But party planning need not be perceived as like treading some alien territory. To get one started, here are some steps and tips that I want to share, based on my personal experience sa paghahanda sa taunang selebrasyon ng kaarawan ng aking chikiting.
Set the date. If your child’s birthday falls on a school day, decide whether to hold the party on the day itself, or on the weekend nearest to her birthday. Inquire from your child’s school about their policies on birthday parties. When my daughter was in Kinder, we booked a resto-café for a Saturday party. But this year, we’d be celebrating it inside the classroom.
Try to check, too, if another classmate is celebrating on the same day. Maaring pagsabayin na lang ang party (pwedeng hati rin sa gastos), or move yours to another date.
Book a venue. In my experience, pinakamadali nang mag-party sa mga kilalang food chains tulad ng Jollibee at Shakey’s dahil sa proximity nito sa karamihan at dahil gamay na gamay na sila pagdating sa birthday packages.
Sakaling nais ninyo o ng inyong anak na sa class hours ganapin ang pagsasalo, do not expect to be given ample time for the party. In my daughter’s school, only the last 30 minutes is being allotted to parties.
Other suggestions for party venues are mall-based such as Tom’s World, resto-cafés with enough space for kiddie games, clubhouse ng inyong village kung saan may kiddie pool for swimming, o di kaya’y sa sarili ninyong bakuran. Dahil malapit lamang ang Stacy’s Mark Café (now Café Lounge in Village East Cainta) sa amin, dito namin ginanap ang Hi-5 themed party ng aming prinsesa.
Factors to consider are the cost of venue rental, proximity to guests, space, accredited caterers, membership policies, among others.
Food and Beverages. Kung sa Jollibee ang inyong napiling party, kailangan lamang pumili sa kanilang menu at sila na ang bahala dito. They’d even customize food combinations according to your budget. Otherwise, you will need to research for caterers, check their price/pax, schedule a food tasting. Para sa akin, isa ito sa pinakamahalagang bahagi ng party planning dahil kung hindi masarap ang pagkain ng mga bisita, kahit anong ganda ng dekorasyon ng venue, ay mababale-wala kung ang babauning alaala ng mga guests ay ang malabsang pasta, matigas na barbecue at hilaw na kanin.
Siguraduhin din na overflowing ang drinks. May napuntahan akong party noon na tipid na tipid ang iced tea at tubig kahit ang usapan sa caterer ay “unlimited drinks.” May mga waiter din na ilang beses nang humingi ng softdrinks ang guests ay nandededma lamang hangga’t matuyuan na sa pagkauhaw ang mga bisita.
The easiest way to come up with a shortlist of caterers is through friends and online reviews. I used to write supplier ratings and post them online dahil alam kong makakatulong ito sa mga susunod na maghahanda para sa kani-kanilang parties.
Maaring nais ninyo ring magdagdag ng food booths like tacos, fries, scramble, milk tea, coffee, mixed balls (fish balls, squid balls at kikiam), ice cream, churros. Most food booths serve a minimum of 100 servings. Also, you might want to speak to the venue manager regarding their policy sa on location cooking, tulad ng sa French fries, hotdogs at mixed balls.
Invites. Kung marunong ka o isang kakilala na mag-layout, I’d suggest you do the lay-out of the invite and just have them printed. Most invitation suppliers charge a lay-out fee na maari namang libre kung miyembro ng pamilya mo na lang ang gagawa nito. For the past three years, I just contact a mommy-friend of mine na ang hobby ay mag-lay out at magprint ng invitations. I save on shipping cost dahil malapit lang ang bahay niya, at di-hamak na mas mura ang charge niya for printing.
Kung type ninyo ang more creative invitations, may mga pop-up designs, o di-kaya’y 3d tulad ng paper dollhouses, pamaypay at iba pa.
Photographer/Videographer. I always say that if there’s one supplier you should invest in, it should be the one who’s in charge of preserving the memories of the day. May ilang nagha-hire ng back-up photographer dahil sa mga horror stories na nababalitaan na kesyo nawala ng photographer ang lahat ng litrato nuong kasal nila, o na-corrupt ang video file nuong first birthday ng anak niya. If you can, ask the photographer to give you a copy of the photos (in USB) by the end of the party, even before he goes home to do the lay-out for the album.
To this day, one of the wedding suppliers we will never regret striking a deal with was our main photo/video Paul Vincent of www.paulvincentphoto.com. He was so easy to deal with, very professional, got to the venue on time and was amazingly talented and attentive to details.
Another tip, if you’re on a tight budget, you may just hire a photographer for “labor only.” Mas makakamura ka sa ganitong set-up dahil maaring ikaw na ang bahala sa lay-outing and printing ng mga litratong napili mo. Sa ganitong deal, the photographer just saves the unlimited photos in DVD. For my daughter’s Jollibee party, my friend Mike Villar of www.facebook.com/ToothFairy Productions made the memories last through his unlimited shots and nicely-edited video.
