Pardon me for the super duper late documentation of my son’s 1st birthday party. It just occurred to me that Zaiel will be turning 3 years old tomorrow and I can’t help but remember all those exhausting days and months of party preparation for his first birthday.

I grew up not giving much attention to birthdays due to [past] religious views; in fact I seldom celebrate my own. I honestly think that you can rock the whole 365 days like it’s your special day and that there’s no reason to treat other days as “ordinary”.

As being a mom, I believe in creating special memories with my child every single day. So, what made me decide to plan a major birthday celebration 2 years ago? It’s the simple idea of having a “first”.

That was my first pregnancy, with my first boyfriend-turned-husband, and my first child who turned one year old. I’ve decided that I want to share my many firsts, our many firsts, with my loved ones and friends. Tomorrow, to celebrate his 3rd year with us, we would just be having a simple family affair or dinner.

I sincerely hope that this blog post will help you, first-time moms, with party preparations. I might write detailed reviews in the future for each, but right now I would TRY to be brief and just guide you through the whole process of planning.

The Theme: Naruto

After I’ve learned that we were expecting a baby boy, I chose a birthday party theme that interests both of us (hubby and I), and it’s ANIME. Naruto, to be specific. We both watch the series and Naruto’s one of my most loved anime characters of all time. In fact, I gave a few good cries on some of the episodes. Haha.

Picking a theme makes the party elements more unified and gives direction as to where the party should lead. What I loved about our theme is that it can be branched out to even more concepts – Anime, Japanese, Cosplay, and Kawaii. So, we sort of “cosplayed” during the event and encouraged our guests to showcase their costumes as well.

Our son was dressed up as Naruto (the kid costume version), Daddy Ray as one of the Akatsuki members, and I ended up donning one of Lily Rochefort‘s costumes (Japanese school uniform) in Tekken. I should have chosen Sakura or Hinata if I wasn’t so confused and stressed with the preparation.

The Akatsuki coat was purchased somewhere in Divisoria for only PhP 600 and the headgear was bought from Comic Alley. My costume and my son’s were both custom-made by one of the many dressmakers in the Kamuning market.

And oh, my long blonde wig is around PhP 2,000 from Lynelle Hair Fashion.

The Invitations

Both save the dates and birthday cards are Naruto-inspired. The save the date birthday announcement was posted on Facebook and I printed the cards at Fax Parcel N’ Print (SM North Edsa), then distributed them to friends and family a month before the celebration. For more info about the invitations, check out my post: Naruto Birthday Cards.

Thanks to my brother Jerrel for helping me with the invitations! I love how the birthday cards came out. 🙂

The Food, Venue, and Party Decors

We’ve settled with Active Fun SM North EDSA Annex branch because I love the idea of having a play area for the kids. It was also very convenient for us because we live a few blocks away from SM North. The party venue itself is quite small and I didn’t anticipate the outpour of guests during the peak hours of the party.

I was advised that the place could accommodate up to 150 guests but was disappointed that it was already jammed with people at a hundred. I didn’t have any other problems other than that. The staff was very accommodating and they’ve been patient with all my demands from start to finish.

The kiddie party package that we availed includes:

• Kiddie party host
• ActiveFun mascot appearance
• 1-day unlimited play (for children only)
• Active Fun birthday cake
• 50 pieces birthday card invitations
• Loot bags (regular)
• Balloons for kids
• Name Tags
• Food for kids (20) – Spaghetti, Chicken, Ice Cream, and Drinks
• Gift for the celebrant

The food was good. I was too busy to even take a nibble so I just asked the guests for the feedback. The set menu meal (carbonara, barbecue, mixed veggies, fish/chicken fillet, brownies, and drinks) that we chose for the adults is one of the simplest and cheapest. We really didn’t bother getting a more expensive meal set because the time of the event will happen in the afternoon, meaning only snacks will be served.

There were a bunch of add-ons but we only chose a few to minimize our expenses.

• Hanging balloons. The party venue was already decorated with balloons but I wanted to add more to make the place more festive. So instead of availing a balloon centerpiece for each table, we opted for additional hanging/floating ceiling balloons.
• Chocolate Fountain. I had this in mind even before I finalized the venue. It was a hit with the kids.
• Photo Booth. This was an expensive add-on because the photo booth was tied up with the venue and I had no time to find a photo booth service by myself. I also considered the corkage fees/electricity charges once I hire from the outside so I let them include this add-on in our list. Read more info about the photobooth service on my post Party Graphics Photo Booth.

Chocolate Fountain

Birthday cake by ActiveFun

I slaved myself doing these origami pieces a few hours before the party. They were used as table centerpieces. Photo c/o Marnell, a good friend of mine.

Kiddos in costumes enjoying their snacks.

My little sister (as Pokemon’s Misty) had fun posing at the photo booth. 🙂

Thank you to the staff of ActiveFun!

The Program

Anime music was aired in between activities. My list consisted of theme songs from Naruto, Mojacko, Yumeiro Pattisiere, and One Piece, among others.

I didn’t get to discuss the program with the host beforehand but I was lucky that the flow of the program went well. I only created an outline and the host followed on it smoothly:

1. Registration, arrival, and welcoming of guests (music on)
2. Opening of birthday celebration (mentions Zaiel’s name)
3. Mini-game for adults (winners get prizes)
4. Mini-games for kids (winners get prizes)
5. Snack Time
6. Costume contest (winners get prizes)
7. Happy Birthday song and blowing of candle
8. Thank you messages from parents
9. Distribution of giveaways
10. End of event

The Birthday Cake.. and Cupcakes!

The kiddie package already included a birthday cake but I was too choosy and “maarte” that I ordered a separate one from Anna Banana’s Online Bakeshop. Two thumbs up for her sweet creations! Read my post Kawaii Birthday Cake and Cupcakes for the deets.

The Guestbook

Zaiel’s personalized guestbook is a keepsake and photo album in one. Guests were able to write their messages and wishes for my little one. 🙂 I ordered it from Ms. Leny Cruzado and it contained photos from his pre-birthday pictorial session. If you want to know more about her photography services, read my post Baby Boom Portraits by Leny Cruzado.

The Giveaways

Okay, so I went crazy and overboard with party favors. I quite had A LOT instead of only one or two. Don’t make the same mistake I did. 🙂

• Sushi Towels – Read my post Sushi Towel Party Favors by Thoughtful Creations
• Naruto key chains
• Bag charms (which I personally made) kept inside mini boxes – Read my post Personalized Take Out Boxes
• Mini hat clips (I asked the female guests to wear them during the party)
• Loot bags (included in Active Fun’s kiddie package)
• Toy loot bags
• Candy loot bags
• Printed photo souvenirs from the photo booth

  

Of course, the party wouldn’t be successful without the support and presence of my husband, family, loved ones, friends, and colleagues. They enjoyed the celebration and told me that I deserve a pat on the back for organizing such a fun-filled event. I’m grateful that I was able to show through my efforts the unconditional love that I have for my son. I will always, always look back on that day with pride.

Published: 2012-12-21 18:21:28