Hi! Allow me to thank this forum and the mommy contributors, which helped me gained ideas and tips/tricks in order to prepare/plan well for my son's dedication and party. The guests were raving about how the party was well-planned and coordinated, and from where did I get the "gimmicks" etc.. hehe Our friends were mostly kase single/young couples without kids that's why they don't have much of an idea yet. :-) Very few lang ang kids but I was surprise with their feedback of the party.
Anyway, here it is! Heads up, this is a long read:
Event: Mateo's Dedication and 1st bday party
Date: Saturday, June 30, 2012
Theme: Dr. Seuss (mainly Cat in the Hat)
1.
Venue: Northeast Greenhills Clubhouse Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: 10K (+10K Security deposit which is refundable but less 500 per food cart and photobooth)
Review: This is definitely value for the money. The venue is nice since first of all, it can accommodate around 150 adults + 30 kids max. Natural light comes in kaya the photos look good too. Maganda pati ayusan yung venue and lagyan ng drapes dahil sa ceiling nya. The location is not so hard to find, di nga lang advisable for those coming from the South, but then if the guests would really want to attend,they will definitely find a way. :-) Ms. Marily was also accommodating and mabait sya to advise us of the rules of the clubhouse. Very polite ang staff nila. I don't think I would have any negative feedback re the venue. :-)
2.
Caterer: Passion Cooks/Melissa Cabrera Rating: 12/10
Peso Power: PM me na lang if interested. We secured food for 125 adults, 35 kids and 16 crew meals.
Review: I so love Passion Cooks! Although I know there can be other suppliers who can quote cheaper rates, I won't settle for anything less when it comes to the taste of the food and service of the catering staff. And Melissa is always so polite and prompt and professional. I had last minute requests up to the day itself that they were able to accommodate. And the best of all, the guests enjoyed the food. Super nabusog daw sila! hehe Ang dami pa namin take home (although partly because some of the guests were not able to attend). Will get them again in the future as long as the budget allows and if dito kami sa Pilipinas magccelebrate ng 7th birthday ni Mateo. hehe
3.
Party Planner/Decor etc: Kathleen dela Merced of Spark + Twinkle (formerly Hi-5 Parties) Rating: 11/10
Peso Power: PM me if interested.
Inclusions: decor (invitations, styro backdrop, entrance arc made of styro and balloons, ceiling swags, balloons, centerpiece decor, food carts, dessert buffet, cake from Les Sucreries)
Freebies: balloon burst, name tags, favor tags, on-the-day party coordination
Review: At first I had a not so good impression of her for replying very late to my e-mails! hehe Ayun pala she just had a lot of clients and the way she works ata kase is she'll be very detailed/OC when the event is almost near na (about 1.5 months prior the date) hehe. Anyway her selling points are (1) she can sponsor a venue, (2) has already coordinated a Dr. Seuss/Cat in the Hat party and (3) I like her stage backdrops, very artistic and not just the typical ones. The decorations are not too much from the photos na nakita ko. May pagka-andersruff.com/Martha Stewart pa minsan. :-) She was able to redeem herself when we had our first meeting na. Very patient to answer my detailed questions and madali din kausap. :-) And I was at peace naman when she texted me the morning of the event na the mechanics of Cat in the Hat is not working as part of the stage backdrop. She was very professional and calm to let me know that she upgraded our decoration package to include floating balloons and 3D centerpieces and upgrade the entrance decor as well. Yey! hehe Parang blessing in disguise na rin hehe And what I love about her is that she's flexible to work around the budget. I gave her my budget and she gave her proposal around that budget. Tapos she also gave me an idea how much usually is the decoration na OK naman.
To be honest I think marami pang ibang party planner na may mas murang package but at that time kase malaking consideration sa amin na may makapagsponsor ng venue and may styro ng Cat in the hat backdrop. hehe Sa tingin ko lang if sa ibang party planner, mas maraming inclusions yung package na binayaran namin sa knya. Pero not bad kase the cost is worth it naman. Maraming nakaappreciate ng venue decor. Also, hindi rin namin gusto na masyadong maraming balloons ang venue. :-)
Cake: Les Sucreries Rating: 11/10
Peso Power: 5500 plus delivery fee of 1500
Review: Nagulat ako na super laki pala ng cake! hahahaha! Given the price, super sulit!!! And super sarap ng cake and icing. Not too sweet nor bitter. Chocolate flavored cake. tama lang din ang moist. Lahat ng makatikim, di matigilan ang cake, even those who do not have a sweet tooth. And I love the fact the star-tipped ang icing nya, not the usual type. Although ok rin ako with fondant kaya lang that's usually expensive kase.
