Crafting a balanced program for you dream debut party is not really as hard as it sounds. All it takes is a little imagination. There are endless possibilities in creating a program for your dream debut. A program can be as short as two hours or as long as until wee hours of the night. You can go as crazy as making everyone involved and participate in different aspects of the program.

The following is a basic Debutante’s program:

INTRODUCTION OF THE DEBUTANTE, HER ESCORT AND HER COTILLION COURT

TOAST IN HONOR OF THE DEBUTANTE

WELCOME REMARKS (BY THE PARENTS)

INVOCATION OR PRAYER

DINING

FATHER & DAUGHTER DANCE

GRAND COTILLION WALTZ DANCE

18 ROSES DANCE

18 CANDLES PRESENTATION

SINGING OF TRADITIONAL DEBUTANTE’S BIRTHDAY SONG

BLOWING OF THE CAKE CANDLES

CUTTING OF THE CAKE

18 TREASURES PRESENTATION

GAMES

A WORD FROM THE DEBUTANTE

TIME TO PARTY

The debutante’s program can also flow like this:

- Guests arrive

- Welcoming of guests

- Ushering of guests by ushers to their designated seats

- Cocktails for guests to mingle (so that they would not mingle once the program starts, and to give you ample time to prepare before your grand entrance).

- After everyone has settled in their place, the host will make mention of important people who graced the occasion (if there are).

- At this point, cocktails are being served.

- Parents talk about debutante (brief summary)- achievement, goals, ambitions, etc.

- Audio-visual presentation of debutante from infancy to present.

- GRAND ENTRANCE of debutante

- Parents talk some more about the debutante (optional)

- Toast in honor of the debutante

- Debutante speech

- Prayer

- Dining

- AVP of well wishers

- Father and daughter dance (This may also be incorporated into the eighteen roses. Fathers are usually the first or last dance of the debutante)

- Eighteen roses (speech and dance)

- Eighteen candles (speech)

- Singing of birthday song

- Cutting of birthday cake

- Games

- Introduction of the debutante, her escort and her cotillion court

- GRAND COTILLION WALTZ DANCE

- Debutante’s thank you speech

- Party time

- Everyone dances

Other variations may be the following:

* The host will have a talk, more of like an introduction and a short summary of the program, a little talk on what is in store for the guests so that they would be enticed into finishing and staying for the duration of the party and making the party a success. The host need not mention the juicy parts (those surprise numbers and whatnots)

* For parents who are shy to talk in front of a crowd, the host will do the introduction about the debutante. There will be a little talk before the debutante is introduced. Probably the host may interview some guests and probably ask them some unforgettable moments with the debutante.

* For the eighteen roses, each guy can give a note for the host to read while they are dancing. This can also be recorded and played together with the background music while they dance.

* Cotillion can be danced at the end of the program after which everybody may dance and which may mark the start of the dancing.

* The father or parents of the debutante will talk about the celebrant (you can make a Powerpoint or Flash presentation for everyone to see that has baby pictures or some important milestones of the debutante’s life)

* Father dances with his daughter as a separate part of the program.

* Escort/ bf takes debutante for a dance then everyone dance after some time

* Some also incorporate 18 wines, 18 treasures, 18 gifts as a variation so that most of the guests would be able to greet the debutante.

* Games are inserted on different parts of the program.

Here is a more detailed flow of program but the arrangement can be tweaked here and there according to preference.

1. Registration/Arrival of Guests/Receiving of gifts/Cocktails.

2. Settling of guests on their seats

3. Introduction by the emcee

4. Acknowledgment of the Parents and other VIPs

5. Introduction and entrance of the grand cotillion

6. GRAND ENTRANCE OF THE DEBUTANTE and her escort (optional)

7. Welcome remarks and toast by the Parents

8. AVP of debutante (pictures from infancy to present)

9. Grand cotillion

10. Invocation/Prayer before Meal

11. Dinner and pictorials

12. AVP of well-wishers

13. 18 ROSES

14. FATHER AND DAUGHTER DANCE

15. 18 CANDLES

16. Singing of birthday song, blowing of 18 CANDLES and cutting of birthday cake

17. GAMES

18. DEBUTANTE’s thank you speech

19. PARTY/Everybody on the dance floor

So remember, in making your program, list first what part of the basic program you want to retain or delete and then you can make your own rendition according to your liking. Don’t make it too long but don’t make it too short either. Create a balanced program and be imaginative in adding your own flavor into it. A debut party well thought of is a debut party well remembered.