Who pays for a quinceañera in Mexico?

Who pays: padrinos and compadres

The godparents paid for the dress, the cake and the music. At a Mexican wedding or quinceañera there are padrinos for the rings, the bouquet, the cake and the music, and each pays for the thing they sponsor. Sharing out the costs makes possible a party no single family could afford, and everybody knows who put in what.

Accepting is more than a payment. When someone becomes a child's godparent they also take on the parents, who from that day are their compadres, for life. The word comes from compater, one who is a father alongside another. Choosing is thought about and discussed, sometimes for months, and one almost never asks without already knowing the answer.

• At a wedding or a quinceañera there are padrinos for the rings, the bouquet, the cake and the music, and they pay for what they sponsor.
• Compadrazgo creates a bond between the godparent and the parents, who call each other compadre and comadre for life; the word comes from Latin compater.
• Choosing godparents can take months, and one almost never asks without knowing the answer, because refusing is more delicate than asking.
• The institution has outlived the faith that created it: there are compadres who have not set foot in a church in twenty years and still use the word.

Los padrinos pagaron el vestido, el pastel y la música.

The godparents paid for the dress, the cake and the music.

Con el ahijado, desde luego, pero también con los padres, que a partir de ese día son sus compadres.

With the godchild, of course, but also with the parents, who from that day are his compadres.

Repartir así los gastos permite hacer una fiesta que ninguna familia podría pagar sola.

Sharing out the costs like this makes possible a party no family could pay for alone.