Food Carts: c/o Kathleen Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: around 6K for both
Review: French Fries and mini corndogs. parehong masarap and maganda
[textspeak!] decoration, very in line with the theme :-)
Dessert Buffet: c/o Kathleen Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: 9500
Review: Hindi tinipid ni Kathleen ang dessert buffet. The mini cupcakes were from Cupcakes by Sonja's. The candies were not from Divisoria. hehe the cake pops and cookie pops all look good. Masarap
[textspeak!] cake pop, hindi ko lang alam the cookie pop kase di ko natry. hehe
4.
Magician/Host: Flooch Rating: 11/10
Peso Power: 12K pero he might have adjusted his rates already.
Inclusions: hosting, games, magic, ventriloquism
Review: First impression ko when I talked to him via phone was that mayabang/maangas sya. hehe pero it's so not true! Very down to earth and may initiative during the day of the event. He knows the drill already, we did not have to discuss things with him too much. The people were under the impression na he prepared the balloon burst and pinata pa nga kase he already knew what to say. Very natural ang flow ng event and he was able to incorporate Tita Jiggle's show with his, without making his show boring/too long. Both adults and kids enjoyed his games and show! Value for the money
[textspeak!]. Selling point nya for me ang ventri. Was considering kase Alex Lagula kaso wala ata sya ventri kaya sya pinili ko. hehe ang makulet pa, one of the kids already watched him perform his ventri act pero sa party ni Mateo, tawa pa rin sya ng tawa. hahahaha
5.
Balloon Artist: Jiggles the balloon lady Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: 8,500
Inclusions: balloon show and balloon booth for custom creations
Review: Tita Jiggles is very nice and accommodating. Nakakahiya pa nga kase I was not able to deposit a downpayment. hahaha Weird lang
[textspeak!] actually I cancelled with her (via text lang) my booking pero it seems that di nya ata nabasa the text. hehe Anyway, as expected, amazing ang creations nya and natuwa pati adults sa knya. Nice din
[textspeak!] game nya where she included the dads in the party. At first dapat sya rin host namin kaso lang I saw some reviews na hindi ata masyado okay hosting/games nya kaya I booked Flooch for that. Some of the guests are already planning to book her in their future events. :-) Okay sya if the party you are planning is more of the relaxed style, not the festive style hehe
6.
Unlimited Face Painting with Bubble Machine: Ace Balloon Lab (tie-up with Ensogo) Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: 1,700 (non-promo price is 4K)
Review: Did not plan to get this one initially but since my hubby requested for it, go lang. Minsan lang sya magrequest. hehe and really value for the money since unlimited face painting na ito. Of course the quality is not the same as Arts N Faces siguro but we were okay na with it kase nasulit ng guests. Super nag-enjoy kase sila. :-)
7.
Photobooth: Pose N Print Rating: 11/10
Peso Power: Free since it's a gift hehe (actual price is 7750 for 2.5 hours with customized tarp)
Review: Did not plan to get this one initially as well but since one of mateo's ninongs offered to pay for this, go na rin kami. hehe Nakakatuwa lang kase sila din ang supplier namin during the Wedding 3 years ago. :-) Same quality and service pa rin. Very nice ang staff and si Ms. Therese Aransazo (sya ata ang owner). OC kase ako sa layout ng tarp and prints so madami ako ipinaayos. hehe She was able to accommodate all my requests naman and she is very fast to respond. madali sya kausap. :-)
8.
Photo: Edd Palapal Rating: 12/10
Peso Power: Discounted price
[textspeak!] binigay nya pero if interested, you may check the rates on his website (eddpalapal.com)
Review: Sobrang nahirapan ako maghanap ng photographer not because wala but because consideration
[textspeak!] ang quality of photos and budget. Actually, ang first choice ko talaga is si Karen Ilagan when she covered one party decorated by Bambi Hernandez. Kaso lang she gave birth and parang di muna sya masyado nagwork. Ok din rates nya kase eh. Kya don kami nagkaroon ng dilemma. Ang mamahal ng photographers na gusto ko. Pero upon checking my officemate's blog, nagustuhan ko shots nya. he's able to capture emotions very well. Kaya if mapapapansin nyo sa website nya, halos puro tao
[textspeak!] nasa shots. Although he was able to get naman other important details of the party din.