Siguro ay maari ka ring mag-assign ng isang family member o kaibigan na shutter-happy na kung maari ay damihan ang kinukunang litrato at/o videos.
Venue Styling. Ito ang mga dekorasyon sa venue, at nagdedepende sa theme na gusto mo at ng anak mo. For my daughter’s first birthday, the theme was “active fun” kaya naman may mga inflatables, slides, plastic balloons, a small billiards table at foosball for the adult guests. Dahil very colorful na ang mga cushioned walls and drapes sa venue (bouncepartiesinc.com), I just had white balloons added on the ceilings.
My daughter’s 5th party theme was inspired by the Australia-based children’s show, Hi-5 so we had Hi-5 styrofoams all over the place created by another friend of mine, Jacque Tan of PARTY BOOSTERS (they have a facebook page), a Hi-5 cake made by Jacque’s sister in law; thank you tags and name plates I did myself that are, of course, hand-shaped.
Isa sa mga memorable parties we’ve been to was this Finding Nemo-themed party. The color orange was everywhere, the centerpieces were like mini aquariums, and styro seaweeds welcome the guests at the entrance.
Try to veer away from the common themes like Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse and try themes like dinosaurs, pirates, Dr. Seuss, or Mad Hatter tea party. Yun nga lang, the less common the theme, the more difficult it is to find ready to use décor and give-aways in the malls or even in Divisoria. Dito papasok ang mga party organizers, event stylists, suppliers who customize, o kaya ang mag-DIY na lamang.
Cake. What is a birthday party without the birthday cake. Others opt for cupcake tower aside from the cake, while some parties we’ve been to have let go of the traditional cake. Maari, tatanungin ninyo, saan nilalagay ang candle for blowing kung walang cake? Uso na ngayon ang giant cupcake! Yep, hugis cupcake ito pero sing-laki at sing-tangkad ng isang two to three-layer cake!
At dahil karamihan sa mga Pinoy ang mahilig magpa-picture sa harap o tabi ng cake, it would be nice to make sure your child’s cake is pictorial-worthy.
Give-Aways/Loot Bags. This is my favorite part of any party – whether it be baptism, birthday, or even a wedding reception. I like souvenirs and I like preparing loot bags. Pero karamihan sa mga lootbags na naiuuwi mula sa children’s party nowadays contain hard candies, lollipops, chocolates, chips and marshmallows. I must admit, inuunahan ko ang anak ko kapag nakakakuha siya ng ganito dahil tinatago ko agad ang mga laman at nagtitira lamang ako ng ilang piraso. Kung may mga stickers, erasers o crayons sa lootbags, ito lamang ang tinitira ko. Aside from nakakawala ng appetite sa pagkain ang sweets at chips, alam naman nating unhealthy ang mga ito.
I suggest fill the goody bags with school supplies, coloring books, notepads, arts and crafts materials or healthy treats like trail mix, raisins, small packs of cereals, dried fruits.
May mga party na rin ngayon na may craft-making before or during the program. Sa kasong ito, maaring ang mga crafts na ginawa ng mga bata ay iuwi na nila at ito na ang magsisilbing souvenirs nila. Examples are cupcake making, apron designing, tote bag painting, ceramic painting at bead bracelet designing.
Iba pang suggestions for give-aways are personalized pillows, shirts, o di kaya’y bean bags, umbrellas, stuffed toys, among others.
Entertainment. Common inclusions are the party host (to act as game master), mascot and magician. Popular forms of entertainment are the bubble show, ventriloquist and balloon twisting. Nice additions are the Kiddie salon, photo booth, piñata, at face painting.
Take note that not all kids, especially those who are 2 years old and below are happy at the sight of mascots. Try to limit the appearance and performance of the mascot to 30 minutes max. Jollibee parties include Jollibee’s dance number and a short chika-chika with the guests, amounting to half an hour.
Outfit. Syempre, ang celebrant, ano ang isusuot? Even if we are tempted to doll her up in a bonggang gown, kung ayaw naman niyang suotin dahil nangangati siya, sayang lang ang pinambayad mo sa pagpapatahi nito. I suggest let her wear something comfortable, something made of cotton. Or if you must really have her wear a gown or a costume, let her try wearing it and playing with it a few days before the event.
Take into consideration din ang venue. Kung malamig ang aircon sa venue, iwasan ang mga sleeveless at outfits na bukas na bukas sa likod. Kung outdoors naman and you expect a lot of sunshine, iwasan ang mga layering at makakapal na tela.
Ang mga nabanggit sa itaas ay ang mga basic na kailangan sa isang pagsasalu-salo. But take note na sa influx ng mga party suppliers and party planners ngayon, dumarami na rin ang mga nice-to-haves. But then, hindi mahalaga na bongga ang salo-salong iyong inihanda, ang mas mahalaga ay masaya ang iyong birthday girl o birthday boy sa kung paano idinaos ang napakaespesyal na araw na ito.
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