by Angela Garcia, Staff Writer
Planning:
My family and I started planning my quince in about May, we set the day for November 12th of 2022. With having a quince it's a lot of planning and waiting for the day to come. I have been waiting for this day since I was 5 years old. I loved the idea of having a big puffy dress with lots of food and music, a place where my family and friends could be in one place and be happy together. It started with finding a venue: a place to hold the number of people I wanted to be there, which was around 250 people just off the top of my head. This number included family, close friends, and teammates that have a special place in my heart. At this time it was time to find the dress, decor, food, dessert, and theme. I started with my dress. I had a few visions in mind. I wanted a dress that had color but not too much color but enough where it stood out. I wanted a big dress that made me feel like a princess. For the dress, we went to a few boutiques but the struggle was not being able to try on the dresses there, you had to order the dresses before you could put them on. We went to the last boutique close to where I grew up called “Amy's boutique” and we looked around. This was the only place where I could finally put on a dress. My mom found a dress that was black and red with little gems on it. I wasn't sure at first but then I put the dress on and instantly fell in love with the dress, its colors, and the way it looked on me. With the dress came a matching crown, a doll with a handmade dress, my bible, a guest book, and specialized drink glasses.
Day of: The day of my party finally came, November 12th, 20202. I really didn't know how to feel about the day finally coming after all the planning, stress, and breakdowns. My day was finally here. It didn't feel real. I've been waiting for this day of my life for the longest time. I woke up at 6 am that day, I had to be at my aunty's house by 10 am, but I had last-minute running around to do so I had to be up a lot earlier than most of my family. The party started at 5 pm, we had pictures at 12 and had to go to the venue by 3 to make sure everything was smooth and my vendors were there to set up. I had a rough morning, I forgot my hair stuff in the car after my parents left. I eventually had to call and get them to come back and drop off the rest of my stuff.I finally was able to get ready after about 3ish hours of hair and makeup. We finally left the house and were able to make it to City Park for pictures. After pictures, we were able to make it to the venue by about 3. We set up the centerpieces we made and just hung around til about 5. We ate some amazing tacos and danced really all night. One of the most important parts of my night was being able to have a dedicated dance for my dad and have everyone important in my life there for one night. By the end of the night, I was totally sore but very grateful to have everyone there in one place with nothing else to worry about besides having fun.
After thoughts:
After the night and getting home around 1:30 in the morning, I went to sleep with a penguin on my heart. I am beyond grateful for my family and friends who showed up to be there and support me on one of the biggest nights in my life. This night definitely had more meaning than what is seen. After everything I've been through with my family, especially my dad, the night had a lot of hidden meaning for us. After failing the first attempt to start and planning we finally got it all together the best we could for one night. It was one of the best nights i've had. I'm glad i chose my party over a car or money because the way that i see it is the car will come one day, money i can make on my own but i will only have this chance for a quince is a one in a lifetime thing.