Sorry it took a while to write this. My event was last April and this forum was very helpful when I was preparing for my daughter's 7th birthday so I promised myself to share my experience to help other moms. Sorry also for the long post.
EVENT: 7th birthday
THEME: Frozen
PAX: 130 adults / 50 kids
VENUE: Santuario de San Antonio Social Hall (Forbes Park, Makati)
PESO POWER: Rental fee of P7,500 per bay + Refundable security deposit of P10,000/bay (refundable after the event) + P2,000 caterer's fee. I booked 2 bays since each bay is good for 100 pax for 4 hours.
RATING: 9.
Pros: Venue was spacious and square with no obstructions so all attendees will have a full view of the party. Newly-renovated last June. There are a lot of parking spaces. Just ask the visitors to come early if there is a wedding/mass at the church. Set-up time is 3-4 hours before the event and free of charge. Sound system is included.
Cons: steep deposit, strict with decors (you cannot use thumbtacks, tape, etc. because of the renovation) so you just have to be creative, do an occular and come early so you can set-up properly. We were still able to put swags and ceiling balloons. No on-site cooking. Lady in charge is friendly but don't go to the office before 9:30 am and between 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm if you don't want to wait for her.
DECOR/DESSERT TABLE: Ribbons & Laces.
PESO POWER: P44,000
RATING: 10. I had to look for a very good stylist since the theme was relatively new so I had to make sure they can execute it well and be able to source decorations at a reasonable price. This already includes Styrobackdrop, swags, balloons, centerpiece, Dessert table with pastries (3-layer cake, mallow pops, cake pops, sweets, etc), lootbag (bags only), 4ft letter of celebrator's name, gift tags, name tags, event coordination.
PHOTO/VIDEO/PHOTOBOOTH: JV All Events Photography
PESO POWER: P14,100
RATING: 9.
Pros: Affordable. Package is P12K for the photo and video coverage, 20-page album, AVP MTV Style and 1 hour photobooth. I just added P2K for the additional 2 hours of photobooth and P100 delivery fee of CDs. Very easy to coordinate with. Emails and texts are enough and they reply promptly. Album and AVP delivery was on-time (within 30 days after confirming photos). They also ask permission first if you are ok to put your pictures in FB.
Cons: Simple photobooth backdrop so you have to add if you want to customize it.
HOST: Erney Arcilla
PESO POWER: P9000 + P2000 for sound system
RATING: 10. He was able to engage everyone in the party. His rate already includes hosting, games facilitation, magic tricks, balloon twisting. Educational and wholesome and very high-energy.
CATERER: Bistro 109
PESO POWER: P350/head for adults, P150/head for kids. I think they also have cheaper menus.
RATING: 10. Food was yummy and presentation is elegant. Juice is freeflowing already and they have a lot of waiters so service was prompt.
FOOD CARTS/GAME BOOTHS: Bravo Party Deal
PESO POWER: P1900/food cart with 100 servings (same price for all carts. I got pizza, snow cone, cotton candy, siomai, shredded corn) + food for the attendants.
RATING: 9
Pros: Very affordable compared to other food carts. They have promos so just give your requirements and they can customize their package. I got 6 food carts so I got a promo of 6 free game booths. Attendants are in uniform. The siomai and pizza were delicious. Snow cone only had 3 flavors so ask if they have more.
Cons: Party was 4 pm but they arrived at 3:45 so they were not ready when the party started. I got food booths as appetizers while the games are on-going so there were long queues when they started serving. Just make sure to ask them to arrive earlier.
INVITATION: Neighborhood computer shop
PESO POWER: P15/invitation
RATING: 10. I forgot the name but this is along Boni Ave in front of the Wellcome Supermarket. They do a decent layout and prints it on photo paper (3x5) with envelope at P15/invitation.
LOOTBAGS and PRIZES: Divisoria & Mall Toy Stores
PESO POWER: 6,000. The host requires 3 to 4 times the number of the kid attendees so I had to source it very carefully since we expected 40-50 kids which means 120-150 prizes. I mixed it up with Divi prizes (puzzles, coloring books, pencils, ballpens, notebooks, toys, etc) and mall toys (Play Doh, Ben Ten/Barbie candy watches) and Chocolate bars and Chips for the adult prizes. Since my lootbag was a brown paper bag painted and decorated to become Olaf, I had to fill-it with big items (big coloring book, Crayola, stickers) so it will not feel empty and added a C2 Sakto to make it heavy. Then I added educational things (erasers, pencils) and some candies (Gummi pizza, M&Ms, choco bars, etc).
OUTFIT: Frozen-inspired gown from 999 Mall and Frozen-inspired costume from Iha (Robinson's Galleria Dept. Store) and Payless Shoes
PESO POWER: Both gowns are P1,700 each. Shoes are P800.
I scouted for made-to-order gowns and the cheapest I could find was P4K so we went to Divi just to check if there are cheaper options and I saw a ready-to-wear gown which fitted my daughter. The style was up to the shin in front and a very long tail at the back which gave an Elsa-cape vibe. Then, I chanced upon the Iha gown a week later so I also bought it as a second outfit since the cost is still below my initial estimate of P4K.
OTHERS: Make-up, Tips, Food for staff (check which suppliers require food including during the set-up)
Do not forget to budget for these items since they can add up.
My ratings are quite high because I really researched before booking each supplier so I was quite satisfied with the result which made my daughter's special day very memorable.
Bonus Tip: I had a clear book to organize all my suppliers' contracts, receipts, program so I was not ngarag during the party itself. Also, the night before, I already prepared the envelopes with notes for all the balance that I had to pay the suppliers and tips (if applicable) so settling the bills would be a breeze after the party since you'll be tired by the end of the party.
For pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152325460294334.1073742035.234520849333&type=1For video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qMZhSOhmvJ8
