"The only thing that comes to you without effort is old age."
My grand mother just turned 80 years old last October 31, 2016 and we celebrated it the day before her birthday, October 30 because it was a Sunday and Sundays are for families to gather. My grandma and grandpa has 12 children, my father was second among the twelve children. Most of my aunts and uncles and their families went home in Plaridel Misamis Occidental for my grandmother's celebration of her 80th birthday this year.
Age doesn't really matter but getting to 80 years old is a milestone to celebrate. It is a sign of God's blessing on you to enjoy more time with your loved ones here on earth. Too few people are given this privilege. So as my grandmother celebrates her 80th birthday, we all made sure we give her a party fit for a queen. She is our queen mother who will forever be dear in our hearts.
The Planning Aspect
Thanks to the ease that technology brings, we were able to pull off the 80th birthday of our queen mother through constant communication in social media and mobile phones. We all lived in different parts of the Philippines thousand miles away from each other but we talk everyday through our mobiles. We all wanted to honor our queen because she has been through a lot in her life and now is the best time to give back to her at least half of what she truly deserves. Royal theme birthday was fit for her. Since red and gold are the two most predominant colors in royalty, we all decided we go for gold and red motif too. The birthday budget was initially 50k. And we all worked around it to pull off a meaningful celebration for our dear Queen Mother Mama Nene.
Thanksgiving Birthday Mass
The celebration started with a special birthday thanksgiving mass where the majority of the family attended. It was the most important aspect in the celebration of my grand mother's birthday because it was our way of thanksgiving to God who is the giver of life and providence and sustenance of all things and all life forms including the life of our queen grandma.
The Birthday Reception
The backdrop was minimal and simple but royal and queenly. I brought about 3 luggage of event decors through an 18-hour bus ride from Davao City to Plaridel Misamis Occidental just to create this very simple backdrop, flowers, projector and presentations. I could have created a more elegant and grand backdrop but the challenge of transportation was so great, I had to stay minimal in the decors.
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| A cake design fit for the queen |
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| Queen Mother poses with her 3layer cake, flowers and the flower crown |
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| The Royal Dance of Queen Grandma and King Grandpa |
Lechon or Roasted Pig is a staple delicacy in every Filipino celebration. It is the epitome of any event or birthday. Without the lechon, it is just a very sad meal. There was an array of food, viands, desserts but the highlight would always be the roasted pig. That is a filipino trademark.
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| Catering and Home cooked food line up the very long buffet table |
Program Flow
Since this is the time for honoring our queen grandma, we have chosen key people to give their messages for her.
Aside from the messages, there were special dance and song presentations all dedicated to our Queen Mama Nene.
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| Video greetings from Ante Bebe in India |
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| Dance Presentation from Mama Nene's grandchildren, Dave and John |
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| Two of Mama Nene's grandchildren recorded a song presentation for her, Nikolai and Sofia |
Family Pictorials
Of course we had to have compulsory family pictorials.
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| The children of Papa Isaac and Mama Nene |
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| The grandchildren of Papa Isaac and Mama Nene |
Parlor Games
To spice things up, I was able to simulate the "Minute-To-Win-It" games. Everyone participated! It was so much fun seeing everyone hyped up with the games and the props that came with it!
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| Cookie Face Game |
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| Nuts and Sticks Game |
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| Spaghetti and Macaroni Game |
The After Party
We all love to sing, splash and swim so we did all three! There was a videoke, swimming pool and a lot of hyper energetic family members waiting to unleash their talents and skills creating their own spotlight.
Ohana means Family
The love of family is tender and sweet. We all have differences but no one gets left behind in a family. We are one big very happy giddy family indeed. Our grandparents serve as the stronghold for which glues us all together.
Happy Birthday Queen Mother Mama Nene! Long live the Queen!
1 komentar:
Write komentarThe themed party for the queen mama nene which is really beautiful and impressive in its looking. Getting to know these huge game running celebration, which is very much admirable. Thanks a lot for the share. Pre Wedding Photographers In Coimbatore | Wedding Photographers in Tamilnadu
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