Elsie's 60th Birthday Celebration

Planning a DIY Surprise Birthday Celebration wasn't easy. That's when you will experience a lot of stress, challenges, drama and all other hindrances you can think of. BUT, overcoming is going to be the most gratifying feeling you could ever have!

So, I am sharing with you some of the things I have been through and the things I took note of in planning my mom's 60th birthday. I know you might be struggling too, hopefully this article would give you a little of idea on what the next steps are. So sit back, relax and read on!


Step 1: Get a venue. Depending on how many guests you are planning to invite, you can reserve a function room that can accommodate all your guests. You can consider getting a room with consumable food and drinks to save money.

I have thought of Shangri-La Chinese Restaurant in West Ave. - I didn't like it there because parking space was shared with Kownloon House, so next. Cabalen Restaurant in West Ave has a wide selection of food choices, but mostly pork, so next. Max's Restaurant in QC Circle is Mama's fave but she celebrated her birthday last year with relatives and family so that's off the list.

And just in front of Max's Restaurant is Serye Cafe Filipino which serves Filipino cuisine and options of organic food/ingredients/meals. They have a function room that can accommodate up to 50pax. They also have food packages you can choose from. So that's one less of a hassle for you. Yeah?

 

***Photo grabbed from Google

Step 2: Guest List. Who are you inviting? Who do you want to see in this party? Who do you need to invite to make that most impact and significance to the birthday celebrant?

I invited all our relatives here in Manila on both mother and father's side, her classmates from High School and College, he colleagues in MMDA, and some of our family friends. 

Step 3. Theme and Decoration. Frozen, i think, is the most popular theme lately. But nah, we won't have such theme as the oldies won't mind dressing up for the event. So we decided to have a stripes and polka dots theme instead.

Step 4. Miscellaneous. Invitations, Thank you cards, Souvenirs, Cake, Photobooth and AVP.

We ran into the nearest mall to buy ink cartridge, paper and threads that we will need for all the invites and the likes. We also went to Divisoria to buy all the materials we need for our souvenir. I think we have a future in printing and looming. :-)

Candy Cruch Themed Cake by Cakescapade By Rachel

Phone	09399163790 / 5469098
Email	rachielvirgo@yahoo.com

Oh she created this gorgeous cake! Exactly how we wanted it to be! And yummy too! 

Photobooth by Nate's Partystore
Phone    09151848618 / 4555242
Email    npartystore@yahoo.com

I have worked with Jenny Dioquino in one of the BPOs in QC and I am so pleased with what she has ventured into. She used to be one of the Top Sellers of the account and I know she will do a great job in this endeavor. I know she is very successful now in this field.

All photos are posted in their Facebook page and in my personal page.
 

Step 5. Program. Any activity would be a little formal and organized if there's a program you follow. So I came up with this mini-program for the event.

Prayer

Introduction

Audio - Visual Presentation

Happy Birthday Song and Cake Blowing

Lunch

Games (Bring Me, Guess Who and Pinoy Henyo)

Messages from the Guests

Thank you Message from the Celebrant

Such a breeze right? Hahaha. It took us one month to complete all loom bands for 50 pax. Three weeks to confirm all reservation, order cake, photobooth, and send invites. And most of all, 2 hours to finish the audio - visual presentation. Epic! 

Hope I was able to share with you this fun and exciting part of our lives. My father's turning 60 in 6 years so I still have time to prepare! Toodles! xoxo