends far beyond their 15th birthdays, said Romero.
“Three weeks ago, a lady, she celebrated 65 years old, and her dream is to have a quinceañera, but the family is really poor in Mexico,” she explained.
“So three weeks ago, somebody sent a dress from Mexico… We fixed the dress that she had, and the church celebrated the quinceañera dream for her. It made my heart so happy to see this lady have her dream come true.”
There are other aspects where the celebration is straying from the traditional. Romero said some families choose not to have the church ceremony, following more of a Christian tradition rather than a Catholic one. If they choose a time during Lent, some families would rather forgo the religious tradition altogether and just have a dance party.
Either way, this industry has way too many markets to be going anywhere anytime soon. After all, don’t we all want to be a princess for one day?
