Party Spot - Real Quinces: Amanda in San Ramon, CA

Amanda took a cue from her favorite fairy tales (and her family nickname) to create a magical night.

SHE IS: Amanda Aguilera
THE BIG EVENT: Quinceanera
THE DATE: October 15

A Royal Affair Amanda started planning her Quince a full eight months before the big day. When it came time to pick a theme, her family nickname -- Princess -- was all the inspiration she needed. "We threw in little princess touches -- like a glass carriage on top of the cake and naming each table after fairy tale princesses like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella," she remembers.

Fit for a Princess Amanda liked her dress so much that it inspired her to change the color scheme for the evening from pink and purple to red, black, and white. "Much classier," she says.

The simple, white strapless gown had a striking band of red at the neckline and hem, and a red ribbon that laced up the back. "At first I didn't want to try it on, but then I fell in love with it," she says about the dress she found at David's Bridal.

Style Notes For accessories, she went fairy-tale style with a silver tiara from Alma's Creations, a scepter from Essence of E, and a pair of clear, four-inch heels from David's Bridal. "They reminded me of Cinderella's shoes," she says. "All of my attendants [damas] loved them so much they got the same ones."

Getting Ready Amanda eased her nerves before the big day by having some of her attendants (guys and girls) spend the night. The next morning, family and friends took care of the decorations, while Amanda focused on getting glam. "I was totally stressed because I had no idea how the ceremony was going to go," she says.

Beauty Talk Amanda/s mom was on makeup duty for Amanda and her damas. "She's a makeup expert," says Amanda, who wore deep red lipstick to match her dress. For her hair, she headed to a salon where she showed the stylist exactly the kind of updo she wanted: curled and tucked under in back. "I got the idea from another Quince," she says. And she wore her favorite perfume: Pink, by Victoria's Secret.

The Main Event "The San Ramon Senior Center has beautiful gardens and a gazebo where we took pictures," she says. Amanda had two ceremonies -- one before and one after dinner. Guests watched as Amanda received symbolic gifts presented by family and godparents. "One was a Quinceanera doll," she says, "which symbolizes my last toy as I move on to maturity."

During dinner, Amanda's best friend serenaded the room with her band. And afterward, everyone boogied while a DJ spun tunes that were handpicked by Amanda.

The Cake The cake had fresh red roses, three tiers, and three flavors: "Carrot cake with cream cheese filling on the bottom, then chocolate with fudge filling, and then yellow cake with chocolate cream frosting," Amanda says. And, a glass Cinderella carriage (of course!) crowned the top.

Gifts and Goodies "We lucked out with the favors," Amanda says. "My family friends had just had a Quince and gave us the ones they didn't use." In an even bigger stroke of luck, the favors were clear glass coaches with a little princess inside each one. "We hot-glued a ribbon with my name to all of them," she says. "All 175 of them!"

Wise Words Amanda has great advice for other girls planning Quinces (or any other big parties). "Plan way in advance!" she says. "At least a year. Make it a dream, but keep your budget in mind. You don't need really expensive things to make the night magical."

-- Joanna Philbin
photography © Cohn Frankel Photography

For the ingredients that made up this party, see the right-hand column of this page.