Searching for Your Quinceanera Dress?

Every Quinceanera’s dream is to look beautiful on her special day. As I wrote In my book ‘Quinceanerea Connection:Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget’… real beauty is reflected from within yourself. If you feel happy with a smile and grateful for what you have your inner beauty will shine through.

After focusing on your inner beauty… next is focusing on your outer image. In order to transform into a Cinderella without the help of your fairy God Mother it takes planning.

It’s important to start researching what Quinceanera dress you will want to wear for your Celebration. There are lots of things to consider when you start to shop for your dress.

1. What is the most flattering style for your body type?

2. What is the most flattering color for you?

3. What is the amount of money you have to spend for your dress?

4. How much time do you have before your Quince Celebration? Some manufacturers take six weeks or more before they ship a dress.

5. Will you need alterations on the dress you order?

6. Will your weight remain the same from the time you order your dress to the time of your Quince celebration? If so consider a dress that has an adjustable back closing.

We just added a list of the top 15 manufacturers of Quinceanera dresses who have Internet websites. Check the manufacturers websites out on Quinceanerawish.com Link to the list of the top 15 at Quinceanerawish.com We thought this would assist you with checking out the latest Quinceanera dress styles and colors for 2010.

Have fun with your virtual shopping experience.

Hope to hear your comments about what are your favorites.

When you smile you are beautiful

All the best,

Priscilla
Author -Quinceanera Connection:Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget

Travel Tips For the Quinceanera and Her Family

This time of year can be stressful or lots of fun. if you are celebrating your Quinceanera during this holiday season you might be traveling to your families country of origin. Or you will have family members who will be traveling to be with you in honor your special Quince celebration.

Traveling can be a big burden these days with all the tight security rules. It is best to know the rules rather than being caught unprepared. USA Today had a great article covering the largest airports in the United States. You can share the helpful information with friends and relatives to assist them with their travel experience. Link to helpful travel guides

Checking in and checking bags can be a challenge at the airport. Especially during this time of year.

Tip : I try to check in online whenever possible. Or I use my credit card or other identification to check in at the kiosk at the airline terminal. This saves me a lot of time.

Tip When checking my bag (be aware of the extra charges the airlines have for for checking bags). I try to make sure the agent correctly tags my bag and puts it on the belt. I also tie a ribbon and a good sturdy luggage tag with clear identification information jut in case my bag gets lost. This helps with getting my bag delivered to me quickly in case it gets lost.

Get to the airport with plenty of extra time to spare. I have had a security line check backed up taking me an extra 45 minutes to get through it.

Pack your important items separately and carry them on the plane with you.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday.
Priscilla

Choosing a Venue for Your Quinceanera

Today I want to talk about choosing a venue for your Quinceanera celebration. There are some important things for you should consider when you and your family are searching for your perfect venue.

I am inspired because I’m sitting in the lounge of the Lowes Hotel in Santa Monica, CA overlooking the sand and watching the waves break as they come to shore.

It is a beautiful day with the sun shining and the palm trees swaying softly to the rhythm of the breeze. Cyclist are riding on the bike path. As joggers as trying to keep up the pace.

The question I want to ask you is when you are searching for your perfect venue for your Quinceanera celebration what is most important to you?

Some of the questions you need to consider when checking out venues are the following:

1. Is the size of the reception hall large enough for your guests and your Court of Honor to dance and still maintain the set up for dinner?

2. Do the colors of the reception hall make you feel good?

3. Is the reception hall safe from party crashers?

4. Are the bathrooms in good working order, clean and large enough to handle your guests?

5. Is there enough parking space for your guests? Is there valet parking? If so who will pay for it?

6. Is there a kitchen for a caterer and can you bring in your own food?

7. Will you have the use of the entire facility or will part be rented for another party.

8. If the space is rented to someone else, will you be able to hear the music from another party?

9. Is there a space for the Quinceanera to dress or change her clothes?

10. Will you be able to have access to the reception hall with enough time to set up prior to your party?

11. Does the cost of the reception hall fit into your budget?

It’s not how much you spend on your Quince celebration it’s how comfortable you and your family are. If everyone is relaxed and you have done your homework with the planning… no matter where your Quince celebration is held your party will be a huge success. Filled with exquisite memories.

For a complete guide on how to have a fantastic Quince celebration on any budget with all the secrets only the professional party planners know – Order my book Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget. Also get the bonus of a 82 page Quinceanera eplanner.

Wishing you the best of everything,

Priscilla Mills
author

Emergency Kit for the Quinceanera

So many mom’s and Quinceanera’s say that all the planning for the Quince celebration is over whelming. There is so much to do and so little time to do it.

However everything you do together is an opportunity to share special time that you wouldn’t ordinarily have. This is the time to build a life long mother-daughter support system. It will be a gift that will make your lives more meaningful with greater purpose. Enjoy these special moments in time. They will never return

During the last month before your Quinceanera when you need to focus on the small details… don’t forget your handbag/purse. It needs to be filled with items that will save the day if and when they are needed.

Most cars come with an emergency kit. Some people never have to use them. However, when you need to use something from the kit it just saves the day.

We at Quinceanerawish.com did a survey and asked some Quinceanera’s what they had wished they would have carried in their purse on their special day. Here is the list we put together. Please let us know if you have any other recommendations for additions to our list.

Emergency Kit: Recommended items you and your friends will be happy you have.

Superglue – if you have acrylic nails.
Cell phone-charged
Breath mints
Hairpins – In case your hair needs some touch up.
Band-aids – Those high heels can cause blisters.
Safety Pins – You never know when you might need one.
Small Cash –Just in case of an emergency
Clear nail polish – Fix runs in your hose.
Tampons – You might not need them, but your fiends probably will,
Pain relief – Some one always gets a headache.
Touch up make up
Compact mirror – For touch ups. The ladies room is usually too crowded.

Check out our custom dyed to match your Quinceanera dress handbags and purses. We also have custom dyed to match style shoes our Fashionista chose.

Wishing you the best,

Priscilla
Author: “Quinceanera Connection:Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget”

Choosing shoes for a Quinceanera’s Happy Feet

What do most Quinceanera’s spend most of their time deciding what to wear for her Quince celebration? Isn’t it always the dress she will wear? What about the shoes she will wear?

Foot comfort is very important so you can stay happy and you can enjoy your special day with lots of joy without foot pain.

I spoke with Alma over the weekend. She is busy planning her Quinceanera for March 2010. She saw our new addition to our website quinceanerawish.com. (We just added custom dyed shoes and a few other items for your foot comfort on your special day.

Alma wanted to discuss the sizes and styles we showed on our website and the custom dying process.

We also discussed the importance of alternating and wearing more than one pair of shoes at her Quince celebration.

Here is some important information from an article written in Good Housekeeping Magazine about wearing high heels

“…Many women refuse to give up their high heels: A survey conducted by the American Podiatric Medical Association showed some 42% of women admitted they’d wear a shoe they liked even if it gave them discomfort; 73% admitted already having a shoe-related foot issue.

So what’s the answer? Doctors say if you must wear them at all, take a few precautions, and catch and treat problems early on. If you do, you’ll not only avoid many high-heel problems, but you’ll make the time you spend in spikes a happier day for your feet.

High Heels and Foot Pain: What You Should Know – read this and see what we recommend…

“Anytime you wear shoes that are tight or constrict the natural shape of your foot, doctors say it’s bound to cause foot pain.

But, when you add high heels in to the equation, podiatrist Stuart Mogul, DPM, says pain can quickly escalate to damage. “In addition to restricting the foot, you are also increasing the weight on the area that is restricted, so you’re not only crushing your toes, but you’re crushing them and then putting weight on them, and that’s a problem,” says Mogul.

1. Wear a thicker heel for stability. “A thicker heel will give you better balance and may help relieve some pressure by distributing the weight on your foot more evenly, says Morin. Alternating heel heights can also help reduce problems with the Achilles tendon.

2. Pay attention to the “slope” or “pitch” of the heel. While some 4-inch heels will give you a straight drop down to the flatbed portion of the shoe, others will be a more gradual slope. This may be easier on the arch, says Morin, and might help relieve some pain in the ball of the foot.

