Journey of a Novice Mom: Planning a 7th Birthday Party

Two months before the set date I started planning for my daughter's 7th birthday. I made a checklist and during my free time I completed each task.  It is an option to hire someone to organize the party, but I decided to just do it myself,  hiring a coordinator means that my approval as the client is still needed --- it simply means I also need to allot time in organizing the party, so I might as well handle it myself.

Another alternative that I considered is getting a party package. Usually party packages are good for 70 adults and 30 kids. However, we are not sure if we will be able to have that much guest on that day, so again we decided to just do the planning ourselves. 

           Here the things that I listed for the party and how I completed each task:

1. Party Theme, Invitation and Guest List

Listing guests and deciding the mode of invitation is the first task. It is also where we conceptualize the theme for the party. For the theme, we considered the following: My Little Pony, Sophia the First and Frozen. We decided to go for Frozen Fever with the prediction that it will again be a hit once Disney launches the sequel of the movie. Also, Rhian watched the movie every single day when she was still 5 years old. So I guess for her 7th, this theme will make her remember a lot of her childhood memories.

For the guest list, I divided the task among the three of us: Hubby, Rhian and Me. Each of us listed the people that we are planning to invite for the party. After that, we counted the tentative number of guests. I had a hard time completing my guests list. In the end, I considered more of what my daughter's need for her party rather than what I wanted for the party. After weeks of pondering, even with a heavy heart (hoping di magtampo ang iba kung relatives) -- I decided to set aside my wants to let my daughter have more details for her party. 

As for my husband, I also gave him the freedom to make his own guest list.  Actually 70% of the listed guests were from him. J

For the invitation, we created an event via FB and for Rhian's playmates, Rhian and I made a lollipop invitation, we named the party Frozen Candy Party.  We also asked for confirmation to make sure each of our guest are accommodated well on the day of the party. We planned to reserve seats for each guest. We also wanted our guest to bond on the day of the party, so we wanted to make sure they get their own personal space on that day. J

We were also planning to add Rhian’s classmates, friends and teachers from her school. But we decided not to, since our place is quite far from her school, not all of her classmates may be able to come. As an alternative we bought food from Jollibee. The school celebration was a blast as well. :) 

Lollipop Invitation

Materials:

Shimmering Cardboard Paper (cut into round shapes)

Colored Popsicles

Printed Invitation (Round) 

Glue Gun

Scissors

Ribbons

 1. Cut out the printed invitations. Paste it in the round cardboard paper.

 2. Paste the assembled invitation cutouts in the popsicle sticks.

 3. Finish it off with a ribbon. 

2. Caterer (Food)

All of our party suppliers were checked and researched online. It is the most efficient way for me, since I only do the planning during work break. For the caterer I initially considered the location, online feedbacks and offered packages.

I was drawn to caterer that provide accurate and complete information online, that is why our top choice is Kubiertos. You can view their portfolio and packages from this website:  http://www.kubiertoscatering.com.

I also contacted other caterer’s and asked for their packages. I was actually looking for something similar to what Kubiertos is offering so that I could make a competitive decision. In the end though, we came into a conclusion that it was Kubiertos who offered the best birthday package.

We also thought of getting Blue Petals again for this event, they were our caterer for my daughter's Christening. Our experience with Blue Petals before was good and the food was definitely excellent so we definitely considered them again for my daughter’s 7^th birthday. However, we need a package that would include decorations and styling, so we had chosen Kubiertos instead of Blue Petals.

It was a good and safe decision to choose Kubiertos since their package can already make a birthday celebration run on its own. As much as possible we would like to have a one stop shop for the party so that we can minimize the hassle in coordinating with potential suppliers.

We were planning to avail of Kubiertos' Worry-Free Package, but we already have some of the elements listed on the package like the sound system and cupcakes. Also, my daughter would like to have face painting as one of her pre-program activities. My husband on the other hand prefers to avail of a full magnetic photo booth package.  On top of that we might only have a few guest for the party. It is a good thing Kubiertos offers packages that will suite most of their client’s needs. 

