I've coordinated a few kiddie birthday parties but this is probably one of the grandest we have ever done. It was Kiara Sofia's Strawberry Shortcake-inspired first birthday, the only daughter of my good friend & balloon designer-tie up, Bernadette Arbolante. And when I say, grand, I mean the very word.
Honestly, I am not a fan of green and pink. It has never been my color. But this party was an exception as Adette nailed it perfectly. I just found myself liking the color palette which happens very rarely.
It was my first time to coordinate a Strawberry Shortcake Themed- birthday party. Truthfully, I wasn't aware of Strawberry Shortcake and I only learned about it all from Adette when she disclosed the theme she picked for Kiara.
I had to research a bit as I promised to help her with the planning and suggested a few other suppliers which she eventually liked. When she gave me an idea of how she planned on adorning the place with balloons, I immediately started on the floor plan. I'm happy she liked it.
The party was held at the Grand Ballroom of Antel Grand Village, the very same location I held my daughter's birthday party a few months ago. It was magnificently spacious to hold 200 or more guests, not to mention, the place is already aesthetically pleasing.
I knew right then that it wasn't going to be just an ordinary birthday party. When you have a balloon designer for a mother, you can't expect anything but the best, and I was right about it. Knowing how keen Adette is with details, Aann & I both felt excited with the preps. It was a party not to be missed. (^_^)
The invitations came in next after she had the venue reserved, together with the beautiful costumes which they got, both from two trusted suppliers.
I knew Adette's taste so I had to recommend the best graphic designer to make the 3-dimension pop-ups she had in mind. I was pleased to hear from her that she instantly fell in love with one of their designs, thus, the beautiful invitation she ordered. It had Kiara's picture popping out whenever you open it. She also added a few accents like ribbons and stickers before sending them out a few weeks before the big day.
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| the pop-up invitation... |
The costumes arrived early April. She had to get two costumes, one for the main event and another for change-up. They were both adorable, it did fit her cute baby nicely. From her dress to her shoes and hair accessories, everything was in theme...
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| one of her very cute costumes... |
Kiara had her photoshoot done by Kulay Studios wearing these costumes 3 days before her party. This was one blessed kid, alright. She was very cooperative at the photoshoot, smiling & playing around, as if knowing she was being photographed. Below is a shot of her in her cute costume..
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| the beautiful Strawberry Shortcake Celebrant! |
We had to keep in touch everyday for updates & accomplished tasks, and I found out how she had been keeping herself busy with the candies and give-aways.
I just had to applaud Adette for her hardwork as she diligently wrapped each candy with beautiful pink & green wrappers to match her theme. She also had mini baskets customized for the candy buffet spread...
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yummy strawberry cookies..
who wouldn't want a piece of that? |
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| very much in theme |
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| those candies took time to finish.. |
Even the standees were customized., together with metal frames whichshe used as base for her balloons. The effort was just enormous.
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| one of her many standees |
Adette and I have worked together for quite a few times already so I know how intricately she works with all her balloon projects. She is quite a perfectionist in some sense, and for her little princess' special day, she exhausted all her means to come up with a beautiful & happy party. Just looking at the backdrop and the bountiful array of goodies in front was enough to leave you in awe...
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| the gorgeous candy buffet spread we helped set up... |
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| my favorite among all... |
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| the pastillas lollipops in a fence- basket |
Adette collected ideas on how to make the candy buffet spread so I suggested we use some cake towers for the sweets which I personally adorned with green and pink feathers to give off a soft shabby chic touch.
I gave Kiara some special Pastillas Lollipops which I ordered from a trusted supplier, Rheanor. These we put on white fenced pots to look like sprouting flowers. It was an instant hit! Everyone loved it.
Adette also ordered baskets & stools from a handicraft supplier and the contrast of colors came out perfectly. The giveaways consist of mini stools for the kids and hamsters in pink cute cages. The kids went wild with the hamsters as everyone wanted one.
