Zoe's 3rd birthday
Disney Musical
January 23, 2011
3-7pmVenue:
Hampton CourtHampton Court is located in Hillsborough, Alabang. It's a huge venue, around 700 sqm, with a capacity of 300 pax.
One of the advantages of a venue near your house is that you are not pressed for time. There's no travel time that you have to take into consideration. Anytime you want to visit the place, you can easily do so. I think I have checked the venue more than 5x before the party date and 2x during ingress.
On the other hand, the venue is a little bit old. Although it has been recently renovated, I think more renovation works are needed particularly the pantry area.
Overall, it's a good venue for big parties. The place did not look cramped with the buffet tables, food carts and activities. There was enough parking space and the area was well-secured.
Venue dress-up:
Kidstar Kastlesfull styro backdrop, entrance welcome signage, helium-filled balloons for the table centerpieces, swags, ceiling balloon decors, assorted signages, 2 pairs of balloon columns
When planning Zoe's party, Kidstar Kastles is my non-negotiable. That's why for the 3rd straight year, they did the venue dress-up of Zoe's party.
What I like about Imma is she can work on your budget plus give you more. For this party, I did not ask for a new backdrop (which I have done in our previous parties) so we can allot more balloons for the decors. Since Hampton Court is a big venue, I wanted to have more balloons so the venue wouldn't look bare. But Imma really surprised me when she informed me a few days before the party that she made a new backdrop for Zoe. I was ecstatic!
The day of the party came and I was happy and satisfied with the decors. The venue looked colorful and the atmosphere was very festive. The backdrop was beautiful and Zoe's eyes literally grew big when she saw all her favorite characters.
During the party, Imma called to check if everything was ok. I did not get to see her when she dropped by earlier. And she didn't stay long coz she had to check on the other parties. I think they had like 6 parties that day! I told Imma that I was happy with the decors. She said that she didn't realize the place was that big and the original number of balloons were not enough to fill-up the venue. So she had to add more balloons at no extra cost! It was really nice of Imma.
Kidstar Kastles has many satisfied clients. And I think all of us, satisfied clients, would agree that aside from the beautiful backdrops and balloon decors they make, it's their professionalism that stands out. I believe that's important to succeed and stay long in this business.
Caterer:
Passion CooksAdult Buffet MenuOriental Salad with Crispy Catfish and Mango-Tomato Salsa
Baked Lasagna Verde
Chicken Galantine
Roast Pork with Orange Marmalade
Steamed Rice
Kiddie Plated MenuCheese Sticks with Thousand Island Dip
Pizza Bread
Pork Barbecue
Baked Macaroni
theme upgrade: buffet backdrop and table centerpiecesLoved the set-up Maja did especially the lighted buffet backdrop and centerpieces! And the food were yummy! My personal faves were the Oriental Salad and Chicken Galantine.
But what I liked most was Maja's personalized service. She was really hands on. From the menu planning up to the party day itself, she was there to make sure that everything was ok. She helped me with the set-up of the candy and dessert buffet eventhough I did not get the dessert from them. I even got to borrow some of their dessert platters. And her wait staff were the ones refilling the candy jars and dessert platters
This what distinguishes Passion Cooks from the rest, their impeccable customer service. Whether it's a big wedding or a small kiddie party, Maja treats every party with the same great customer service of which they are known for.
I wouldn't think twice in getting them again for the 3rd time or recommending them to family and friends.
Host:
JigglesFor Zoe's 3rd birthday, I decided not to have a magic show. We had ventrillusion and magic show in her previous parties and this time I wanted something different for our guests.
I learned about Jiggles the Balloon Lady through one of the GT moms and I started researching about her on the net. When I saw the pics of her creative balloon sculptures and read about the great reviews about her, I decided to book her immediately. Luckily, she was available on our preferred date.
