When Gabriel Iglesias saw a video of a guy throwing his dog a quinceañera, his first thought was, “No way he loves his dog more than I love my dog. Challenge accepted.”
And that’s when he decided to throw a lavish and over-the-top party for his 4-pound pup, Risa. The comedian recently shared video of the Nov. 12 celebration he threw for his “princess” on his social media — and it truly was a sight to see.
“I’ve had dogs since I was a kid and Risa was the only girl dog I’ve ever had,” Iglesias tells TODAY.com on Dec. 8. “Since I’ve had her, from day one, she’s always been in my hoodie. She’s always been in my jacket. We’re very close.”
“So I said, ‘Alright, I’m gonna do this once. I’ve never had a daughter, I’ve never had a kid of my own, so I’m gonna go full blown on this one,’” he says. “And I did.”
Iglesias opted for a quinceañera-style celebration for his beloved dog. He also has an 11-year-old male chihuahua named Vinnie. And while a quince is typically thrown for a young woman when she turns 15, much like Sweet 16, Risa is “between 16 and 17” years old.
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The "Mr. Iglesias" star had over 300 guests, with people encouraged to bring their small dogs to the celebration. He believes there were about 12 other dogs in attendance.
With the help of One Call Events, the party included a variety of food including al pastor mini trompos at the tables, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, carnitas, esquite, corn on the cob, an aguas frescas station and more.
There were also tables with endless desserts consisting of cookies, muffins, fruit, mini pancakes — all available in sugar and gluten free for guests.
He also had a puppy station, where four-legged guests could get puppuccinos (whipped cream in a cup) and other tasty treats.
There was also no shortage of live entertainment and activities. Risa's party included a band, DJ, violinist, giant robot men, Circus Olay-inspired performers, dancers, as well as man-and-dog-duo, previously seen on "America's Got Talent," Christian and Scooby.
Young guests were also treated to a build-a-bear-inspired station, artists doing caricatures, a balloon maker and customized airbrush hats. "Everybody left with something," he says. "There was a lot of things going on."
Iglesias spared no expense when it came to Risa, who had three custom-made dresses for her big night and a carriage that she sat in while she and Iglesias entered the party. The cost for the shindig was around $100,000.
"I went full blown and people say, 'Oh, you wasted money,' but it's like, no," Iglesias says. "I'm celebrating something that means the world to me."
"I'm not setting money on fire every day. But this particular night, yes. So I spared no expense," he adds. "It was a very expensive night, but very memorable."
Risa also had a night to remember. Marybel Pineda, Iglesias' director of operations, designed and created the birthday girl's three looks.
"She made sure that Risa had the most pimped out dresses and different looks," Iglesias says. "She understood the assignment and it turned out great."
Risa was accompanied by her brother Vinnie and their friend Benny, who also looked dapper in gray suits with pink bow ties. During Risa's photoshoot, they also joined and snapped some photos with her.
Iglesias says that the best part of the party, aside from Christian and Scooby's performance, was sitting back and taking it all in.
"The entire night, I had Risa in my arms, and that's usually the case," he recalls. "Everybody wanted to see her, everybody wanted to take a picture and stuff like that, which is cool."
"I think Risa's favorite part was when everybody left and I took her to Jack in the Box to get chicken nuggets," he says with a laugh.
Iglesias loves to spoil his dogs. He says, “It’s not so much the things that I get them as much as it is the time.”
After releasing his Netflix special “Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy” and throwing Risa the party of his dreams, Iglesias is looking forward to slowing down.
“I’m sitting back and doing comedy clubs. I’m going back to my roots for at least six months,” he says. “Then maybe we’ll start touring the way that we were before.”
“But for now, I’m just enjoying the 'take it easy approach' and enjoying my weekends again,” he adds, Risa and Vinnie included.
This story first appeared on TODAY.COM. More from TODAY:
