Sabine's 7th (Rating) : For Keeps Photography

Other than food, this is the one thing I won't compromise. There is no way it's going to work if you ask a family member or a friend to do it for free or as pakiusap. Of course they're going to agree to doing it. But the output will be a story you don't want to be looking at. Trust me, I've done it before. You have to pay for the service to get the kind of output you expect. In my case, I want a photographer to be : hardworking, creative and on a personal level, very easy to deal with. 

I honestly didn't know where to start when I was looking for one. I was afraid someone might recommend a really expensive photographer or outfit. I've seen what the rates are like these days and even those for kiddie parties make me dizzy! Whaaaaaaat??? 35k for a 7th birthday package??? I won't mention the photographer's name but I've seen his work and he's good. I'm just not in a position to shell out that much just for photography. I don't think that kind of fee will ever sit well with me hihi!

Anyway, I came across FOR KEEPS in old reliable GirlTalk, where I spent many many years posting my opinon, advice and making friends. There's an entire board that's dedicated to topics pertaining to kiddie parties. I clicked on the Photo and Video thread and the rest is history.

It was Jet Lamosa who responded to my text -- very promptly, I was impressed from the start. We exchanged a couple of messages and in no time, I received a detailed emailed proposal from him. Even more impressed! Basically, all it took was a few email messages and we were all set. My gut feel talaga is always so spot on. I felt comfortable even if we were communicating only via texts and emails.

There are sooooo many photos from the party and I had a hard time choosing the best ones to showcase in this post. Here you go!

Venue styling and set-up

People shots 

More people shots

My favorite of them all ... the candid shots!

Jet is hardworking. He was all over the place! Mind you, he covered Sabine's party alone. Just look at these outdoor shots.

For your appreciation, here are the package inclusions:

Maximum 4 hours coverage

50 pcs 5R size matte finish prints

6 x 8 photo book

All photos in large digital format stored in DVD/CD medium as proof

Free editing of photos

Free delivery via courier

All for the very reasonable price of Php 3,500. The main perk though is that Jet was so easy to talk to. No fuss, no headaches. I'm so happy with our over-all experience with Jet of FOR KEEPS.

If you wish to contact and book them (please do, you won't regret it!) : 

For Keeps on Facebook

Thank you, FOR KEEPS and Jet, for all these wonderful photos! 

Sabine's 7th (Rating) : Verleo Catering

First time to get Verleo to cater, but I've been to parties they've catered, heard and read many good reviews about their food and service. So when Olive of Let's Party said this was the caterer she was going for (rate included in Let's Party's package), I immediately told her I was all for it. 

The Menu

Fried Rice

Pasta Carbonara

Garlic Fried Chicken

Buttered Vegetables

Fish Fillet w/ Lemon Butter Sauce

The famous Verleo Mango Crepe! 

They also provided the tulle ribbons for the chairs, of course. See photos here. 

I didn't choose a separate buffet selection for the kids anymore and it's a good thing I did that, because we would have a problem with the space otherwise. Besides, Verleo is good. It doesn't really matter how many menus you go for. 

Like I said, I didn't talk to Verleo directly. It was Let's Party who dealt with them for me, because the caterer was part of Let's Party's package. But you can always go to their website to look at their menus and inquire about their rates. 

Rating : 4 stars! Food is always soooooo important in any party. You don't want people remembering that you served yucky food, do you? I'm so OC about that!

P.S.

This is what happens at my kids' parties ... I don't get to eat. This time though, I had a few bites of the Pasta Carbonara and the Fish Fillet w/ Lemon Butter Sauce --- nom nom nom! I also HAD to have the Mango Crepe, of course. Still a winner after all these years!

Sabine's 7th (Rating) : Dessert Station by Design Avenue

I looked high and low for someone to do the dessert station for the party. I went through forums and reviews and managed to note down a few suppliers. In all fairness to these suppliers, their rates were good enough to consider. But the reason I went with Kris Pestanas-Lopez of Design Avenue is that she's Olive Q.'s (owner of Let's Party) sister. This was a no-brainer! Getting a sister tandem made a lot of sense to me. They've been working on parties together and can read each other's minds. 

I didn't meet Kris until the day of the party itself. I talked to Olive the whole time and Olive took charge of relaying all my requests to Kris. Despite this odd arrangement, everything went so well. 

