When my client walked into the store for the first time, I knew that this party was going to be special.
The client was none other than Robina Ko, the owner and marketing extraordinaire of the famed Status Hair Salon. Now at 6 branches, the salon is fronted by the luscious goddess Karylle Tatlonghair-Yuzon (and the business is open for franchising as well!).
Now you might be wondering at the title of this blog post: why the “happiest place on Earth?” What place could that be? Here’s a word:
DISNEY
The name itself is literally PACKED with imagery and emotion. When I hear that word, I am suddenly transported back to the time when I first watched The Lion King. It was a premiere night (back when movie premieres were still the in thing), and it was a full house. Suddenly, the scene lights up in the form of a rising sun in the African desert, and you hear the loud blaring of the opening chant to The Circle of Life. It was majestic, uplifting, and most of all, magical.
And here’s the thing, too. I was secretly envious of Robina, because I was also planning a Disney-themed birthday party for my daughter Coco. She beat me right to it!
Here’s how everything turned out:
We placed a signage at the front door, with 2 columns of posts and an arch in the middle saying “Disneyland, The Happiest Place On Earth”. The Party Magic team and I wanted to create a strong first impression to all the guests.
When you enter, you’ll be greeted with a festive ceiling treatment composed of pastel-colored tassels, pompoms, lanterns, and crystals.
Up close, the ceiling treatment looks like this:
We opted for the lighter tassels instead of swags because the party was starting at night, and the venue, Forbes Pavilion, has notoriously weak lighting. If we were to cover the ceiling with swags, the whole venue would have been extremely dark!
The stage is a scene all unto itself:
Minnie was there, in between her Disney castle (which was custom-built specifically for this party), and the Ferris wheel!
The centerpiece was a prancing horse set atop an arrangement of flowers:
During discussions with Robina, the idea of having helium filled Mylar balloons came up, just like in Disney HK!
Robina definitely pulled out all the stops for this party. Now take a look at the Royal Family!
And of course, any Princess/Castle/Disney theme would be totally incomplete without a Golden Carriage!
Another scene stealer in the party was the gigantic dessert spread, which was around 16 feet wide! Take a look at it below:
Here’s a unique twist that I loved about Robina’s party: instead of having the birthday song and candle blowing on the stage, they did it at the dessert table:
This approach allowed everyone to be more intimately gathered, and the cake can be beautifully arranged alongside all the other pastries for a nice photo-op.
For the entertainment, the hosts all came in Princess attire. I love it!
Over and above all of the details, the decor, the food and the entertainment, however, what I loved THE MOST about this party is its guests. They were all so game about the theme that they came in full medieval attire:
And the kids were absolutely no exception! Can you guess the most popular choice of costume for the girls?
Yes you guessed it. Princess Elsa!
This is what I’ve always believed and told my clients: you can have the best venue, the best photographer, the best caterer and even the best stylist (yes, I’ll have to admit), but ultimately, it’s the PEOPLE that makes the best party.
And what a guest list it was! The Royal Family was in good company:
That’s the celebrity stylist Sidney Yap, famed fashion designer and musician Kate Torralba, international fashion photographer Lon Liwen, and of course, the absolutely sultry Karylle Tatlonghari.
What a sweet girl Elle is! She’s probably the cutest girl I’ve ever seen (correction: second to both of my daughters, of course!). The happiest of birthdays to you!
‘Til the next party,
Michelle
