One of Tessa's closest friends, Seki, turned 15 in January and her family has been planning her quinceanera for the last year. Tessa was asked to be on her court and with that came rehearsals. Every week, the kids would meet at a dance studio and practice their court dances. Tessa was coupled with Ethan Deca. She was happy about that since it was with someone she knows. Some of the girls were paired up with Seki's cousins, so Tessa was much happier being partnered with one of her friends instead of a stranger. After one of the rehearsals, Seki's mom took a picture of the entire court. It's a great group of kids. We laughed at Tessa's face in this picture because she apparently wasn't paying attention to the camera, but we just laughed and thought it was hilarious.
We had to purchase a dress for Tessa that was specific to their plum color, but the design was up to us. We spent a day at David's bridal trying on dresses and at first it seemed like we were having no luck with the dresses Tessa liked. All the ones she liked were not going to be able to deliver the plum color or her size in time for the quince. She was getting very frustrated, but finally she tried on one more dress and found the winner. This dress had her size and color available and Tessa was happy because it had sleeves and it was different than all of the other girls' dresses. The day of the quince, Tessa got out of school early and had her hair done and then we finished her makeup and getting dressed at home. I had to take pictures before she was picked up to go to the event center.
These were a few of my favorite poses in her dress. I love the plum color. It looked so pretty on Tessa and she loved her dress. We even worked on her smile so it didn't look too wooden, and we came out with so many beautiful pictures.
We found multiple spots around the house to take pictures, some close up and some of her entire dress. Tessa was a little nervous about how the dances would go because the dress was a little tight and with the sleeves slightly off the shoulder, she was nervous about one of the dance moves where she has to raise her arms over her head. The dress was restricting her movement, but she practiced a lot and decided she'd be able to manage it.
Once at the event center, we took a lot of pictures before the ceremony started. Our whole family was invited since Tessa was on the court and they had this awesome black and gold backdrop in the room where we took a lot of our pictures. We had to get one with Tessa and Ethan all dressed up before their performance. They looked so cute and super fancy. The kids had fun dressing up and getting their picture taken as well. The Kasallis family were also invited so Taryn had her picture taken with Teagan and Ethan's sister, Ashleigh.
We had assigned seating and our table was with the Deca family. I took a picture of Abby and Caleb as they visited since they were there in support of their younger siblings. Aubrey and Taryn and Ashleigh enjoyed the dessert selections that were at each table.
Aubrey was a little sad because she didn't think she had any friends at the quince, but she at least smiled for a picture with Abby at the table. I also went over to the center table to get a picture of Tessa and everyone from the court.
They announced the court members one couple at a time and then they walked through the room to the stage. Ethan and Tessa passed right by our table, so I loved this picture that I took as they walked by. Tessa does not like being the center of attention, but she took it in stride and did wonderfully as they walked through the room. They did their dance numbers on the stage. We had a front table, close to the stage, but it was on the side, so we watched the entire performance from a back, side angle. Tessa and Ethan started on the far side of the stage from where we were sitting. One of the friends videoed their dance from the front, so I was able to get a copy of that. She did a great job and Seki, Little Seki's mom, told me how good Tessa was at all of the rehearsals and how she was one of the best ones who was able to keep the beat and lead the other teenagers by example. I was so proud of her for conquering her shyness and doing such a great job on such a public stage.
After the ceremony, the fun dance began. Abby loves quinces and went to many of them as her friends turned 15. She was so excited to come to this one and get to dance. All of the kids had fun on the dance floor. I took some pictures and visited with my friends even though it was dark and the music was really loud. I was able to catch Tessa away from her friends long enough to get a picture of her with Taryn and Abby.
Tyler even danced a few songs with the girls. I tried to get cute pictures of the girls dancing with their daddy, but the lighting wasn't great and they kept moving, so they're not the best quality, but I love seeing the girls dance with Tyler. Taryn took a turn and so did Abby. I don't know if Tessa or Aubrey got to dance with Tyler, or if they did, I just missed getting a picture of it.
Tessa spent most of the dance time with her friends, but every once in awhile we'd see her separate from her friends and she'd let us talk to her. Abby caught her once and got a picture with her and Aubrey. I love how happy they are and I love to see their beautiful smiles. All of my girls love dances and they love having fun together. It makes me so happy.
The kids had fun at the photo booth. They took pictures, three poses each time and then a little strip of pictures was printed automatically. You got to keep one strip and you attached the other strip to a photo book that Seki got to keep. Tessa took this hilarious picture with her friends Milea and Audrey using the props they had available. I love how funny it is but also that you get to see a better angle of Tessa's beautiful hairstyle. I also made sure to take a picture of the three girls with a serious pose.
The huge group of friends squeezed in for a picture all together. I stood behind the main camera so I could get the picture too. These are all kids from the stake and they get together a lot to hang out. It's a great group of kids and it was fun to see them all dressed up and having a fun time in a different setting like this as they celebrated Seki's quince.
Seki had a great experience at her quince and we were happy to be able to be there to show our love and support. Here's Tessa with a smaller group of her friends with Seki in the middle. From left to right it's Milea, Tessa, Seki, Aaron, Kyler, and Stone. They had to take a silly one and a serious one and I loved them both.
At the end of the night, we had to get a few more pictures. Taryn really wanted a picture with Seki and I knew I had to get one with Tessa and Seki as well. Seki and her family moved into our ward from the east side of town many years ago. They moved in and out of our ward over the last year or so, but Tessa and Seki have been good friends the entire time. They are a great family and we love that we've gotten to know them so well. It was a really fun evening.
And finally, I made Tessa pose for a picture with one of her good friends from this year, Kyler. Kyler is in their friend group and is in another ward in the stake. They are in the same early morning seminary class and go to Franklin together. They became pretty close through their mutual friends and have been each other's therapists as they go through the drama of high school "boyfriends and girlfriends." I had heard so much about Kyler and how she was such a good friend to him and how helpful he was to her, that I knew I had to get a picture of them together. Good friends in high school are the best.
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