1. You always got super excited about receiving your invite in the mail.
Just like a wedding invitation, it's customary to receive an invitation to a quince weeks before the event is set to take place. When you were 15, this was awesome, because how often do 15-year-olds receive real, tangible mail? Almost never. It was also always super fun to check off your RSVP and meal preference, and send it back to the birthday girl or hand it off IRL when you saw her the next day at school.
2. That moment when you found out you weren't invited to one of your friends' quince.
Quince season is a real thing! Not only did you have to take that into account when you were planning your own quince, but you also had to cautiously ask your friends if they were invited to so-and-so's quince, and you were always offended if you weren't invited to one that they were."Sooo, are you going to Caro's quince next weekend?" "Caro? Eh, don't you mean Mari?" "Mari? No..." "Oh." #Awkward.
3. Getting invited to two quinces in one weekend and having to decide which to attend.
If one was on Saturday and one was on Sunday, you were golden. If both were on the same day, then Mami always made you pick, because she sure as hell wasn't about to drop you off, pick you up, drop you off at another one, and pick you up again all before midnight (because that was your curfew at 15).
4. You bought a new dress for EVERY quince you went to.
You and all your friends were invited to all the same quinces so there was no way you were going to show up in the same dress to any of them, because they would totally know! You couldn't not buy a new dress for every one, but you also couldn't afford to dish out crazy cash for each one, so you ended up hitting up the same discount store for the perfect little cocktail vestido every single time.
5. Dancing in a court.
The court is similar to a bridal party. Generally, it's made up of the people who are closest to the quinceañera, so getting asked was a huge honor because your friend could only pick a few (so 15) of her closest friends, and her 10 cousins were already guaranteed a spot. Dancing in a quince was both a blessing and a curse. You had to attend about a hundred choreography classes (but you and your friends all had a blast) and had no choice but to wear whatever dress the birthday girl and her mami picked out for you. If you liked the boy you were paired with, great: You just met your boyfriend for the next two months (oh, young love)! If you didn't, then you had to put up with dancing really close to a strange boy you probably wanted nothing to do with. And you got a front row seat to all the drama, chaos, and nervous breakdowns from both the birthday girl and her mom that a quince really entails.
6. The process of getting ready for the quince was always much more fun than the actual quince.
It was the perfect excuse to get dolled up, and as a 15-year-old, the prep was your pre-game. You finally got to feel like a "real adult" because you got to wear grown-up makeup and use the curling iron. The best part? The kitten heels you thought were sky-high. Don't lie, you loved the click-clack sound they made on the floor.
7. You got a little teary-eyed during the speeches and father-daughter dance.
If you had a dollar for every time a parent said, "I'm so proud of the beautiful woman you've become," or "You are now ready to enter a brand-new phase in your life," in a quince speech, you would be rich. But there's no denying that it could get emotional, especially once the grandparents made all their speeches. If you weren't trying to blot your eyelashes so as not to ruin your mascara, you were a heartless robot.
8. You always felt super uncomfortable grinding up on your crush because there were so many adults around.
Behavioral standards were always higher at quinces than at regular parties. The guest list was 90 percent family members, 5 percent friends of the parents, and 5 percent your friends, meaning dirty dancing was most definitely frowned upon. (Let's be real: Anyone who's ever had a quince knows they're not really for you; they're for your parents.)
9. You re-gifted goody bag items like it was nobody's business.
That incense holder you got at your friend's quince? It made the perfect Christmas gift for your mom six months later. Did she know you were re-gifting? Absolutely. Did she care? Not at all.
10. You have thorough documentation of you and your friends at your most awkward.
Fifteenis an uncomfortable year. And while most people may try to refrain from documenting puberty, you have hundreds of photos to haunt your friends with (and for them to haunt you with). You weren't going to miss an opportunity to show your friend at Mari's quince how much better Caro's was, right?
Resource: Cosmopolitan, Veronica Lopez
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a44099/things-that-happen-every-quinceanera/