The dessert station was the party's main attraction. I know because I can't remember how many of the guests complimented the set-up and asked me who did it. 

Mini cupcakes, macarons, meringue, eclairs, mallow pops, cream puffs, assorted candies and gummies PLUS the simple yet flirty, ruffled birthday cake. These are what Kris included in the package, other than the lovely styling. 

Details details details ... I can't stress enough how important details are --- in anything! It's the details that make a huge difference. 

Everything looked so pretty. So perfect. 

The station was a photographer's dream. That's why Jet Lamosa of For Keeps (official photog who's going to get his own spanking review later!) was able to churn out all these lovely photos of the table and everything on it. I joked Kris about having to keep an eye out for all the accessories which party guests might think are for taking home with them hihihi!

Unfortunately for me, other than the birthday cake which I had a slice of, I didn't get to taste any of it. It was enough to know though, that way before the party ended, the set up was totally devoid of food hahaha. The kids raided it even before they went to the main buffet set-up by Verleo. The table looked like a typhoon had swept through it. In fact, that OC 2nd person who lives somewhere inside this body wanted to clean things up immediately after the last kid left the area. Don't worry, I walked away and let Kris and Olive do their thing. I didn't want to be that client from h*ll. :))

It's been 4 days since the day of the party and I still haven't stopped staring at these photos. I wish I had the creative knack to go into a business as creative as this. Kris is super talented and super hands on! 

Rating : 4 stars for Kris and her staff for being so involved in everything

Rate : My lips are sealed hehe! (ask me in private if you wish)

Contact Kris Pestanas-Lopez of Design Avenue via their Facebook page

www.facebook.com/kdesignavenue

Sabine's 7th (Ratings) : Venue and Venue Styling

I can finally start writing my supplier reviews and share my ratings. First of all, it's never easy to plan and organize a party, more so if it's as special as the one we just had. 

Because I planned the party sometime end of February, giving me only about 2 months to do everything, we had a difficult time securing a suitable venue. It's a good thing Olive Quiroga of Let's Party (who was my official party planner), suggested the Arcadia Subdivision Clubhouse. Arcadia is the really low-key village beside Corinthian Gardens on Ortigas Avenue. Although it was Olive who booked the venue for me, I was able to meet and talk briefly to their Admin person, Vicky, during my ocular inspection. She was accommodating, pleasant and reassuring. Staff were also present during the party to help out.

The kids were able to access the playground area on the side, which made all of them so happy. Our official photographer was able to run after them and take many outdoor shots. 

We had approximately 130 guests and we all fit comfortably (not elbow to elbow) in the venue. The place wasn't THAT big, so it really looked like soooo many people came to celebrate with us. 

Olive really kept her word on the decorations we talked about and agreed on. The colors I wanted were all there, the backdrop was HUGE, not "tinipid" like many others I've seen. The backdrop occupied the entire wall behind the stage area. 

I know that the backdrop was a hit because many of our guests had their photos taken there repeatedly. Even the requisite group family/friends photos - which I make sure we have during my kids' parties -  were shot in that specific area.

This is the 2nd part of the venue, an adjacent room for more guests. This room leads directly to the pool area (which is not part of the rental fee). 

On to the venue styling c/o Let's Party. Olive Q. was introduced to me by Nikka. Apparently, they're very good friends and Olive has done all of Nikka's kids' parties so far. I've never met a party planner I didn't like, but Olive is so far the nicest of them all. I chose a FRENCH PATISSERIE theme, instead of the usual character-centered one.

The venue (as you can see in the photos) ended up being well-dressed without looking over the top. While it's nice to be all-out when it comes to decorations, I really would rather have it this way. Sometimes it just becomes too much to take in and absorb, you end up not appreciating it so much.

Eeeeep! I almost forgot about the centerpiece! Because the theme was French Patisserie, the teapot and tea cup centerpiece was the perfect choice.

And now the ratings (drum roll please?) : 

Venue - Arcadia Subdivision Clubhouse : 4 stars (no such thing as perfect kasi hihihi)
Rental fee : 10k plus 5k security deposit (refundable)

Venue Styling and Decor - Olive Quiroga of Let's Party : 4 stars
Rate : My lips are sealed :) 

Contact details for those who are interested (and I highly recommend that you consider them):

Venue - to follow later, because Olive was the one who took care of this for me

You can visit Let's Party's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/letsparty or contact Olive at 0917 8298428 or email address letsparty8@gmail.com

Been busy!

