HMP Recommends: Diner Party Suppliers

With all the hard work you poured into the planning and DIYing, you’d want everything in your party to run smoothly! That’s why it’s always a blessing to be working with suppliers who care for your party’s success as much as you do! I’m glad I partnered with these select few for our diner party. Read on and you just might find the right supplier for your next party! 

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Food, Queensland Catering: I wanted to recreate an actual diner so I already had a specific menu in mind. I got in touch with several caterers but all of them don’t do customized menus. Even Queensland, at first, could not accommodate my requests (on food, on the linens, etc). Not one to give up easily, I managed to find a way to get in touch with Madel, the owner of Queensland, who was kind enough to discuss my party needs with me.  She was very helpful and accommodating, even responding to my messages while vacationing abroad! In the end, not only did I get the menu I wanted, I got super yummy food which our guests loved! (Special mention to those burgers…and the mac and cheese…and the baby back ribs….oh those baby back ribs!)

The waiters were very courteous and attentive and for a minimal additional fee, they can also help you put ceiling treatments. Queensland catered my 18th birthday xx years ago and they also did the catering for Lucas’ Christening last year. I’m glad they’ve kept up with the times by recently offering affordable styling solutions for the parties they cater.

• Queensland Contact Number: 826-7791/ 820-7223 / 828-7340 to 41
• Queensland Email Address: queenslandcatering@gmail.com
• Peso-Power: Budget-friendly

Venue, Ayala Alabang Village Social Hall: One of the cheapest event venues you can rent inside a village, if not the cheapest! Php 2,000 can give you a three-hour use of the venue (with aircon) and just add P500 for every additional hour after that. There is also a Php 2,000 deposit required, but refundable in full provided there is no damage to property. Officially, it can fit around 70 but we had around 75 adults and 30 kids for our party (8 adult round tables). I would have wanted a little bit more space for the kids to run around in, but in the end, the cozier the better! Its probably not the best venue if you want to have additional food carts and an elaborate stage. It works for small to medium sized parties only. It’s also in the second floor, so please warn your guests as some of your relatively older guests might have a hard time with the stairs. Would I have another party here? Definitely! Its the perfect venue for DIY parties, just the right size! You can reserve the venue by filling out a form and submitting it to the Barangay Office. You may call in advance to check for the availability, but they can only secure the date for you a month before your said date.  Only resident-owners can reserve the Social Hall. (I’m not sure if they accept sponsorships. Let me check and I’ll update this post once I find out)

• Ayala Alabang Barangay Office Contact Number: 807-2472, look for Myra
• Peso-Power: Budget-friendly

Host, Madz Selludo-Canillas: It took me a while to decide on this one. I was torn between doing the games and hosting ourselves or getting a professional to do it. Thank God I came to my senses and opted to get a kiddie party host! We were so tired from setting up in the morning that come party time, I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the party with our guests, and most of all, with Lucas.

I initially wanted to get Erney Arcilla but he was already booked. My fault too, since I decided on getting a host late already, and by late I mean a month and a half before the party. Good thing he was able to refer me to an equally talented party host, Madz Seludo Canillas. They’re both members of Jive the Original so they have very similar acts. It was important for me to find a host that spoke well, has good diction, can engage both our kid and adult guests and kind enough to work within our budget (that’s always a plus for any supplier, right?) I got all those with Madz! Plus she was very sweet and I loved that she was still entertaining requests from this OC mom, even if she was busy preparing for her wedding which was a few weeks before our party.  It was a low-key event and I didn’t really want a long program, so Madz played game master and did some song and dance numbers with the kids. 

• Madz Canillas Contact Number: 0917-5023948
• Peso-Power:  Reasonably-priced (you can also ask her to bring her own sound system for an additional fee)

Make Believe Productions was also in my shortlist of entertainment. I’ve never been to a party with them as hosts, but I’ve heard (and read) lots of good reviews about them. I liked that they were very professional, even sending me a formal proposal with the program outline and details. They had very competitive costs too, so I think it’s also worth your while to check them out if you’re planning for your kid’s party.

