A quinceañera is a huge milestone in a girl’s life. It represents the transition from child to woman, and is celebrated with her closest friends and family. And the quinceañera planning process is often full of creativity and excitement—especially the part where you choose your quince court of honor.
Your quince court of honor are your close male and/or female friends who you select to be a part of your event. The members of this court will accompany you to the church for the religious part of the day, will join in the quinceañera waltz, and will join in the surprise dance.
But how do you choose your quinceañera honor court, and what are the rules? Here are some tips from Hollywood Banquet Hall.
Make A List
It’s always a great idea to begin with a list. Write down everyone who you think would make a good member of your quinceañera honor court. Be sure to include your closest friends, family members, classmates, church mates, neighbors, etc. From there, you can narrow down if you need to. Helpful Tip: It’s always best to ask friends whose parents already know your parents. This helps with coordinating schedules and things like that.
14 Court Members Is Not Necessary
By tradition, there are 14 damas (girls) and 14 boys (chambelanes) that make up the quince court of honor. However, in more recent times, this number is cut in half, and there are seven damas and seven chambelanes.
Although the big traditional number is 14, many girls these days just select however many quince honor court members they want.
Image: mipadrino.com | Taken By Raven
Here are the most popular quince court of honor arrangements:
- 14 damas/14 chambelanes
- 1 chambelan/4 damas (to make a “14”)
- 1 dama/4 chambelanes (to make a “14”)
- 4 damas
- 4 chambelanes
- 1 dama
- 1 chambelan
Make sure to select however many friends you are comfortable with. Remember, it’s your birthday!
Choose Only Those Who Love You
Be sure to only invite someone to be a member of your quince court of honor if they are very good friends with you. Try to choose life-long friends and close family members. Don’t ask someone just because you happen to have a crush on them. This is a big milestone in your life, so those spots should be reserved for people who truly know and love you.
Make Sure They Will Cooperate
Whoever you ask to be a part of your quince court of honor should understand the commitment it requires. Not only will they be expected to attend dance rehearsals; they will also be expected to buy their own suit or dress, and they will need to attend your quinceañera, which is often a long event.
Be sure to select friends or family who will have a great attitude and make you feel special. It shouldn’t feel like they’re going out of their way to do you a big favor.
Clarify Their Responsibilities
This goes hand-in-hand with the information above, but goes a little deeper.
Make sure, when you invite someone to be part of your quince court of honor, that they fully understand what their responsibilities are. Many friends will immediately say yes because they don’t realize everything that they will need to do.
You will need to explain to them that they will be expected to:
- Commit to dance rehearsals
- Dance in front of everyone
- Accompany you at the church ceremony
- Pose for portraits
- Rent or buy their outfit
- Help with planning
- Be available all day of the quinceañera
Image: mipadrino.com | Taken By Raven
Determine Who Will Pay For What
Before you begin reaching out to your friends and family members about being part of your quince court of honor, it’s important to ask who will be paying for their attire and dancing lessons. This is important to know beforehand, because you may need to tell them that they have to help pay for these things.
Sometimes the birthday girl’s parents pay for everything, but other times the court members are expected to pay for both their attire and the dance lessons. Other times, they only need to pay for the attire.
Whatever the payment situation is, determine that before asking anyone so that everyone understands exactly what they are agreeing to and if they are expected to chip in.
Consider Quinceañera Honor Court Invites
Something that is becoming a quinceañera trend is quince court of honor invites. These are formal-looking invitations that the birthday girl sends to those whom she wants to be on her court.
The invitation obviously requests for the individual to join the court, but it also states what will be expected of him or her. It should include things such as choreography dates, pricing if they are expected to pay for their own attire, and all of their duties as a dama or chambelan.
These invitations can be customized to match your quinceañera theme so that it keeps it fun.
Image: mipadrino.com
We hope that this article has helped you figure out the best ways to select your quince court of honor! If you’re looking for a fantastic quinceañera venue in Los Angeles, check us out at Imperial Event Venue. We would love to host you. Good luck!