Belated Birthday Party Suppliers' Rating

Warning: This is a super late post.

After Zoe's 1st birthday last September 09, I got so busy already and wasn't able to post my suppliers' rating. So anyway, just to get it over and done with, I'll just make it short and sweet.

What: Zoe's 1st Birthday Party

When: Sunday, Sept. 09, 2007 (3-6 pm)

Where: Tarragon Function Room, Cravings, Katipunan

Theme: Hello Kitty

Food & Venue: Cravings
Account Manager: Carol Mantua

We booked Cravings a few months before the party. I originally just booked for 60 people but towards the end, it ballooned to 130. I think the place is perfect for our taste. The aircon was strong, the place was clean, the interiors had class. Plus I saw that there was a lot that we can do to decorate the place. Carol was very accommodating and gave in to my many requests. She was easy to reach and seemed to understand the mind of a first-time mom like me.

Food was good and yummy naman, though of course, what we served was just merienda cena. The birthday cake was cute and nice. Though I personally don't like to eat fondant cakes, okay na okay for posterity. The attendants were equally nice so we tipped them off nicely for the good service. No major problems with parking. Plus the location is good (proximate to both sides of the family).

Overall, it would give it a 5, out of 5.

Party Host: Chubby or Chubster Flores c/o Tif Uyco

I would love to get Chubster again in my next party. Nabilib pati Dad ko (who's hard to please). He's funny, nice to the kids and has a mature and professional way of conducting the whole thing. I was so afraid that the host we will get might be like one of those who say green jokes and make fun of the kids (in a bad way). I think madaming clowns and hosts like that nowadays. But nah, he sounded well-prepared and seemed very intelligent. I enjoyed all his antics.

Definitely a 5 too.

Party Decorations:

1) Tarp c/o Meeh - This took me weeks to finalize but I'm happy with the outcome. Many people found it cute. The size was 5x7 feet. Just right for the stage. The printing was paid for by my Dad.

2) Banderitas (bought in Divi) - I bought these multi-colored banderitas somewhere in Divi inside the Bodega building. Will definitely go back there to buy some more. Carol of Cravings liked the decor so much that we had to "donate" it to her na lang. Sorry, left the pics in my husband's laptop.

3) Sign Frame (used our extra frame from the wedding) - Hizon's, our wedding caterer, gave us a blank sign frame when we got married. But since we already had one made by the photog, Ariel Javelosa, we decided to bring the thing home for future use. I just placed the picture- portrait of Zoe, taken at BUB, and pasted some Hello Kitty stickers around it and ta-dah! Instant sign frame. :-)

Party Invitations: c/o Meeh

I worked really hard at learning how to use Photoshop so that I could DIY the invites. My golly, buti it turned out a-ok. :-) I had 60 copies of 5x7 prints made by a photodeveloper in Galleria (forgot the name). We just placed them in matching green envelopes bought from Office Warehouse and added a Hello Kitty sticker. Cute, nice and simple. I love it.

Party Favors and Prizes: various

Instead of loot bags, I bought 35 pieces of water bottles in Divisoria. Super cheap (32 pesos each lang). Then I went to Makro and bought different candies and goodies to fill up the bottles. Sobrang pinag-agawan ng mga kids.

For the prizes & pinata, my cousin and I went one time to Divisoria and bought a lot of prizes. I originally had a budget but what the heck -- I went overboard as usual. But I guess the kids loved it. At least all kids had a prize to take home.

Photographer c/o Jon Tiambeng:

I decided to skimp on the photo services and just got the help of my old barkada, Jon, who owns a super nice cam. For an amateur (he says he is an amateur), galing and for free! Thanks talaga Jon. I owe you one.

Birthday Outfit:

We weren't planning on buying an outfit for Zoe for her birthday. But on one trip to the mall, we chanced upon a nice red baby gown for her (on sale!). So we immediately grabbed it. We just bought her white stockings and matching red shoes in Landmark. In the end, I also decided to buy her another cotton dress since Zoe won't like to be in an itchy red dress the whole time. Nice! Btw, we got to use this dress again when we went to BUB for her birthday photoshoot. She was in a big yellow shoe in the pic.

I guess that's it. Can't remember the rest. Basta, for me and hubby, it was a successful party. Plus we loved the gifts that Zoe received! Thanks to our guests - family, relatives and friends. Till the next birthday party!

For more pics, pls. feel free to view our online album.




Thanks for reading!