The day of the party came and she arrived 30 mins before the start of the party. I was a bit worried that she will come in late because she already informed me before that she will be coming from another party in Greenmeadows. Good thing it was a Sunday and she was already in the venue before the first set of guests arrived.
Jiggles was a refreshing surprise to our guests. She hosted the party and facilitated lively games for everyone. The kids were really excited to join the games and even the adults joined in the fun as well. But highlight was her balloon show! It was really amazing! She wowed the guests with her out of the ordinary balloon creations which everyone wanted to take home. She made balloon characters like Elmo, Nemo, ballerina, those little green characters from Despicable Me etc.
So if you're tired of the usual magic show and you want to treat your guests to an extraordinary show, then Jiggles is the answer to your party.
Cakes, Cupcakes and Dessert Trays:
Joy San GabrielI've always wanted to try Joy San Gabriel's cake so I decided to get her for Zoe's 3rd birthday cake.
I met with Joy in her culinary studio to discuss the details of Zoe's cake. I told her that I wanted a simple blowing cake and a cupcake tower. So she suggested an 8" mock cake converted into 80 petite cupcakes. Then came the hard part, choosing the flavors. She gave me a cake sampler where I got to taste the different flavors. I had a hard time deciding which ones I like because all the flavors were yummy! But the ones that stood out were the carrot cake, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, coffee and kilauiea. I decided on carrot cake, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake and coffee for the petites. I liked kilauiea but it's more like an adult flavor so I included it in the dessert trays along with blueberry, carrot and revel bars.
I've tried other cake suppliers and I can say Joy San Gabriel is more on the expensive side. But you can never go wrong with the taste and quality. All the guests raved about the dessert trays and cupcakes. I would definitely get Joy San Gabriel again in our future events.
Photo/Video:
Thor Production KidsWhen I started planning Zoe's 3rd birthday, there's no question in my mind that Thor will be the videographer. I was happy with the video he did for Zoe's 2nd that I had to get him again. I also availed of their photo with album package.
A week or so before the party, Thor and Carmela informed me that they have an out of town shoot a day before the party and they had a hard time booking a flight home. It was only Thor who got a ticket and he will be arriving the morning of the party. Carmela was very apologetic but she assured me that she will be sending 2 of their best photographers and that she will upgrade my album.
The 2 photographers arrived early and Thor followed soon after. They were masipag in taking shots of the different party details. They were also patient with Zoe, who was not in the mood early in the party. Carmela promised that she will be sending the official photos by Saturday. I hope the pics turn out ok. Thor, on the other hand, I know will do another great video for Zoe.
Musical Entertainment:
Mini Musical by Clowning AroundThe mini musical was one of the highlights of the party. It was a 40-minute musical concert by theater performers. We actually had 3 performers, 2 girls and 1 boy, who sang songs from Hannah Montana (Rockstar, You'll always find your way back home), High School Musical (We're all in this together, You are the music in me, What I've been looking for) and Camp Rock (We Rock, This is me). Everyone enjoyed it especially Zoe who was happy watching them sing her favorite songs.
It was also interactive. There was a portion called the dance-along where they called the kids up on the stage and taught them the dance steps of Hoedown Throwdown from the Hannah Montana movie. Zoe was shy nga lang to join them.
The mini musical was really entertaining and the performers were great. I highly recommend them for parties with musical themes.
Side Entertainment:
Creative Party SalonI'e always liked their set-up and I find their package affordable that's why I got them again for Zoe's 3rd. For the price of Php5.5k, it's very sulit already. Too bad nga lang coz I really wanted the hanging tent set-up since we had the regular tents last year. Di lang pwede sa venue. Here's the package that I availed:
Services: face painting, glitter and jewel tattoo, hair art and nail art
Set-up: 1 pink vanity lighted dresser, 1 pink vanity lighted mirror with table, 2 tents
Caricaturist:
Jakin MartinezHe is the brother of Maja of Passion Cooks. When Maja told me about him and offered his services, I welcomed the idea and thought of it as a nice addition to our side entertainment.