3. Wear open-toe high heels to relieve pressure on corns and calluses. See a podiatrist to have corns and calluses professionally removed and correct the problem that’s causing them.”

For your special day…we recommend wearing a sandal style high heel shoe. This will allow you to adjust your shoes during the day. When we stand up on our feet for long periods of time our feet usually swell a little. The open style shoe give you more room and allow for the changes in your feet.

If you choose to wear a shoe with a thin heel we recommend having a back up pair of shoes with a wider heel or a wedge. This will give your feet a chance to relax and won’t feel the stress which is accompanied with pain…Who wants pain?

… Alma ended ordering two pairs of shoes. One High Fashion shoe
and the other one was our Crystal White Wedge Flip flop.

Alma was really happy she would have one pair of shoes custom dyed to match her Quinceanera dress and another pair that she would change off and feel comfortable while still looking beautiful. Plus… Alma said she would be able to wear her cool flip flops after her Quince.

Wishing you happy feet at your special occasion. Whether it’s your Quinceanera, being a Damas, your wedding, or in a Bridal party.

Priscilla
Author: Quinceanera Connection:Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget.

Quinceanera a Celebration of Being Thankful

Are you celebrating your Quinceanera – rite of passage this weekend? If you are celebrating your special day on Thanksgiving day weekend you are lucky. In the United States the Thanksgiving day holiday is a time to reflect on how our ancestors struggled with survival and were grateful they made it through another long winter.

The Quinceanera celebration is also a time for being thankful for your fifteen years of life.

I have included a few blessings that you might want to share with your friends and family as they gather to celebrate being together for another year and being grateful for what they have.

“For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.”—Ralph Waldo EmersonAbout.com: Thanksgiving Day Prayers and Poems

“O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today”. American Catholic: -Thanksgiving Prayers

“Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life… a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year – and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.” ~ Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

“Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.”~ Joseph Auslander

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving…

Quinceanera is Happy Having a Small Celebration

Alma who is having her Quinceanera celebration during the Christmas holidays phoned me last week. She said since her mother lost her job, her big Quince celebration was canceled. Alma said she was glad she had purchased my book: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget.

She told me her parents were thankful they read the chapter about signing contracts and they were able to get out of the contract with the hotel without costing them any money.

Alma said she was happy that she was going to have a small celebration at home. She was grateful for what her parents were giving her. And it meant a lot that members of her family were all donating food and other things for her party.

It’s important to know what you are committing to before you sign any contract…especially during these uncertain economic times like we are experiencing now. You should make sure you are protected in case of a change in your family financial situation.

It is possible to purchase event cancellation insurance. It doesn’t cost much and you are protected in case you need to cancel your event. Check out the link. There are many other event cancellation insurance protection companies. Do a Google search and for the key word event cancellation.

You will be happy you did. It’s a small investment that will allow you to sleep better without worrying about the unknown.

Quinceanera at Fifteen Ready for Womanhood?

This week when I was reviewing some articles for the Quinceanera and her mom that I had written I found one I thought was most interesting. It will give you food for thought.

i remember when I was 14 through 17 I thought I had all the answers. Probably not much different than today’s Quinceanera.

My father used to say to me when I got a little obnoxious that the older I got the smarter I would realize my parents got.

Thinking I knew it all… made me think my parents weren’t too smart. My father was right when I realized life was a continual learning process then i appreciated him for how smart he was and what a great mentor he was to me

While performing some research I came across this information about the teen brain and it’s development. Please click on the link and read the study that was done on the teen brain. It’s easier to understand the reason why teens follow the behavior of the group even when it puts them in danger.

Through the use of MRI’s and other research studies at the National Institute of Mental Health. The doctors found by reading the brain scans that the teens’ brain is not fully developed until a teen is in his/her early twenties. That means most teens can’t be expected to make decisions on a consistent basis like an adult. It was found that the part of the brain that controls the teens decision making process is the frontal lobe and this area of the brain is still in the process of developmental growth.

Dr. Jay Giedd, researcher at the National institute of Health used MRI scans to demonstrate the comparison of the adult brain to the teen brain. The study showed the teen brain uses different pathways than the adult brain to make decisions.