• Make Believe Contact Number: 0943-4910684
• Make Believe Email Address: oasis.jalandoni@makebelieve.com.ph or oasis.jalandoni@gmail.com
• Peso-Power: Reasonably-priced

Party Printables Printer, Party Ready: I really wanted to have soda jerk hats for the party but could not find it in any party store in Manila. I also had some difficulty finding a printer supplier for it – but good thing Donna of Party Ready came to the rescue! She creates customized party suites for invites, candy covers, notepads etc. You should go check out her IG feed – she’s done a lot of amazing designs! We had a little issue on misprint, possibly due to the shipping, but what I really liked about her was that, even if she hasn’t done anything like the hats I wanted, she was willing to experiment and study how to make one. She made several attempts until we finally agreed on a prototype. She’s very easy to work with and replies to your inquiries right away. That’s also one thing I look for in a supplier – I don’t want to be left too long guessing how things are with my orders!

• Party Ready Contact Number: 0939-923-7978
• Party Ready Email Address:  hellopartyready@gmail.com
• Peso-Power:  Reasonably-priced (she’s based in Davao though so be ready to pay above average rates for shipping fees)

I also had some of the printables printed in PBOX.  Again, very happy with the service. I would usually send them the jpegs via email and pick them up when they’re ready. The paper ones you can get the same day but the tarpaulins need one day printing.  There were also some prints that I printed in Photoline. I love the quality of their textured photo paper, plus you can get the prints right away (one-hour photo no more!)

• PBOX Contact Number: 635-4810 / 650-1059 / 0917-8230312
• PBOX Email Address: pboxadvertising.ortigas@gmail.com
• PBOX Address: Unit 201 Parc Chateau Condominium, Onyx St. cor Sapphire Rd, Ortigas Center, Pasig
• Peso-Power:  Budget-friendly, the tarpaulins are less than the usual Php20-25 per sq ft rate, plus the colors came out very nice!

Cake and Cupcakes, Bite Me: I first learned about Roberta and her cakes and cupcakes business when I featured her Jake and the Never Land Pirates DIY party for her son. I  was so happy to stumble upon a business owned by a mom who’s as passionate about DIY parties as I was! And since it was a home based business, your desserts get the homemade goodness just the way mom would make it! Freshly baked, quality ingredients, and, as they wrote in their Facebook Page, “Nothing commercial, just home baked.” This was my first time to order from Bite Me and I’ve ordered again twice after this. She’s become my go-to supplier for baked goodies! Oh and that buttercream frosting… so goood!

• Bite Me Contact Number: 0917-8841157
• Peso-Power:  Reasonably-priced

Kiddie Party and Pre-Birthday Shoot Photographer: Little J Photography took all the party snaps you see here and Kaizer Photography took Lucas’ pre-birthday shoot (…which we styled ourselves and have yet to blog about. Hello backlog!) I can’t comment on their prices as one was a gift and the other I won in a mommy contest (yehey!) but I can tell you that both did an awesome job! I was also very happy to receive the post-processed photos in DVDs so quickly! You know how excited moms get with things like these!

The Little J photographers were very friendly and professional at the same time. They took a lot of photos of the party details which was important for a DIY mom like me. Kazier himself took Lucas’ pre-birthday shoot and was very patient working with an overwhelmed-at-one-point-sleepy-at-some-point-cranky toddler! My usually all smiles baby was not in the mood that morning but Kaizer tirelessly took one shot after the other, laying on the grass, playing with Lucas…anything and everything just to get good shots in.

• Little J Photography Contact Number: 0905-261-0719 or 0949-351-1449
• Little J Photography Email Address:  littlejphoto@gmail.com
• Kaizer Photography Contact Number: 0917-829-9792
• Kaizer Photography Email Address:  kaizerphotography@yahoo.com

Printables, Ninang Marian: Well well, it pays to have a sister who knows Photoshop! Right now I’m her only printables “client” and the stage ate that I am have been telling her to start doing this professionally.  So if you want to help me convince her more and are interested in getting her services, do drop us a note at tasseleventsmanila@gmail.com and I’ll be sure to relay this to her!  I’ll be posting for download some of the other printables she’s helped me with so drop by again for these!

That sums up the list of my recommended suppliers! Happy to have worked with them for Lucas’ party so paying it forward by sharing my feedback with you. Most of their details are posted here and you can also click on their names which is linked to their websites or Facebook pages. Good luck with your party and I hope you also end up with suppliers you’d be happy to write about!

 

Don’t forget, if you planned a DIY party, click here to see how you can be featured in Homemade Parties. Done with the search for the perfect venue? Check out our directory here and find just the perfect party suppliers you’re looking for! Finally, if you need some more help with your DIY planning, join Homemade Parties’ DIY Party planning community in Facebook!