The Corte of Honor is one of the beautiful Latino traditions of the Quinceanera celebration. The Quinceaneras Corte of Honor, celebrate her as she makes her passage from girlhood to womanhood supporting her hopes and dreams in her life.
Family members and close friends of the Quinceaneras family members are usually chosen to be in her Corte de Honor. They participate in a special waltz for the celebration.
The Quinceanera tradition has been for the Corte to consist of fourteen boys and fourteen girls, plus the Quinceanera and her escort for her celebration. Each couple represents a year of the Quinceaneras life.
Many Hispanic families in the United States prefer to have a half court. With 7 girls and 7 boys. Now each person represents one year of her life and the Quinceanera adds the fifteenth year. Families have the reduced number of participants in the Corte of Honor to be easier to work with. They have found the major benefits of the smaller court to be reduced costs and the challenge of organizing dance rehearsals,
Some families choose to have a Corte of only boys. The number of boys in the Corte can range from four to fourteen boys. The reason behind this idea is the all boy Corte of Honor allows the Quinceanera to be the only crowned princess at her own ball.
Some families choose to have the Corte de Honor, to be only girls. Many times each girl is escorted by her father. There is an unlimited amount of options for the Quinceanera and her family to choose from.
- Of the other options where the Quinceanera is escorted by her honor escort or Dama de honor, or her parents might escort her in. Or the Quinceanera may choose to only have her father escort her in. There is no right way or wrong way for how the Corte de Honor should be. The final choice is for the Quinceanera and her parents to decide what the Corte of Honor should look like.
- When choosing who you want to invite to be in your Corte de Honor it is very important for those you ask to commit to part of the Corte of Honor must do so willingly. It is a major a commitment for every one involved. The commitment involves much more than just time and money. The boys and girls who commit to be in the Corte must honor and respect everyone else in the Corte with good behavior and to be on time for rehearsals.
Things to consider before inviting someone to be a member of the Corte of Honor:
Before the Quinceanera and her family invite the boys and or girls to participate in the Corte de Honor, they should outline the amount of time and money that would be required for each one to fulfill the role in the Corte.
Other areas needed to addressed is: the number and location of each of the rehearsals, the length of time of the rehearsals, the projected cost of the dress and shoes for the Damas and the projected cost for renting a tuxedo or any other outfit for the Chamberlains.
It is very important to write out this information and hand out two copies to everyone you are inviting to be in your Corte. One copy is for the participant to keep for themselves and the other copy to be returned with the signed approval and permission for their son or daughter to participate in the Corte de Honor.
The Corte of Honor just like every other part of the Quinceanera celebration requires planning and commitment for the outcome to be what you want it to be. Therefore it is much better to inform everyone up front what is expected of them. Avoiding embarrassment for those involved or any awkward moments later on. It also keeps you and your family from having to find replacements at the last minute.