We placed the kiddie souvenirs on the right side of the stage, near the beautiful strawberry mini house and the kids' tables. The children couldn't seem to wait to get their hands on the cage. Just seeing the cages & stools made every kid giddy with excitement.
The day before the event, I had to squeeze in a little time to polish last minute details such as the guest list and loading all the goodies & souvenirs onto our van, all these while my little one was recuperating from fever. Pretty stressful you could say, but nothing we couldn't handle.
On the morning of the 27th, we went straight to the venue site to start loading & assembling the candy spread. As I walked into the ballroom, I was greeted with an overwhelming strawberry farm literally made out of balloons! It was incredible. The details were just astonishingly accurate. Never had I seen such a bounty in balloons until now. Even the welcome signages were gorgeous...
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| the cake and the candy buffet... |
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| you guessed it right, a pathway filled with balloon bushes on each side... |
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| Strawberry Shortcake at its best... |
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My partner, Aann and I, started working on the candy buffet with such an inspired heart while Adette finished the balloon set up. Seeing all these, we were overwhelmed as we knew this would be another wonderful event added to our portfolio.
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| the candy buffet up close... |
The tables were in theme, just the same with each kiddie tablecloth Adette provided. The aisle was transformed into a pathway with strawberry bushes & trees on either side. Strawberry balloons & anagrams were everywhere. The venue was indeed transformed into a lush strawberry farm, even the table napkins & table centerpieces matched it.
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| strawberries, trees & bushes made of balloons! |
They placed a mini strawberry house at the right side of the stage, with a small garden and life-sized standees of Strawberry Shortcake & friends.
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| the mini strawberry house and garden |
A giant strawberry backdrop served as a wall paper to the beautiful candy spread we set up. On the right side, we placed a few mini stool souvenirs & hamster-cages, and at the opposite side were layers of cupcakes from Sweet Solutions. At the center was the beautiful Strawberry Shortcake-inspired cake with a special cake arch.
The balloon set-up took Adette and her staff three days to finish. Tedious alright, but worth all the hardwork. I personally witnessed how all the guests walked in so amazed with the strawberry farm that greeted them. The food was great and the service was also worthy of note, of course from our trusted tie-up, Ricci Co of Lynagails. They even served strawberries with cream for the appetizer. The party was in theme in every aspect, indeed...
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| the Arbolante Family together with the birthday girl |
Richard Agtarap was also a great host and facilitated the games for the kiddies. It was a spontaneous event which were graced by wonderful guests and friends of the family.
After the giving of souvenirs, we did the the pinata and the balloon burst where the kid-winner got to bring home a pair of white rabbits in a cage. Souvenirs couldn't get any better than that, would you say?
It was a tiring day for all of us but we definitely had a wonderful time especially upon realizing that the party went perfectly as planned . To be a part of something as special and beautifully extravagant as this party is something to be grateful for. Together with my family, I went home with a satisfied heart, a screaming pair of tired feet, and a happy smile, knowing I did something right. It seemed I celebrated my daughter's party for the second time. My heart was soaring high.
It was great working with the Arbolantes... Kiara Sofia's Strawberry Shortcake party will always be one of my favorites... The pictures will explain to you my reason why... =)
Mother's Day became a more meaningful occassion for me since I became a mom myself. Now, more than ever, I understand what it's like to have your own child, the sacrifices most mothers do for their kids ~ all these making me more grateful for having a wonderful mother as well.
I can't imagine life without my mom, and my daughter... I'm in that stage where all realizations have sank in deep. And now, with each decision I make, I always make sure to keep my family's welfare at the very top priority. All my hardwork, I dedicate to them. Becoming a mother has tamed me more than I can imagine. Not that I was a wildchild or anything, it's just that my priorities have changed since I got married and had a kid. I became more selfless, more responsible in my own way. I'd like to think that somehow, I'd be at least half as good as my mom was to me, and maybe as time goes, I could be more...