Our experience as well with  Ms. Imelda of Kubiertos and staff is very pleasant. When we booked for the event the staff  who assisted us was very  accommodating. They also made several suggestions in the planning of the party. From the booking until the event is completed, everything went well.

As for the food, it was good according to my husband, Rhian and guests who voluntarily complemented the food.  The crowds favorite is the Grilled Blue Marlin and Lasagna. Overall the food taste good.

Adult Menu

Steamed rice

Lasagna

Chicken cordon bleu

Grilled Blue Marlin

Beef with mushroom in white sauce

Fruit Salad

Ice Tea and Water

Kiddie Menu

Spaghetti

Fried Chicken

Hotdog on Stick

Banana Cake

Zesto Orange Juice

3. Chocolate Fountain

Our booking with Kubiertos comes with a free Chocolate Fountain with dips. They give freebies if you reach a certain amount. I actually did not find this offer from other caterers. Usually decorations and chocolate fountains are charged separately. With Kubiertos though you can have it for free and they give an option for the client to add additional dips.

We are actually planning to convert it into a dessert buffet by purchasing some cakes as an add-on to the sweet buffet, but due to lack of time we are unable to do so. Aside from the dips from Kubiertos, we added some store bought cookies, cupcakes from Chef Roce and Cotton Candy from Sweet Clouds.  Also, we made a cute background for the sweet buffet to add more details to the party. 

Dessert Buffet Backdrop

Materials:

Green and Yellow Cartolina

Printed Snowgies, Anna and Elsa

Styrofoam Board

Glue Gun

Scissors

1. Make paper rosettes. You may check this link for the tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYBLhhC018s.

2. Assemble the paper rosettes in styrofoam board.

3. Paste the character cutouts in a styrofoam board (you may skip this task)

4. Add the character cutouts in the backdrop. 

Dessert Buffer Backdrop (Rhian and Mom)

Dips (Kubiertos), Cotton Candy (Sweet Clouds) and Cupcakes (Chef Roce)

4. Cake and Cupcakes

It would definitely be a nice to look at a fondant customized cake, however it is a big risk to order customized cake online. I checked reviews online and there are a lot of crazy experiences in ordering cakes via FB and online suppliers. Some clients ended up running to Red Ribbon and Goldilocks to get birthday cakes. Event suppliers themselves have admitted that they as well had nightmares dealing with clients and not being able to meet expectations.

We also had an experience before when we ordered a cake for my daughter's 1st birthday. We ordered it from Cindy's a day before (it was the nearest bakeshop available near our home at that time), and on the day of the birthday, they forgot to have the cake delivered to their shop. It was crazy. We had to wait for it, and fortunately they are able to rush it and they gave us balloons as freebies, but still it is quite stressful to go thru such ordeal.

That’s why instead of getting a fondant cake, we decided to get Goldilocks Marble Duo Cake, since it matches the theme of the party, we just need to add more yellow daises. J

In case a fondant cake is a must, I think it would be best to order cakes from a supplier who is recommended by a friend. In my daughter's 5th birthday we ordered a cake from Ms. Maria, my husband’s office colleague -- Rhian was so happy to see the whole Frozen cast on the cake. :). We would like to order the birthday cake from Ms. Maria, but we seem to miss the taste of cakes from Goldilocks or Red Ribbon. J

As predicted we bought the cake home after the party, so it was indeed a wise decision to get a cake from Goldilocks as it is something that Rhian would want to eat for a week after the party.

To compensate for the aesthetic factor of the fondant cake. We decided to make a cupcake stand that would look like a cake. For the cupcakes we got it from Chef Roce (09329423785). We provided the design for the cupcake -- chocolate flavored with a simple bluish green icing on top. As expected, it was so good -- Rhian hid 3 boxes in the fridge. It is indeed best to order form a certified baker/chef. 

