Paul’s 7th Birthday

It’s been more than 2 months and I realized that it is time to share the details of Paul’s 7^th birthday party! Ever since he was young, he loved looking at all kinds of vehicles – toy cars, real cars, etc. In the car, he would always look out at the other vehicles driving past.

He has a vast collection of Tomica and Hot Wheels vehicles including race tracks and other add-ons. He would ask us to buy him those as rewards whenever he received a Happy Gram or a star from school. We couldn’t get him one every week so rewarding him for good grades and conduct was a good compromise.

In planning the party, I kept on searching online for the best car-themed party and even found a cute vintage concept. In the end though, he told me that he wanted Disney Cars. It may be overused or common, however, we chose to go with that theme since he was the one who requested it. I choose an invitation design in Etsy.

My cousin and his wife offered to sponsor the venue for the party. How can we resist the lovely St. Francis Shangrila Function Room? We decided to cover the place only with a few balloon drops as ceiling decors. They did a great job in creating a simple backdrop as the venue itself was already beautiful. The balloon centerpieces had the Cars logo and were taken home by the kids.

They included a welcome sign in the package, however, we didn’t consider that the door cannot be closed – it became pretty warm so I learned my lesson on this. The photobooth was situated near the entrance so the guests can see it upon entering. We commended the staff since they were very friendly and patient.

For the food carts, I wanted a nostalgic feel so we got dirty ice cream, cotton candy and taho. I wasn’t able to take photos of this but they were a hit! I was considering a fondant cake for the party, however, I felt that it was better to order Paul’s favorite caramel cake which everyone loves: Costa Brava. I’m glad I made that decision because he was so happy upon seeing it.

Aldino was the host and magician for the party. The guests enjoyed his show especially the bird show and illusion. I first watched him at a party of Paul’s classmate in preschool. I definitely loved his program and he constantly changes up his routine as well.

I personally chose the menu – fried rice, beef lasagna, chicken teriyaki, baked salmon with spinach cream sauce, sliced roast beef with mushroom and mango crepe and buco lychee for dessert. We weren’t able to take photos of the food because everyone had finished it by the time we could. However, the guests kept on saying that the food was great. The kids’ menu consisted of baked spaghetti, chicken fingers and pork barbecue. My mom sponsored a lechon to go with the food.

Instead of putting a dessert buffet, my aunt brought over bags of mini chocolates which I scattered on the tables. Same with the food, no chocolate was left behind. For the souvenirs, I got assorted toys and pillows – Cars for boys and Frozen for girls which were packed in red eco bags to match the theme.

It was a very tiring day because I was also the party coordinator. Despite the tiredness, I felt proud that I was able to pull-off a great party for my little one. It may not be a grand celebration but it had everything that he wanted. The big smile on his face was definitely the most important during that day. This event also made me realize that I want to pursue opportunities in the industry so I will try my luck on it real soon. I hope that Paul will always remember this special day because we love him ♥

Venue: St. Francis Shangrila Function Room / Food: Verleo Catering / Backdrop & Balloons: Eblast Events / Photographer: Justin de Jesus of Delicious Food Photography / Cake: Costa Brava / Magician: Aldino / Photobooth: The Columbia Photo