Your chica is going to be 15 years old and you are celebrating her new maturity the old way, with a big quinceanera. However, while you want to honor the traditions of your roots, you also want to make your child happy. So, how do you balance her modern desires with your longing to throw the traditional quinceanera that your family couldn’t afford to give you when you turned 15? Begin with the quinceanera invitations.

Order two sets of invitations — one set in Spanish and one set in English. This way, you can easily include friends who do not speak Spanish in the celebrations without slighting family and friends that do not speak English. Your child will probably feel much happier about the traditional party when she realizes that you are willing to include her friends from other cultures and your family will be reassured by the fact that you cared enough to include relatives who only speak Spanish.

Ask your child to choose the actual design of the invitations. Since all the options provided by most printing companies look attractive, you don’t have to worry about being upset by an inappropriate design. However, she’ll be happy to be able to choose colors and fonts that reflect her taste.

You’re planning a big birthday party for your child and are feeling a bit overwhelmed. You’ve heard horror stories from friends about runaway ponies, collapsing ball pits and all sorts of disasters. Is there anything you can do to help the day run smoothly? Actually, a successful child’s party starts with the birthday invitations. To be sure your child’s day is as trouble free as possible:

 

• Consider adding an R.S.V.P. card that includes a line that says, “My child has special dietary needs. They are…” This way, you can be sure the party doesn’t get cut short by a trip to the emergency room because you served peanut butter cookies and a child with a severe allergy went into anaphylactic shock while walking by the dessert table.
• Think about including plans for bad weather in the invitations, such as postponing the party until the next day or having everyone meet at the local game center.
• Remind parents of special concerns you have. For example, you may want to add a note that says, “Thank you for celebrating our son’s special day with us. Please make sure you walk your child to the door, as we are located on a busy street.” 

   

 

“Mail for me?” Little Johnny is so excited to finally get his very own piece of mail. However, the excitement doesn’t last long. When he tears open the envelope to see a boring white card with some words on in it, he tosses his mail aside. Obviously, the sender didn’t realize that birthday invitations for a child’s party should be fun and colorful. To create invitations the guests will love to receive, you should:

 

• Choose an invitation that reflects the birthday party theme. Children will enjoy looking at the bright images and will be able to see what type of party they are being invited to.
• Make sure you don’t fall for cute images that will embarrass your too cool, too grown up little boy or girl. Children as young as three or four are horrified by things that seem babyish to them.
• Include a small gift in the invitation envelope. A temporary pirate tattoo is easy to include in an invitation to a pirate themed party and is very inexpensive.
• If you have additional information to pass on to the parents, include a smaller envelope with the parents’ names on it in the invitation envelope to hold this unexciting but important part of the party news.