Today our eldest daughter, Kite, turns 11.  Her birthday party was held last Sunday which coincided with the baptism of her baby sister, Laya.

(photo by Oly Ruiz of MetroPhoto)

It ain’t a wedding but the event also involved preps in the hotel (courtesy of the GCs we received from Mandarin Oriental), a church ceremony, and a reception.  The staff of Mandarin even brought a cot to our room especially for the baby. Since we booked the party at Blue Leaf (thanks to Eugene & Michelle Sandejas for accommodating us), we decided that the Christening of our four month-old baby be held at the Sanctuario de San Antonio for proximity and convenience of the godparents and other guests.

Benz & I usually plan big events in our family together, but this time, she planned it with Kite. I was mostly pleased with this arrangement except when I asked approximately how much they spent so far.  But with the discounts and freebies we got from our suppliers, I shouldn’t really be complaining.

Joel Bautista did Laya’s baptismal gown in piña, while the candles were custom-made for us by Ernest Pascual –  dubbed as the ‘Details Diva’ by his brides.

After the short ceremony at the Baptistry, we proceed to the party venue.  Upon arrival, what greeted us were the myriad of colorful balloons dropping from the ceiling by Polkadot Events, which also served as our party planner.  There were also a gallery of large backlit portraits of our family especially setup for us by Ronald of 4th Wall (the selected photographs were taken by The Stork Studio during Benz’ pregnancy up to Laya’s 3rd month).  The photobooth of Studio on Wheels was already clicking away for the early birds by then.

Since the party’s theme was Arts & Crafts, there were stations for origami, cake decorating, ceramic & sun-catcher painting, nameplate designing, sand art, and bead making.  Most of these were provided by Rekindled Moments.  The personalized aprons provided to the kids were customized by Loot Fairy.  Standing in as the party host was Jiggles - the balloon lady whose balloon show was a big hit with the kids and ’stage parents’.

When I learned that Joy San Gabriel would be doing the birthday cake, I requested that it be a tower of mini-cakes so guests could take them home.  Aside from the various food carts, Josiah’s Catering provided the buffet of our guests.

Highlights and sidelights of the event were captured in the onsite video below done for us by Threelogy.

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Related links:

• Kite’s 11th Bday & Laya’s Baptism Party - by Fol Rana, Jr.
• Kite’s 11th Bday & Laya’s Baptism METROFIED - by Oly Ruiz of MetroPhoto
• Kite & Laya’s Double Celebration photobooth prints - Studio on Wheels
• Laya (3rd month) - The Stork Studio
• Laya (newborn) - The Stork Studio
• Laya (in the womb) - The Stork Studio