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Mario Lopez’s daughter celebrated a major milestone
The television host’s daughter Gia marked turning 15 years old with a huge quinceañera that blended traditional staples with modern twists
Lopez, who shares his daughter with wife Courtney Lopez, gave PEOPLE an inside look at the family’s special moment
Mario Lopez‘s daughter reached a major milestone!
On Friday, Sept. 26, the 57-year-old actor and television host’s daughter Gia celebrated a special occasion in her life: her quinceañera. Speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the event, the Saved By the Bell alum shares how he feels about his daughter reaching this big moment in her life.
“Oh my God. Well, [I feel] a little bit old, to be honest. Because it really does go by quickly, the way people say,” Lopez tells PEOPLE. “But I’m excited and I’m happy. My little girl’s grown up and quinceañeras are much like bat mitzvahs or sweet sixteens, very special in the Mexican culture, and it’s been months in the making.”
The doting dad, who is also a father to sons Santino, 6, and Dominic, 12, gave all the credit to his wife Courtney Lopez, and their event planning team, WhamBam Events and Minted Concierge, for putting together the special celebration.
“My wife’s really sort of led the charge and worked closely with our event planner and Minted Concierge to make sure every detail is reflected in my daughter’s personality [to] make her really feel celebrated,” he says.
Lopez tells PEOPLE that Gia’s quinceañera was a blend of tradition staples and modern surprises. There were classic aspects, like the mariachi band, the court and the father-daughter dance, as well as other new elements, like a Raising Cane‘s food truck, mocktails, merch and candy stands and donut bar. They also had a photo booth, from the Birdie Booth, a Tostilocos Mexican Candy and Snack cart, and more.
“She has a real clear vision of what she wanted in this, from the colors to the theme to just the little details,” he shares, referring to his daughter Gia. “I was just kind of there to support. And a lot of love has been going into it in the planning. It’s again, a rite of passage and a serious memory for the family.”
He adds, “It’s an important milestone and it’s supposed to mark the transition from childhood to young womanhood, and it makes it a little emotional as a dad to kind of see my daughter taking the next step in this chapter.”
Above all, the dad of three looked forward to having an “awesome time” and seeing his daughter happy.
“I’m looking forward to just making sure she has an awesome time, and she’s happy, and seeing all the family that we haven’t seen in a while,” he tells PEOPLE. “Just kind of having a memorable evening.”
The father-daughter pair even had something special planned for the traditional dance.
“I’m ready for it,” he says. “It’s going to turn off as a slow dance, and then we might bust out something special and turn it up.”
Lopez says that the 15-year-old is “excited” to begin this new chapter in her life, adding he’s not “too worried about her.”
“She’s excited. She’s always been pretty mature for her age, and I’m not too worried about her,” he says. “She’s pretty savvy in the way she’s gone about everything. She just started high school and she’s excited for the next chapter. She kind of knows what she wants to do.”
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As for how Lopez is handling being the dad of a 15-year-old, the Access Hollywood co-host tells PEOPLE it’s “a lot to kind of process.”
“It’s a lot to kind of process. And again, it had to come so fast because she’s going to start wanting to drive next, and the permits coming up,” he says. “And she started high school, and boys are on the radar, all that stuff I got to factor in.”
When asked how he’s going to navigate the next chapter of his daughter’s life, Lopez tells PEOPLE he’s going to maneuver it “carefully,” jokingly adding he’s going to “take advantage of all the technology.”
“I like those little GPS’ on the phone and all that stuff,” he says. “Yeah, I’m going to take advantage of all the technology.”
Read the original article on People
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