How to plan a beautiful quinceañera party on a budget

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Your daughter is about to turn 15, and of course you want to do a beautiful and celeb-worthy quinceañera celebration. For Latinos, the quinces party is the most important one in the lives of our young girls, and we want it to be as special as possible. But celebrating this milestone can cost you–especially stressful if your economic situation is not the best. But don't worry! We have a list of tips that can save you money and help you plan a gorgeous quinces party without having to break the bank.

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I know, I know; even when we try to save money when planning a party–especially a quinceañera bash–we always end up spending more than we anticipated. However, there are many things you can do so you don't end up drying up your life savings on your daughter's quinces yet still celebrate it in a beautiful way.

There are expenses that you could probably do without, like catering a luxe dinner or crazy buffet, when there are more affordable options. You can also think of different places to hold your soiree. Instead of at a pricey hall, it could be outdoors in your home's garden or at one of your relatives' houses. Check out our other ideas, and start planning your daughter's quinceañera party now.

First of all, set how much you can spend on your party.

The first thing to do is be realistic and establish a budget that you can stick to for your daughter's 15th birthday. Maybe you don't have the money right now, but if you start with enough time, you can put aside a part of your earnings and save toward the party. The main objective is to NOT get into debt, which you would probably regret later.

Start prepping ahead of time.

Start organizing the party ahead of time–it's essential so that it's a success. If you want to get well-organized, you can download these sheets and print them to plan. Experts recommend that you start planning a whole year ahead of time. Make sure you define what it is you want to accomplish month by month so you can reach your goals.

Choose a place that isn't too costly.

If you're on a limited budget, don't go crazy trying to rent a very expensive place. Instead, opt for a place where you won't have to spend a lot, or find one that is free. It can be a warehouse, a garden, someone's house–it's all in how creative you want to be.

Use e-invites.

Yes, it's classy and beautiful to send paper invites, but it's also very expensive. You can save a good amount of money if you opt to send them electronically. Or why not create a pretty design and send to your contacts through WhatsApp or by text?

Serve hors d'oeuvres instead of a full meal.

Why plan a whole dinner? If you serve tapas, hors d'oeuvres, or some yummy tamales, people will be happy–and their tummies full.

You can also ask your closest relatives to help you prepare the meal.

I don't know if this is the case in your family, but in mine, we love to do things together. For Thanksgiving, Nochebuena, and any birthday celebration, we each bring a dish. Do the same for the quinceañera party you're planning so you can cut down a little on your expenses. Talk to your sisters, cousins, tías, and comadres, and assign each a dish.

Don't spend too much on the dress.

The dress is one of the items you can save the most on. We've all heard of moms who spend thousands of dollars just on their quinceañera's dress, but personally I think that's insane. There are different beautiful options at different price points that will make both you and your daughter look spectacular on the day of. This dress, for example, from brand APXPF costs between $69.90 and $99.90 on Amazon.

Make the floral arrangements yourself.

Don't stress trying to pay for expensive floral arrangements. You can check out different options and make them yourself for much, much less.

Choose simple but elegant decor that you can do yourself.

You don't have to blow your entire budget on the decorations, especially these days when you can look up so many ideas on sites like Instagram and Pinterest.

Don't spend too much on the cake.

Instead of commissioning an out-of-this-world quinceañera cake, you can opt for more budget-sensitive and easier options. For example, you can bake a simple cake and then decorate with pretty cupcakes. If baking is not for you, you can order the cupcakes at a local bakery, which will be much cheaper than a huge cake.

Don't spend on a professional makeup artist.

If you plan well ahead of time, you will have enough time to learn to do the makeup for your daughter yourself. And of course, I'm not talking about super-elaborate makeup. Your daughter is turning 15, so she doesn't need a ton of makeup on her face to make it look perfect! Check out some of our tutorials by makeup pro Laura Sánchez, and we're sure you'll find something you like. Another option is to take your daughter to Sephora, Macy's, or another department store, which may cost less than a pro. And if you live in or near a major city, you can also look into Glamsquad, which has affordable options for at-home professional makeup artists.

Having a professional DJ is a luxury that you can probably do without.

I'm sure you have among your family or friends someone who loves music. If so, you can ask him or her to create a great playlist that will last a few hours and that you can just play all night long. Maybe do a few lists–like lounge, dance, end, etc.–to be set for the whole party.