Dr. Giedd’s research shows that for many teens this area of the brain is not developed until the early 20′s. Teens instead use another area of the brain for making decisions. The area of the brain teens use controls the arousal, fear and the overall teens emotional state. Therefore when a teen is making a decision that are using their emotions rather than a deductive reasoning process.

Check out an interview with Dr. Giedd:

Please read the article and leave your comments

Thanks…
Priscilla

Quinceanera Beware – Online Safety

I want to share with each Quinceanera and her mom what I experienced this week on the Internet. I had my first fraudulent customer. This customer started out sending me emails with a story that got my attention. His emails were written like he was a friendly person, but the very large order he wanted to place on my www,Quinceanera wish.com site. It made me sit up and think maybe this person was a fraud.
There were a few things that got my attention:

• He said he was from Australia
• AND He couldn’t place his order through my Yahoo shopping cart
• He changed his story as the emails continued

Since I am aware of fraud on the Internet I did some investigation on my own.

• I checked out his email address to see if it was from Australia
• Would you believe…it was identified coming from India – red flag #1
• I did a Google search to check if the address he gave me was listed.

there was no such a listing on the Internet. – red flag #2

With this amount of information it made me realize that my first hunch was correct. So, I emailed him and told him what I uncovered with my search and if he wanted to proceed with his order he needed to produce matching identification before I would move forward.
You guessed it…he never responded.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t share my story with you, but a few weeks ago I attended a program ‘Cyber Crime Prevention’ sponsored by the Inter-Agency Council On Child Abuse and Neglect – County of Los Angeles, F.B.I., Los Angeles Sheriff’s department and the Los Angeles County Board of Education.

The speakers were terrific and the information and stories they shared was alarming. Usually only when something happens to us do we think, I AM SAFE IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME. However, after my experience this week with the apparent fraudulent person, I decided to share some of the important information and links I learned at the Cyber Crime Prevention Symposium with you.

• We all know that the Internet is filled with good as well as bad information
• Teens spend a lot of time online…emailing, blogging, chatting, and IM

The speakers shared the following information:

• 1 in 5 teens under the age of 17 have been sexually approached online
• In 15% of the cases the predator attempted to meet the teen in person
• 89% of sexual solicitations of teens were made in chat rooms or by IM’s

Things to do for your own safety or the safety of your teen:

• Never arrange to meet face to face with someone you have meet online
• Never upload or post pictures to anyone on the Internet you don’t know.
• Never give out your name, home address, school name, or phone number.
• Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive or harassing.
• Most important what you are told online may or may not be true by a stranger
• Never respond to an email from someone you don’t know

For more information check out the following sites:
www.learnthenet.com- in Spanish and English
www.wiredsafety.org – An Internet safety help group
www.software4parents.com - spyware and computer software
www.cybercitizenship,org - Educates about cyber crime.
BE SAFE NOT SORRY…

Planning A Holiday Quinceanera

Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the Quinceanera I see? She is the fairest of all. While everyone is scurrying around getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you and your family are super busy doing last minute things for your special Quinceanera celebration.

Don’t worry if you are having to share the holiday season with lots of other big parties. The end of the year is probably the most exciting time for everyone. Catch the high energy and incorporate it with your own plans.

Before long where ever you go there will be music playing in stores. People will be moving quicker than usual, because they think they have so much to do before the New Year. The streets and homes will be strung with lights and decorations. There isn’t any other time of the year where there is so much excitement in the air. Where ever you go people are ready to celebrate the happy, joyful season.

Tap into the special hum of the season. Ask your musicians to play songs that are played during the holidays. If you haven’t finalized your table decorations consider using small trees instead of floral arrangements. Tie ribbons the color of your theme on the small trees. Some small trees even come with lights which will make your tables have a festive feeling.

Be happy and grateful you were born during this joyful season. Plan to have your guests participate in sing a long of popular Christmas carols. Everyone will have a fabulous time. And they will have wonderful memories for many years to come.

However…if you live in a climate where you might have bad weather or snow. Check the weather forecast ahead of time. Be prepared…Either put your dress on when you get to your destination. Or protect it by wearing a large mans rain coat. Pull up the bottom of your dress and cover it so it won’t get wet and soiled.

Enjoy…being a Quinceanera Princess during the holidays.