The fiesta dinner is a big part of thanking your guests for coming to your Quinceanera celebration. Much like the dinner served at a wedding reception, it's a way to celebrate the special occasion - your coming of age - while showing everyone your newfound grace and poise as a hostess and intelligent mujer joven.

Planning the fiesta meal in many cases will be a large part of finding the right location to host your Quince celebration. The facility you choose might offer complete dinners for your entire party as part of their rental package. Many of these venues sometimes offer dinners a la carte, which is to say you pay for only the items you want, creating a custom menu from a list of possible choices. This is a great way to instill some variety into your meal and create a dinner your guests will love.

If the facility doesn't offer food service, you can also choose to have a professional caterer take care of all the dining preparations. Caterers also sometimes offer music and lighting as part of a package, so you'll save time there, as well.

As a thrifty option, you might want to keep it mellow with a laid-back potluck event, and invite everyone to bring their own homemade dish. The guest party favors you give your guests can tie into the meal, too, as you offer everyone souvenir candies or coffees.

One note of caution, here: you'll probably want the help of an older adult to make sure you're getting a value for your money.

The Quinceañera celebration is a tradition, so the food you serve should evoke your family and community heritage. Find out what dishes and side dishes are popular in your homeland and see if you can't have them prepared for your guests, as a special recognition of your origins. You can also give each guest a small party favor, for example a photo frame coaster or bookmark, that shows you appreciate the importance of history and keeping memories fresh.

If you're looking to add a little style to the meal, why not mix traditional dishes with contemporary foods and drinks? Fusion cuisine is all the rage right now, especially when blending Latin cuisine with exotic elements from all around the world. See if your caterer or venue chef can mix something up to blend the old with the new. The final dish will be delicious example of the modern Quinceañera spirit.