Cupcake Stand

Materials:

Flexible Cardboard

Green Cartolina

White Round Paper

Sunflowers, refer to this link for the instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otBun4sP1vM

Number 7 cut out

Ribbons

1. Cut the cardboard (5 inches in width, length depends on the diameter of the cake).

2. Make two circles (1 large circle for the base of the cake and a smaller one for the second layer.)

3. Cover the rectangular and circular cardboards with cartolina or decorative paper.

4. Assemble it using a glue gun.

5. Decorate it using the white round paper, ribbons and sunflowers.

6. Glue the number 7 on top of the cake.

5. Pre-Program Activities (Mini Game Booths, Face Painting and Photo Booth)

It is a given fact that we need to allot an hour before the party starts, so we decided to create activities for Early Birds especially for the kids. One of the things that I found online are Game/Party Booths for rent, the price ranges for about 1000 pesos and up. For huge parties it is one of the best way to entertain kids before the program starts. Other options are supersized board games which are also perfect for adults.

 For us though, we decided to skip it as we are expecting more or less 35 kids (in the actual party there were only about 15-20 kids). As an alternative we made two booth games (Rhian and myself conceptualized it). We checked online for some ideas and we adapted Pick-a-Pop and Pick-a-Prize. It is also a way to make sure all kids gets to win a prize. It is a game of luck -- so even babies can win. :)

Aside from that we got a party entertainer package with a face painter. Ms. Charlene from Scarlet Clown Magica was the face painter for the party. I think all kids and tweens lined up for it, I think it is one of the most loved activity in the party.

We also prepared name tags and a Sven’s carrot with activity maps and game tickets and that is to keep kids busy before the program. Other than that we prepared some special awards for early birds and another one for a trivia game. We decided to exclude it in the end, since not all of our guest were able to make it on that day. 

Pick-a-Pop: For the tutorial you may check the following link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKgOcDnABM

Pick-a-Prize: We made a giant dice and each number allows a person to pick a prize 

 Game Tickets and Activity Map: We searched for a design online, made a few modifications then we printed it out.

Name Tags and Sven's Carrot: We printed the name tags in advance to save time and made some Sven's carrots to organize the tickets and activity maps.

Face Painting (Scarlet Clown Magica) and Photo Booth (Xpressions Photobooth): And a few more things that the kids and adults enjoyed before the program started.

6. Program (Games, Magic Show and Balloon Twisting)

                Scouting for the right party entertainers is probably the hardest part in the checklist.  Just like the rest of our suppliers, I checked on the feedbacks posted for each supplier. Among them the one with a clean record is Scarlet Clown Magica. Fortunately we made the right choice, they fulfilled our booking and made the kids and adults happy on the day of the party.  You may contact them thru their FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/Scarlet-Clown-Magicia-Party-Needs-264441580613610/?fref=ts.

7. Prizes

Unfortunately I do not have the time to go to Divisoria to shop for prizes, however, just a few steps from our place is Merit's display center. Rhian and I always visits the place to buy school supplies and other kiddie stuff. The prices for items are less than what is being sold at malls and bookstores but it is still definitely of good quality. Just to give an idea we are able to buy 20 pcs. of pencil cases for just 5 pesos each. Sometimes they even sell it for 3 pesos. :). For the other items, the prize ranges from 5-10 pesos only.

To match the theme we covered the prices in yellow and green Japanese papers. We also made a box and decorated it with the Wandering Oaken Post and Sauna printout.

                                             Prizes: Bought from Merit Display Center

8. Decorations

Kubiertos did the stage swagging and the balloons. It is actually included in the party package (part of the freebies). The balloons were actually made on site-- it was pretty amazing how they completed it with efficiency.