[textspeak!] backup photographer nya, officemate din namin. hahahah :-) And he's good enough to even slash another amount off the price na pinagusapan namin. hehe tapos may kasama pang pre-event shoot! Super sulit
[textspeak!]. He's highly recommended. Mabait and matiyaga sa kids. He's able to capture Mateo's smiles and other facial expressions. hahahaha!
9.
Video: Child Lounge Photography Rating: N/A since wala pa yung video
Peso Power: 5K (for photo and video since it's a promo price)
Review: Yes I know na maraming negative feedback sa knila kaya I've been praying na maprovide nila
[textspeak!] video within the agreed time (ie. 2 mos after the event but the teaser is 1 week daw after). Budget constraint din kaya sila kinuha namin. Sa totoo lang, not bad naman ang videos nila kaso lang the reviews about them.. Was initially planning to book Zoombox kaso namahalan ako. Tapos nagmahal pa ulit! hahaha ibbook ko na sana kaso booked na. Even the Shuttercount works, booked na rin. hehe Oh well.. Mababait na bata naman sila and I think they just need to become more confident and perhaps professional if may reklamo man sa knila. Part-time lang sila pala kase they are still college students. :-)
10.
Kiddie Loot bags: Personalized Picks/Catherine Manaloto Rating: 12/10
Peso Power: around 4K for 35 customized snack bags
Review: I love dealing with Catherine. Super daling kausap!!!! Ang bilis magrespond. Wala
[textspeak!] ako reklamo sa knya at all. She's so nice pa kase she offered to replace the 2 defective bags na nasama sa delivery. First time daw to nangyari since they do quality checks before shipping the items. Ganda pati ng quality ng bags. Even the older kids (as in waaaay older) asked for loot bags! hahaha Good thing I already set aside something for Mateo. hehe Highly recommended sya! Might order nga sa knya for Christmas gifts eh hehe
11.
Dr. Seuss Merchandise: Sophie's Closet Rating: 12/10
Peso Power: around 2K for 35 pieces of pen, memo notes/bookmark magnets, eraser caps, stickers
Review: One of the nicest suppliers din. Very fast to respond. Sya pa nagsabi sakin how I can avail of the promo sa Multiply marketplace to avoid the shipping fee. hahaha From the US pa yung supplies nya. Via text messages lang ang transactions namin. I didn’t actually expect to get Dr. Seuss merchandise pa but I happen to see her goodies on the net. hehe I glad I did since I think her prices for the items are reasonable. :-)
12. Mateo's clothes: GAP, Debenhams, Gingersnaps
Rating: 10/10
Peso Power: around 5,700
Review: Actually, Mateo’s long sleeves from Gingersnaps and his slacks from Debenhams were already worn during a friend’s wedding. hehe This set was for his dedication. I only bought the GAP shirt and cargo pants from Gingersnaps specifically for the party proper. I like how the clothes fit and suit him well. :-) Very comfy rin sya for Mateo. Gingersnaps and GAP are my favorite brands for him. hehe
13. Makeup artist of mom: Ria Redor
Rating: 11/10
Peso Power: 2,500 for airbrush makeup
Review: I thank this forum for referring Ria. Grabe! I got a lot of compliments with her. :-) My friends were all saying I look pretty (and parang ako raw ang may birthday). Ahahahaha! For me super good deal since airbrush makeup is around 3500 na with other suppliers. Very easy to deal with din sya, I did not have to make any downpayments with her. Mabilis din sumagot sa texts. Might get her again for future events. :-)
14. Inspiration/ideas from:
Female Network forums
Smart Parenting forums
Photographer blogs
Andersruff.com
Other mommy blogs
Everyone enjoyed, both adults and kids. And for me that's important. Halos wala ata ako nakuhang negative feedback. :-) Thanks a lot ladies for sharing your time and effort in pouring out your advices and warnings. :-) I am not able to mention na specific contributors kase bka may makalimutan ako sa super dami! hehe
