Order of Events for Quinceañera Ceremonies

You have your quinceañera dress, you have your court, now it is time to get down to business: let's outline that quince ceremony!! The order of events on your big day is important because you want your whole day to flow together smoothly, while making sure you have time to fit everything in. A huge aspect of this is your ceremony.

The ceremony is the most intimate part of your day. It is also going to be the most thought-out and detailed part. Luckily, a large part of the planning should be done by your priest. Here is the typical quinceañera ceremony outline:

The Quinceañera walks down the aisle: She is typically escorted by her parents, followed by her padrinos, chambelan and court of honor. The Quinceañera meets the priest at the altar, where a special chair has been placed for her.

Quinceanera Mass - While a typical mass is directed at the entire congregation, a quinceañera mass reading is chosen with the Quinceanera in mind and it is directed at her. You might consider discussing a certain theme for your mass reading with your priest.

Presentation of the Quinceanera - After the reading is finished, the Quinceañera will be formally presented as a woman in front of God, her family, and her friends.

Optional: Presentation of Gifts - The presentation of these gifts is optional to have at your ceremony. Some Quinceañeras choose to have some of them at their reception instead.

Bible and Rosary: The presentation of the bible and the rosary are both symbols of the Quinceanera’s faith.

Fresh Bouquet - The Quinceanera presents a bouquet of fresh flowers as an offering to the Virgin Mary.

Ring - The Quinceanera is often given the gift of a ring during her ceremony which symbolizes the infinite love of God. This is sometimes gifted to her by her Padrinos.

Changing of Shoes - This is more often done at the reception before the Quinceanera waltz. The Quinceanera changes from her flats into high heels, to symbolize her change from girl to woman.

The Last Doll - This is another symbol of the end of the Quinceanera’s childhood. The Quinceanera is gifted her last doll, which she passes along to a younger girl.

Something to keep in mind is that your church may have certain requirements for you to complete before you can have a ceremony. Most often this includes being baptized and participating in confirmation classes. Before you delve into the details, meet with your priest to talk about how your quinceanera ceremony order of events will go. Figure out how your reception will go with our our of events article and our Our Day-Of Planner!

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