Kastiel's 2nd Birthday Party

I usually don't have time for anything during weekdays since I am mostly at work and prefers to rest and relax at home with my kiddo afterwards. Thoughts about Kastiel's party haunt me 3 months prior to his birthday but I started taking planning seriously a month before his big day.

During work breaks, I google for party themes and ideas. I am mostly particular in D-I-Ys to go around my budget.

INVITATION: I know how to use Photoshop a bit so I made a simple Invitation for Kastiel's party.

CAKE: It all started with the cake. I was browsing Metrodeal and spotted an 8inch Angry Birds Cake for only P400 from Michelle's Sweet Kiss. Took my credit card and bought the cake right away.  Since now that Kastiel have a cute Angry Birds cake, I thought that it's just fitting to stick to the Angry Birds Concept. It is quite passe, I know, but I thought that it's a practical choice since Angry Birds stuff are easy to find around.

The cake will serve as a cherry on the icing in a cupcake tower I have in mind. I borrowed a Cupcake Tree Stand from my Caterer which they graciously lend for free and bought from my "suki", 40 pcs of Beehive Cupcakes, all in Angry Birds Color (red, blue,green and yellow). Each cupcake costs only P17.00! I bought it from Uncle Ben's Bakeshop in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. They do not have an online presence and doesn't want to accept bookings over the phone so you really have to go to their shop to place an order. I made my booking a week prior to Kastiel's birthday.

Here's the finished product:

PHOOTOBOOTH: It's just timely that one of my officemates spotted a deal at Metrodeal and mentioned it to me. I was losing all hope of finding an affordable one. I checked out Metrodeal and found Fotoco offering their services for only P3500 for 3 hours unlimited. They provide the backdrop for free and free use of props too! Called them up to inquire and I was surprised that even without going through Metrodeal, they still offer the same promo. I booked my son's party and communicated with them the theme, location map and other party details. No downpayment was asked. It was a very good deal.

After a few email exchanges regarding the Photo Layout, we came up with this design:

VENUE: Initially, I thought of having the party at Shakey's Quezon Avenue, corner West Avenue. The branch is just about 2 years old and got an arcade area so it's perfect for kiddie parties. I pencil booked 3 months prior to Kastiel's birthday but was not able to make a reservation/downpayment due to my busy schedule. After 2 weeks, I lost my slot.

I resorted to having the party at my parents house but my mom objected. The house is quite a mess and it will be too much work for us to do all the preparations and cleaning. So I was left with my last option.

My Dad is a Homeowner's Association Director in the Village and he got a 50% off-the-price privilege in using the Village's Facilities such as the Clubhouse, Pool Area and the Function Area. What should be P6,000 Homeowner's Rate for the Senior Citizen Hall, an air-conditioned function room good for 100 pax, I got the daytime slot for only P3,000 (9:00am to 6:00pm). I made the reservation 2 months prior to the party so I was lucky to find the slot still available. I made this my last option because Kastiel's Baptism Reception was held there and my guests have been there too but I just lingered at the thought that I have the opportunity, why waste it?

Here's a glimpse of the venue during Kastiel's Baptism. The place isn't well-decorated as I did all the preparations from Food to venue set-up all by myself.



Two weeks before Kastiel's party, the venue underwent a minor renovation to fix the ceiling and sound reaction, changed color and lighting.

PARTY HOST: I've been scouting for a decent party host and after browsing through Sulit, I found a promo offer of 2 clowns, balloon tricks and bubble show for only P1,500. I want to stop there but when I called up the supplier, they required a deposit of P500. I don't want to go through that hassle so I've been delaying my deposit. I asked my husband if he's okay with it by showing photos of their clowns. My husband totally disapproved because the clown looks scary. He wanted a modern clown, not the traditional one, so I called up the supplier and asked if they have a clown that looks more like a mime. I was told that their clowns aren't that scary and I was asked to check out their facebook page. I wasn't convinced. After reading a post in Smart Parenting about clown service asking for downpayment but did not show up during the event, I was even more scared so I changed my mind.

