Claudia’s fabulous quinceañera celebration

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Happy Birthday Claudia! On Wednesday June 12th, Claudia Yanez turned 15 years old, and the following day, Thursday June 13th she celebrated the occasion with a grand quinceañera celebration with her family and many friends. While in the US, a “sweet 16” party typically marks a girls coming of age, in Latin America the occasion is traditionally marked with a quinceañera party for the 15th birthday… in some cases celebrated in such style it can be compared to a wedding celebration – which was certainly the case for Claudia’s glamorous affair! With a chic black and white theme, Claudia’s more than 130 guests – her family and friends from the Abraham Lincoln School in La Romana, arrived to the family’s gorgeous Casa de Campo villa in the Punta Aguila neighborhood, dressed in a sophisticated array of evening black and white dresses, suits and even bowties. The only guest not dressed in black or white was the birthday girl herself, Claudia, who shone in a stunning and very fashionable pink sequinned mini-dress with a long floating train.

A formal dinner was served around the pool

“My mom (with the help of two chefs from the Casa de Campo hotel) created and cooked the entire menu, a traditional 5 course french meal” Claudia told casadecampoliving.com. This delicious feast included amuse bouche with three verrines: a gazpacho, a crème de petit pois and a turkish kipe, chicken curry salad with grapes and brown rice, lobster with a fresh herb sauce, beef tenderloin with a creamy French mustard sauce accompanied by coucous, French cheese on French bread and fresh macaroons which Claudia’s sister had brought especially from Miami. After the formal dinner the desert course was extended with an abundance of sweet treats – surrounded by pink and green ballons, as well as a 3-tier birthday cake in pink and white and decorated with pretty flowers!

Claudia with friends Stefano, Juan and Guillermo

“The most special moment was probably when my Dad arrived with two giant disney characters (Donald and Goofy) and also probably when we opened the “boîte à bonbons” (candy box in French). My dad brought the characters because they were my favorite as a child, he gave me the nickname Goofy the first time we came to Casa de Campo, when I was learning to drive a golf cart.” And after that, Donald and Goofy joined the guests on the dance floor as DJ Richard Spzilman from Santo Domingo kept the party going all night long! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAUDIA!

“I want to thank my parents [pictured right] for always being there for me,  for supporting all of my decisions and always orienting me towards the right one. I want to thank them for making me become the person I am today and for celebrating with me the closure of 15 years. My dad filled the party with wonderful surprises to bring me back to my childhood, I guess he knows that at the end I’m just a big child…”

— Claudia Yanez

The following photos were taken by Bryan de la Cruz during Claudia’s quinceañera party in Casa de Campo: