Prince 1st Birthday and Mica's 7th Birthday party - planning

After watching the video of our son and daughter‘s birthday celebration the other night I whispered to my husband “ok rin naman pala ang kinalabasan ng birthday ng mga bata” (the birthday celebration of the kids turned out fine) while squeezing his hand feeling relieved of the stress I had while planning the event.

Two months before, I started scouting for the things needed to put up an exceptional birthday party for them. My kids share the same birth month and it is very special because Prince turns one and Mica turns seven, both a milestone. It wasn’t easy to plan a party so I got a pen and paper, write down the questions in my head and answer them myself too and by doing that I had a complete idea of what I had to accomplish.

What will be the party theme?

Answer: I thought of having a dress-up party and the theme would be prince and princess but then I find it hard to get hold of a prince costume for my son so to make things simple, I have decided to make a general dress up party theme where kids can enjoy wearing their favorite costume whether a superhero, a fairy or a princess. It was a good move though because I had nine charming characters at the party.

What will be my kid’s costume?

Answer: Mica wanted to dress up like a princess and as a rock star. We have searched every store to find a beautiful Disney princess dress and a Hannah Montana costume but to no avail. When I am settled with the dress we bought for her, madam Lina - a long-time family friend gifted Mica a gown in gold color like that of Disney princess Belles ball gown, and for Hanna Montana – I got everything from Claire’s except the white shirt. On the other hand, we dress up Prince with a superman costume anyway he’s too young to decide for himself :)

How about the cakes?

Answer: Following the kid’s costumes and the theme of the party, we ask a local Filipino bakery shop to make for them a picture cake with their picture wearing their costumes and some cupcakes to make it more appealing to the kids. It was courtesy of Jhoce - my sister who now lives in Qatar.

What will be the giveaways and what will be inside the loot bags?

Answer: We wanted to have something extra for the kids aside from the toys to be given away by KFC so we have prepared loot bags filled with toys and sweet treats!

Where is the venue?

Answer: This one is quite complicated and a bit tiring too, searching over the internet will give you names of party venues in Dubai (there is a huge list) a personal visit can give you a bigger picture of what and how will be the set up of your party. There are things to consider like the size and the number of guests, the location – is it accessible for everyone and is it easy to find, parking area – do they have an ample parking space, I also consider the ambiance if my guest will be comfortable. I have checked the venues of parties we previously attended, each one has a lot to offer but there is another thing I need to consider and that is the budget. KFC Party Hall between Dubai Sharjah Highway gave me all the answers and I was happy about it.

Shall I use the invitations provided by KFC or do I prefer DIY?

Answer: Most of the time, I prefer DIY invitations, I always get a little help from the internet for ideas, and more often I come up with my own design like for example that of Mica’s first birthday, Prince Baptism, and now for their 1st and 7th birthday. Since most of our friends are on FB, I just upload the DIY invite and tag them one by one. For those friends who hardly have access to the net, I printed some invites and distribute them. I created this using only MS word.

What food to serve and what kind of entertainment is available for kids?

Answer: KFC Party Hall has a tailor-made party package and we opt for it, less hassle since they will take care of the food (Hardees, KFC, Chicken Tikka, Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme, etc), giveaways (Hardee's toys, free tickets to Dubai Dolphinarium for kids and 50% discount vouchers to Wonderland), and entertainment (Balloon Twisting, Face Painting, Magic Show and their very own mascot for Chicky Show). They also allow two dishes to be served apart from their menu.

How much to spend on the party?

Answer: We wanted the party to be exceptional – we only wanted the best for our kids but not to the extent of being too lavish. Let's say we make sure everything is sufficient but still within the budget.

At the last minute, I prepared and printed a banner design for the photo booth but it wasn't used that much except it became a stage backdrop. To sum it up, the party was indeed a success more than ever we wanted our children's happiness!

Did you find this article useful, do you have more tips about planning a children's party, go ahead and share them with us in the comment section.