Jakin brought with him print out papers with the bodies of different Disney characters and he drew the faces of the guests on the body of their chosen character. Saw a lot of guests going to him and bringing home with them their caricature drawing.
Jakin made one for Zoe and it looked exactly like her!
Food Carts:
Twistix I initially wanted Potato Corner. But when I found out about this new craze, I decided to book Twistix instead to offer something new to our guests. And I was right, it was hit!
Scramble KingSame with Twistix. Another pinoy craze that our guests loved!
Candy and Dessert Buffet:
DIY I was intent on getting a supplier for the candy and dessert buffet but it was Joy San Gabriel who "inspired" me to do it on my own. She gave me tips on how to do it, what materials to use and where to buy the things that I'll be needing. She even showed me pics of her client's party where the candy buffet was also DIY. This got me excited so I forego my plan on getting a supplier and decided to do it on my own.
First thing I did was to look for pictures of candy and dessert buffets from the net. Then I read different forums to get tips and ideas from fellow moms. When I sort of had an idea on how I would want our buffet to look like, I proceeded to buy the jars and containers.
I went to different department stores like SM, Rustan's even Uniwide and as far as Dapitan Arcade to look for the perfect jars. I was able to buy some jars in Landmark and I also found containers at the Japan discount store. But it was a store along Katipunan Road (White Plains side) called Country Affair where I found jars and containers of different shapes and sizes at very reasonable prices. I bought the rest of the jars there. The other candy containers and dessert platters used were those found in our kitchen and borrowed from Passion Cooks, our caterer.
A few days before the party, I bought the chocolates and mallows from Chocolate Lovers. The lollies, wafer sticks, gum balls and soft candies were from Pure Gold in Alabang. The Trolli gummy bears and gummy worms were bought in SM.
For the dessert buffet, I ordered trays of kilauiea, blueberry cheesecake, carrot cake and revel bars from Joy San Gabriel. We also had cream puffs from Conti's, cupcakes from Blushing Cupcakes and mini donuts from Krispy Kreme.
As expected, the candy and dessert buffet was a hit during the party! I'm happy that everyone loved the arrangement and the sweets and goodies. I think everyone went home with sugar overload that day.
Special thanks to Maja of Passion Cooks for helping me with the arrangement.
Invitation:
Kidstar Kastles Movie clapper invites to go with the theme.
Giveaways/Souvenirs:
Personalized PicksIt was a breeze dealing with Catherine.
The transaction was finished in a matter of days and mostly done through email. When there was a slight problem with the shipping and delivery of the lunch bags, Catherine was very efficient and helpful in making sure that I get the package in time for the party.
I liked the finished product. The printing was nicely done and the stitching was pulido. I wouldn't think twice in getting Personalized Picks again for our future parties.
Prizes and Loots:
Anding's and Divi MallZoe's dress:
Baby FashionistasI wanted a Hannah Montana dress for Zoe and I decided on 2 outfits that she wore from the movie. The 1st one that I liked was a sequined dress that Hannah wore during the 1st part of the movie. Prim gave me a quotation for that which was way beyond my budget. Quite understandably coz it's kinda tedious to make it.
For the 2nd dress, Prim gave a quotation within my budget, so I decided on the second one. I also thought that this dress is more versatile and Zoe can wear this on other occasions.
When I saw the finished dress, it was the exact replica of Hannah Montana's dress. Super loved it! Kuhang-kuha talaga! And when Zoe tried it on, it fit her perfectly well. I just asked the seamstress to put a little allowance because Zoe has a tendency to get irritated if the dress is exacto lang.
Mama's outfit:
Debbie CoDebbie is my go-to designer for last minute fashion fixes.
Papa's outfit:
from his closet Mama's hair and make-up:
Cathy CantadaSound System:
Kidstar KastlesSupplier's food:
CCMEWill post pics as soon as I get the official photos from Thor.
