Quinceañera planning checklist: a month-by-month timeline

Start planning a quinceañera about 12 months before her date. Book the hall and the Mass first, choose padrinos and the court 8 to 10 months out, send invitations 2 months out and confirm the headcount 2 weeks before.

When should you start planning a quinceañera?

Start about 12 months before her date. The hall and the church book up first, and those two dates decide everything else. A year also gives padrinos time to save for what they give.

You can plan a quince in six months, but you'll have fewer dates and fewer vendors to choose from.

Each period below is a list you can work through in order. The free printable planner has the same checklist on paper, with room for notes and dates.

What to do 12 or more months before her quince

A year or more out, you're choosing the date and locking in the two places the day depends on.

1. Talk with her about what she wants: a Mass or not, a big party or a smaller one, colors and a theme.
2. Make a rough guest count. The hall size and the food cost both depend on it.
3. Call your parish and ask which dates are open, how much notice it needs and whether she has to take preparation classes.
4. Visit halls and book one. Get the date, the hours and everything the price includes in writing.
5. Set a starting budget. The budget calculator gives you typical prices for your ZIP code.
6. Go over the budget together as a family, about 11 months out, and decide what you'll ask padrinos to cover.

What to do 8 to 10 months before her quince

Eight to ten months out is when you choose the people and book the vendors who fill up fast.

1. Choose who you'll ask to be padrinos, about 10 months out.
2. Book the photographer and the DJ or live music, about 9 months out.
3. Book a videographer if you want one.
4. Choose her court, about 8 months out. Decide how many damas and chambelanes, and who her chambelán de honor will be.
5. Shop for her dress, about 8 months out. Leave time for the order to arrive and for alterations.
6. If your church isn't Catholic, set the ceremony date and place by now.

Ask every vendor for a written contract with the date, the hours, the deposit and the cancellation terms. Save every contract in one place.

What to do 6 to 7 months before her quince

Six to seven months out, the court starts to take shape and the asks go out.

1. Book the choreographer, about 7 months out. Most rehearsal plans have 6 to 12 practices for the waltz and the surprise dance.
2. Send the padrino asks, about 6 months out. Tell each padrino exactly which item you're asking for.
3. Start the Mass preparation classes, about 6 months out, if your parish requires them.
4. Tell the court's families what the dresses and outfits will cost and who pays.
5. Book hair and makeup, with a trial before the day.
6. Book the limo or party bus if you want one.

The quinceañera padrinos list has every common padrino and a way to ask.

What to do 2 to 5 months before her quince

From five months to two months out, you're ordering things and getting the word out.

1. Order the damas' dresses and reserve the chambelanes' outfits.
2. Plan the decorations, the centerpieces and the candy table.
3. Order the favors.
4. Do her photo session before the quince, if your photographer offers one.
5. Order the cake, about 3 months out.
6. Start court rehearsals. With 6 to 12 weekly practices, start two to three months before her date.
7. Send the invitations, about 2 months out, with a date to reply by.
8. Check that padrinos have bought their items: the tiara, the last doll, her shoes and the toast glasses.

What to do in the last month

In the last month, you're confirming every detail so the day runs on its own.

1. Go to her final dress fitting, about a month out.
2. Have her wear her heels around the house to break them in.
3. Give the DJ the order of the night in writing, from the entrance to the surprise dance, with the song for each moment.
4. Confirm the Mass time and who walks in with her.
5. Call guests who haven't replied.
6. Confirm the headcount with the hall, about 2 weeks out.
7. Finish the seating chart and make the last vendor payments.
8. Put each vendor's tip in a labeled envelope.
9. Hold a final rehearsal with the court in the week of the quince.
10. Pack a bag for the day with safety pins, a sewing kit, flat shoes, snacks, water and phone chargers.

What to do after her quince

After the party, the job left is thanking people and closing out the bills.

1. Return the rented outfits and anything borrowed for the hall.
2. Thank the padrinos within about 2 weeks. A call or a visit means a lot, and so does a card with a photo of her.
3. Send thank-you cards to guests who gave gifts.
4. Check that every vendor has been paid in full and that you have your hall deposit back if it was refundable.

What if you have less than a year?

If you have six months or less, book the hall and the church in the same week. Then book the photographer and the DJ, because those dates go next.

Buy her dress off the rack or from a store with dresses in stock. Keep the court small, so fewer families have to shop and fewer people have to fit in rehearsals. Send digital invitations, which go out the same day you finish them.