I designed a six-figure Princess and the Frog quinceañera—there were koi fish and a five-foot cake, but we had to ditch the gondola
Turning fifteen is a big event in Latin American culture, and a young woman throws a party fit for a princess.
The birthday girl teamed up with top celebrity event planner Lisa Lafferty, who has coordinated events for stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to throw the social gathering of the season.
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Lafferty has an impressive portfolio of luxury events under her belt, including a Met Gala-inspired wedding and a Tim Burton-style quinceañera.
Speaking to the US Sun, she explained that birthdays are often the time when she dares to dream big, starting at the drawing board.
“It’s a little more fun and personal for me because… it takes me back to a childhood memory, feeling like I can be a kid again and watch these movies and create a little magic with the things I used to watch,” Lafferty said.
“It’s rewarding, but it’s also on the same level as some of the high-end weddings I’ve done – a lot of my designs are very experimental; it’s very luxurious, opulent.”
Now she’s tackling 15-year-old Beverly’s Princess and the Frog-themed quinceañera.
With an estimated cost of “six to seven figures,” the party took the event planner and other organizers at Revelry Events seven months to iron out the details.
A crew of more than 90 people a day assembled the party during a five-day installation process.
Beverly got the royal treatment down to every detail of the party, from the twinkling lights to the live animals and even the authentic New Orleans-style cuisine.
The extravagant evening spared no expense for a guest list of just 50 people, including 25 teenagers and 25 accompanying adults.
GONDOLA EXCEEDS BUDGET
Starting with location, Lafferty and Beverly chose The Colony House in Anaheim, California.
They repurposed the venue’s massive parking lot as the backdrop for their reimagined pond and hand-built bayou.
“We bring in artificial grass and water-covering materials that we fill ourselves and create a moat for a photo opportunity,” Lafferty said.
The designer also hired a Hollywood movie prop manufacturing company and carpenters for custom furniture, which initially included plans for a gondola that would ferry guests to shore.
We had these two beautiful black horses that had beautiful feather headdresses on, and she comes out with that for all her guests to see.
Lisa Lafferty
“Originally, we wanted guests to arrive in a gondola and travel through the water to the entrance of the venue, and we were going to have mechanical alligators that are very reminiscent of Disneyland,” she said.
“It went way over budget, so we changed course.”
BUBBLES WITHOUT FOOD AND WITHOUT ALCOHOL
Lafferty, a culinary curator in addition to her extensive resume of skills, coordinated the party’s Creole-inspired menu, prepared by the team at 24 Carrots, with special treats from Sweet Novelette.
Entrees included Cajun-spiced seared red snapper, vegetarian jambalaya, whipped sweet potatoes, cornbread and honey butter, bayou chopped salad and appetizer cider-braised greens with ham.
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Guests enjoyed appetizers like Southern chicken sliders, caviar fondant potatoes and short rib chili.
The meal ended with a lavish dessert menu, including lotus flower lily pads, dragonfly shortbread cookies, storybook Rice Krispies and lemon meringue tarts.
And of course, a non-alcoholic juice bar offered refreshments like cucumber-lime “Swamp Water” mocktails and agua frescas.
Guests even received take-home goodie bags containing gourmet chocolate frogs, personalized candles and framed photo portraits in front of the bayou.
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A non-negotiable item for the birthday girl, Lafferty revealed, was the five-foot Lambeth-style passion fruit and coconut buttercream cake and an eight-foot non-alcoholic champagne tower.
MUSIC AND… ANIMALS?
No party is complete without a little music, and of course, the duo went all out with their New Orleans-themed bash.
They brought in a jazz band and a dance team to introduce Beverly to the outfit change.
The band serenaded guests with traditional mariachi songs (another Beverly staple) for a true jamboree.
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The couple originally planned to partner with a Hollywood animal training company to stock 25 live frogs in their self-built pond.
It was to be complemented with ground mist and fake fireflies to add a smoky rainforest vibe.
They eventually settled on koi fish after plans for frogs failed to make the final leap.
The most difficult part of the quinceañera to pull off, Lafferty revealed, was the herculean task of introducing real weeping willows with fake accents to make them appear even larger.
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Lafferty explained that Anaheim’s scorching weather didn’t make things any easier for her and the Butterfly Florals team.
They arranged an assortment of foliage ranging from smilax, ivy and juncus to wildflowers, Spanish moss, proteas and parrot tulips.
“We’re competing with the warm climate of Anaheim,” she said.
“I know New Orleans is already warm in itself, but it’s a completely different vibe here in California.”
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SHE CAME ON HORSEBACK
Beverly, who took the lead in fashion for the evening, made a spectacular entrance right from the start.
“We had these two beautiful black horses that had beautiful feather headdresses on, and she comes out with that for all her guests to see,” Lafferty said.
Beverly, who also wore two custom Natayla Valentine Atelier gowns for the special occasion, ensured that guests remained captivated by the fantastical function.
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Speaking about the collaborative effort between the birthday girl and her team, Lafferty added that all it takes is an idea for magic to happen.
“She gives us some pictures she likes and we bring it to life and show her what can be done,” she said.
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