Party Planner - To Get or Not to Get? - Here's My Answer

It's not always easy to mount a birthday party. For me, it's always a challenge. I always wanted to DIY our parties, because I thought I'm saving money this way. But experience taught me otherwise.

Here's the back story. For R's first birthday, we did a DIY pool party and it was such a success. Only, we didn't have much photographs and we were dead tired because we decorated the whole place... brought paraphernalia in... And sa ngalan ng pagtitipid, I hosted the party.

Next party we did was a double celebration, S's baptism and R's 5th birthday. We DIYed this again (here's a more detailed kwento - http://www.superwomom.net/2010/07/sunnies-baptism-and-rainies-5th.html). It was also a hit, only, we were super tired. Almost two months after giving birth to S, I was stressing myself with this party. I honestly thought that I would have saved more money if I just hook up with a party planner.

Fast forward to S's birthday. We would be having an 'under the sea party' with yellow and blue as our color motif. And this time, we're getting the services of a party planner.  We already had some of our tasks done.
Date. Check.
Theme. Check.
Guests. Check.

Ramir and I agreed on what to DIY and what to source out from our party planner.

We prepared and/or DIYed the following:


Invitations - message in a bottle
We designed the invite together with the sticker and have these printed and cut in UP Shopping Center. We bought the bottles and cork in Divisoria at 10 pesos each.

Centerpieces - aquarium
We went to Cartimar to look for materials for our centerpieces. We saw an aquarium shop. We inquired and was pleasantly surprised that the small aquariums can go for 3 for 100. We got their number. We ordered through text... paid the downpayment through bank transfer... picked it up a week before the party. The shells were technically free. Ramir and I used to make and sell water fountains and these were remnants of our materials. We bought fishes at 10 pesos each at a nearby pet shop. We put 2 fishes per aquarium. Balloons, fish bottles and tulle were provided by the venue. Additional bubble-like balloons from our party planner.

Lootbags - Pail with goodies
In the beginning, we wanted a brag bag, those canvas bags with a clear plastic were you can insert a photo. But when we inquired about the sewing cost, it was 25 pesos a piece minus the materials. We found this quite steep, that's why we decided to explore other options. Ramir brought me to a plastic depot in Malabon. We're hoping to find a plastic pail that would fit our budget. And we did. With our color motif. It was really a good buy, 23 pesos a piece. We just filled it with seafood-flavored chips, bubble gums and candies.

Tarpaulins, Message Sheets, Name Tags, Gift Tags
We also designed these. The tarpaulins, were printed through my sister in law. We submitted the
frame to our photobooth supplier and the message sheets were printed in UP Shopping Center. 

Prizes - fishing games, water toys, etc.
We chose the ones which were inline with the theme. We sourced these from Divisoria and the plastic depot in Malabon.

Chocolate Fountain
We bought our own chocolate fountain because we feel we would be able to use it more than once. And we're glad we bought one because our simple gatherings were spiced up by this.  Even our relatives borrowed it for their parties. For this party, we just bought some dippers (e.g. choco sticks, marshmallows, etc.), chocolate fountain syrup plus some paper saucers and toothpicks.

There were some suppliers whom we sourced out on our own. Cost was a major consideration. The caveat is we have to individually contact them.  But it was hassle free. No problem there really.

These were the suppliers we individually contacted.

Venue - Pescadores
This is our favorite event venue in Malabon. They're very nice and accommodating. We didn't pay for the venue just the food. The food was good (as always).  They also allowed us to use the whole dining hall even if our reservations wasn't for the whole hall. They gave us free balloons and even encouraged us to bring in powdered tea so we can have unlimited iced tea. There was no corkage for all the food carts and they even set up a separate table for our chocolate fountain.

Photographer - Jikoy Villanueva
He was a suki. He's good and very hardworking. We just got his labor-only package.

Photobooth - Phototoys
This was a hit. They have good props and they're prepared with an applebox for the little ones to stand on so they need not be carried by the adults. The downside is, their photos do fade. After three months, what used to be a clear photo, now looks like an old photograph from ages ago.

Cake - Mitchelle's Sweet Kiss (from Buyanihan)
It was a very timely deal. We wanted a cake with cupcakes but our budget was tight. Good thing this deal came up. In the beginning, I was quite nervous that they wouldn't be able to deliver because they don't answer queries right away. But when the event was about two weeks away, they confirmed our order and our design. The cake and cupcakes were good. The design was not exceptional but I wasn't really expecting much since this was a promo.

Dress - Angie Flores of Malabon
S's dress was from our suking dressmaker. I just showed her the design and she copied it. There's also a matching blouse and skirt for her sister R. The blue headband, I bought from SM. I just sewed the flower to glam it up.

When I discovered about the "powers" of a party planner, i was already on my third, and most probably, last party. Although we were happy with what we've thrown before. This time, we're happiest. We thought, this time it was "sulit." Everything was within our budget, but this time, less the stress.

Apple Cabel of Yanple was "it." She arrived around 12nn to set-up. We're still doing our centerpieces. And the party was at 3pm.  She told us to go home and prepare. And she'll take care of everything. And she did.

These were the ones we got from her.
Host - Ayie
She kept the whole thing going. From start to finish. She also remembered all my habilins. And she can balloon twist too.  I just feel that her program is quite long and she doesn't involve the adults as much. But I feel that if you'll discuss this with her, she'll have no problem executing it.

Food Carts (Ice Cream, Squidballs, Hotdogs, French fries) - These were all hits.

Decors - With our budget, I was worried that there wouldn't be enough.  It wasn't much but I must say we had enough.  The place looked happier.

Bubble Show - It was spot on for our theme and it was a different kind of entertainment for our Malabon kiddos.

Little Tykes - These kept the little ones busy. S's wasn't big enough to join the big kids but she sure had a good time here.

 Face Painter - this too was a hit.  Even the adults lined up for this.

Video - arrived after two weeks. It wasn't the artsy type and the typical flip and tumble edit but it documented the whole thing. This was our first party that has a video.

I can say it was a happy party.  The Rainbow Sisters enjoyed it, which to me was very important.  For all the moms out there who would want to host their own parties, here's my checklist for this party.

Very Important
Date and Time
Theme/Motif
Venue
Number/List of Guests

Printed Materials
Invitations
Stickers
Tarpaulins
Message sheets
Gift Tags
Name Tags

Set-up
Decorations
- stage
- tables (centerpieces)
- venue
Sound System

Food and Beverage
- menu
- food carts
- drinks
- cake
- chocolate fountain

Program
- host
- games
- prizes
- bubble show
- party money

Side Entertainment
- face painting
- little tykes

Souvenirs
- loot bags
- photo booth

Coverage
- Photo
- Video

Miscellaneous
- dress

In summary, I got what I wanted, saved on cost and enjoyed the party more when I got the services of a party planner.  But there's always pride in doing things yourself.  And there's always a good compromise when it comes with staying within your budget.  Scout for good suppliers, compare prices and be sure with what you want.  Good luck on your party.  Happy planning.