As for the letter standees and flowers, we just made it ourselves. I was planning to buy letter standees online, cost only ranges for only about 250-350 per letter (2 feet) -- however, it would be a problem to store the standee after the party -- we are planning to just throw it after the party. So instead of buying a letter standee we just relied on our creativity. We only spent around 200 pesos for the 5 letters, it is not that heartbreaking to throw it afterwards. J

Initially we wanted to get a styrofoam backdrop for the party. Price ranges from 4000-12000 pesos. Another option is to have a styrofoam backdrop customized for about 3500 pesos. We decided to just go for stage swagging as it would really be a waste to spend that much for decorations. I just decided to save it up for Rhian. J

However, if you want to a styrofoam backdrop, Kubiertos also offers it as an add-on. Alternatively, it would be more convenient to go for the worry free package from Kubiertos -- it is an all-in package -- venue styling with styrofoam backdrop is already included. J

Letter Standees: Refer to this link for the tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-WcL3Y-KFM

Giant Flowers: Refer to this link for the tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDPoiHTK7v4

9. Souvenirs and Loot bags

I made the loot bags and I was planning to order some tool caddy for the kids, but my husband told me to skip the tool caddy. I actually insisted, and it turns out that his decision was correct. I wanted to order 35 tool caddy and only 15 kids arrived during the party. Whoa! if I continued the order I will definitely have too many extra tool caddy to keep. :)

Lootbags: Refer to this link for the tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TuSN6YeoYg&t=527s

Also, we ordered from Sweet Clouds Cotton Candy. They can actually customize the packaging if orders are 100 and up. We ordered less than that and customized it using printout. We had it for her 7^th party at home and at school. Kids love it!

Sweer Clouds Cotton Candy FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/swtcloudscottoncandy/?fref=ts

10. Photo Booth and Photographer

Xpressions Photobooth is our supplier for the photographer and photo booth. As I checked online, I think they offer the best rate. For magnetic photos, it only cost around 3200 for two hours (unlimited).  Xpressions Photobooth also do not charge for transportation cost.

We also hired a photographer from them as it would not be possible for us to take pictures during the party. I think they also offer the most competitive price for Photo Coverage.

Overall, our experience with Xpressions Photobooth is a blast. They also have good feedbacks online. Aside from that they have a website and FB page where you can view the packages and their portfolio:http://www.xpressionsphotobooth.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Xpressionsphotobooth/?fref=ts  

Photo Booth Layout by Xpressions Photobooth

11. Venue

We held the party at the Solano Hills Clubhouse. The only problem is that admin forgot to indicate the right date for our event and the venue was not prepared hours before 2:00 PM. It was good that we went to the place around 11:00 AM, so we are able to advise that the event date was actually on that day. Also, it was not a big thing to worry about since the maintenance staff were very alert --they were able to prepare the venue by 2:00 PM.

Also, the venue comes with a sound system for only an additional amount of 500 pesos. I think this is not possible if we are to rent the sound system from another supplier.

The amount that we paid for the rental of the place is reasonable if it is to be compared with other party venues. Also, the whole staff is very friendly and it is just a few steps away from our home. The place is also air-conditioned – a very important factor to ensure that guests are comfortable during the party.

Visit this site for more pictures: http://www.hedronphilippines.com/solano-hills-clubhouse/

12. Celebrant’s OOTD and more

                For my daughter’s gown on that day, we have it made by Joy’s Dress Shop in Alabang. It was the dress shop that we went to for our wedding day, for Rhian’s dress when she was invited to be one of the flower girls in her ninang’s wedding and her costume for the Reader’s League at school.

                For her make-up and hair style, it was done by my sister from another mother – Ate Vi. To complete the look and to make sure her hair is not a mess on her big day, we bought a flower crown from SM accessories.

I hope my shared experience will be of great help for mom’s who are planning to organize their kids party on their own. I guess the thing that I missed on the list is “myself”.  J I honestly deprived myself to look my best on that day since I need to make sure I am able to attend to all my responsibilities before myself. It was exhausting, I guess that part should also be included in the list. Mommy’s “Me” time. J

Here are the list of suppliers for Rhian's 7th Birthday, you may contact them directly, since this review is solely based on the service rendered during the event. :)