As you all know, we held Sabine's 7th birthday party last Sunday. It was a huge success, despite the very small window I had to prepare for it. I have so much to be thankful for! I promised to do supplier reviews here and I still will. I just want to wait for the official pictures to come in so I can use them for the entries. But just to give you all a tiny peek, here are a few that the photographer shared to me yesterday, to get me excited : 

I really have tons to write about! I was praying that nothing would go wrong with any of the suppliers so that I wouldn't have to be painfully honest and my prayers were heard. We were happy with everyone! 

The party keeps playing in my mind like a movie and I have a hangover to this day. Our guests told me they had so much fun. Not bad for something that was put together in more or less 2 months! But the most important thing? The celebrant couldn't stop talking about how much she enjoyed. 

That was all I needed to hear! 

Watch out for the reviews soon!

Sabine's 7th : The Cake

When I decided on the French Patisserie theme, I immediately started looking for ideas for the cake. At this point, I still didn't know that my party planner's sister is in the dessert station business. I was ready to go to a cake supplier to have the cake and matching themed cupcakes made. 

On the internet, I found several options in blue and pink, which are our main colors for the theme. I saved photos for future reference. One of the designs that really caught my fancy is this. I've never seen a ruffled cake before. 

Minus the roses. I wanted it plain with the wordings on buntings just like this one.

Soooooooo cute!!! 

Well guess what? When I started to play around with the idea of having a dessert station, Olive of Let's Party (my party planner) told me that this was her sister's business. Rather than having to deal with someone I don't know, I trusted my gut and went with her. When it was time to discuss the cake (everything was done via email), it's like these girls read my mind because the cake that they thought of recommending to me was the ruffled one I had in mind all along! That moment deserved a huge, loud high five! This sister tandem has been working overtime to prepare for Sabine's 7th and I can't be more thankful that I was introduced to them. 

Something tells me I'm in for a wonderful surprise tomorrow when I see it along with the entire set-up. I don't know who's more excited, me or the birthday girl! 

Sabine's 7th : Other Printed Matters

Just 2 more sleeps before the party. The birthday girl's excitement is building up. Last night, she jumped  up and down and danced around when I reminded her about Sunday. I'm wrapping up discussions with my party planner today, and making sure everything is all set for the big day. I want Saturday to be steady and relaxed (meaning, it will be mani-pedi-footspa day!) so I can wake up fresh and excited the next day. 

Other than the invitation, I also asked Trisha of Paper Treats to do these for me: 

Sticker Labels for the loot bags

Buntings for the Dessert Station

Menu Cards for the main buffet set-up and the Dessert Station

Other details : 

Loot bags - I didn't have to worry about them or their contents because the person providing the Dessert Station included these in her package. The kids (and most likely, some of the grown-ups) will be allowed to choose their take away loot and pack them in their own bags. Anissa says it's a really cool idea and her friends will surely jump at the chance. These are 16-17 year olds we're talking about haha!

Game Prizes - There should be no doubt about where to get these. I went to Divisoria recently after 2 long years and found myself in wholesale heaven yet again. Although the traffic going there and going home was awful, it was absolutely hassle-free the moment I arrived. I got off at Lucky Chinatown Mall (upon the advice of a lot of people) and asked the driver to just park there and wait for me. The short walk from the mall's back entrance/exit to 168 Mall was a relief. I was afraid I'd have to walk in the heat for a while but I didn't. I left around 3 hours later with way more than what the party planner told me to get hihihi. It's that easy to get carried away in that place. 

Everything else - the styling and decorations, caterer (I can't go wrong with Verleo, can I?), entertainment (Jive --- so excited to have them!) - is included in the party planner's package.

By the way, I haven't disclosed who my party planner is pala! She's heaven sent and I'm going to write a separate supplier review. Her business is called Let's Party. If you're curious, check her out here. Olive is so nice and we hit it off right away. Her sister, Kris, owns Design Avenue and will do the dessert station (styling included). Both girls are so excited to execute their ideas on Sunday. I have to stop talking about them now. They deserve a more detailed entry of their own. Same goes for Paper Treats!

Well, I guess that's it for now. For now??? I'm hoping I've covered everything and on Sunday, all I have to do is show up and give our little girl and our guests a great time. It's going to be a super happy day and I'm sure of it!