I was back to scratch again in finding a good host. I was led to several professional party host and magicians but their price are extremely rip off (in my case). So I went back to sulit and looked up for party host again. this time, some premium ads went up including the offer from Ruffus Party Expert. I looked at their clowns and they're exactly what I wanted. They call them Modern Clowns as they don't wear baggy colorful clothes and wig with scary face paint. Their costumes and facepaint are simple but funky. What convinced me in their Sulit Advertisement was the "no downpayment required" and the Educational Song which I find a bit different from the usual clown/host service. The offer was P2,000 for 2 modern clown host with balloon twisting, games, educational song and magic trick.

I called up Ruffus right away and was relieved that they can still squeeze me in even if it's less than a week away from the party. Here's a photo of the clowns at the party, Rocky and Mr. Quicky.

LOOT BAGS: Bought all the loot bag stuff from Divisoria. I found an Angry Birds Plastic Bag for only P8.00 each. I bought erasers, puzzles and coloring books with stickers to fill the bag. My mom from the U.S. gave me 3 bags of imported chocolates and candies as lootbag goodies. I didn't bother to add more stuff in it. The chocolates and candies were already a wonderful treat!

The prizes for the games were all bought from Divisoria too except for a few others. Here are some photos of the prizes and lootbags:

CATERING: I've had a bad experience with a caterer in my life and learning from it, I became very picky. I've asked around for catering suggestions but most were really expensive so I relied on gut feeling and picked one that has the best offer in Sulit. I chose Febondi Catering Services. I was drawn to their advertisement. I googled them but found very little information. I joined Smart Parenting hoping to get a hint but found none. I just looked at their posted photos in facebook and in Sulit and thought that they must be a reliable caterer with the number of events they've handled and the wonderful set-up they're doing with their other clients. To finally end the curiousity, I called them up and was able to speak to the proprietess, Ms. Hazel Bonaga. Ms. Bonaga was very courteous and invited us for a taste test. My husband was hesitant at first but when we got there and tasted the food, we were convinced!

We've shared our experience with a previous caterer we hired and Ms. Bonaga assured us that their service is different. I expressed my ideas with her and she instantly got the picture. I told her that I wanted an Angry Birds centerpiece, colorful table toppers, warm and delicious food served,  courteous waiters, a backdrop for our stage and I haggled for free Party hats, Free extra chafing dish, free use of cupcake tower. Their promo also offer free Chocolate fountain with pastries. I chose fresh fruit platter for dessert and it was included in the dessert table. I had a great deal and was charged only P16,500 for 60 adults at P200 per pax and 20 kids for P150 per pax (service charge included).

At the event, I was amazed how fast her staff worked to set-up the venue. Here are some photos:

FINAL VERDICT

All suppliers came on time.

I was extremely proud of myself for hiring all these suppliers who made my son's party extra special. A lot commented that the food is great, the set-up is wonderful and the venue is comfortable. Even the chocolate fountain is delicious. the waiters were all professional and provided a good service.

The party host, although they were struggling at first to get everyone's attention, did an awesome job in hosting. They spoke taglish but not really good at it. I am happy to find out that no kids were scared of the clowns hence they were even more curious than frightened. The magic trick is sort of fail (for an adult's point of view) but generally, it was good. They joke once in a while and they were very wholesome.

The photobooth is a good deal as well. Photo printing and quality is excellent however, there have been a technical issue which took them almost 10 minutes to resolve. The staff paid it off by adding extra 30 minutes for it. What's annoying was the girl who picked the staff and the booth up after the party. She was upset with the staff as he made a mistake burning the photos to the CD. They arrived an hour after the party and have us waited 15 minutes more to re-burn the CD.

What I am most upset about the party is a relative who was invited by my husband's mom. She was not included in our guest list and we were surprised to find her there with her daughter, 2 grand kids and a friend. They ate a lot of food, even took home packed food, took a lot of loot bags and worst is, the gatecrasher friend hang around by the photo booth, reigning almost 50% of the photos and had our friends waited in line. Arrgh!

Despite all these, all in all, I am still happy and satisfied at how my son's party went. My expectations were all met. :)