A debut cotillion is a traditional Filipino coming-of-age event celebrating a young woman's 18th birthday. In the Philippines, turning 18 is the age of maturity for women, thus why it's celebrated with elaborate decor, a choreographed waltz with the debutante's court, and with 18 roses & candles presented to the debutante by loved ones.
When we spoke to Ava's parents, we learned that she was the quintessential student-athlete! Not only was she ambitious in her academic pursuits and accomplishments, she dedicated her time in excelling in varsity cheerleading and soccer, and was in student leadership as ASB secretary.
Despite her dedication to sports and academics, she also made the time for community work, by being one of the featured chefs of Rainbow Chefs Academy, which educates children and adults on how to live a healthy lifestyle. You can find her on YouTube, teaching young kids how to make healthy berry spritzers, zabaglione (an Italian dessert), and even chicken pita pockets!
After Ava got primped and dressed, we made our way to meet her cotillion court, consisting of 9 young men, and 8 young ladies (9 including Ava). The "oohs" and "ahhs" in admiration when they first laid their eyes on Ava in her debutante gown would make anyone blush!
After we took photos with the cotillion court and her family, we headed to the reception, which was held at the Peninsula Italian American Social Club in San Mateo, California. Their banquet hall, highlighted by its Tuscan architecture and candelabras that look like they were taken from a real-life fairytale, complimented Ava's "Disney Tangled" theme well!
The night started off with an elaborate, beautifully choreographed waltz. It's a sight to witness, and one to appreciate as the court practiced long hours on their free time aside from their academic and extra curricular obligations.
The presentation of the 18 candles and roses are conducted by the debutante's loved ones, normally handpicked by her. Each candle is placed on the birthday cake by each individual after giving a short speech about the debutante. Ava's mom was the last candle, who gave a touching tribute to her daughter concluding in emotional tears of love and appreciation by mother & daughter.
The 18 roses are given directly to the debutante, usually preceded by a short dance with her. Ava even had her dog give her a rose, and why not?! The last rose was given by Ava's dad, as they had their father-daughter dance to cherish this moment.
It is, after all, a birthday celebration, and what's a birthday without blowing the candles and a birthday song?
To conclude the evening, Ava and her court put on two different dance routines - one was more in the modern era with hip-hop, and the other was a traditional Filipino folk dance called Tinikling. Having originated during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, it is said that the tinikling dance movements mimicked that of the tikling bird, which was known to steal rice from the rice farmers. Although the farmers would set bamboo traps for the tikling bird, they escaped the traps by stepping over them, thus where the tinikling dance moves drew its inspiration from.
Planning a debut cotillion or another special event? We'd love to meet you!