Wedding speeches

In most of the weddings I have hosted only a few would welcome speeches to be included in the program. For one, when the bride- and groom-to-be know that their friends as well parents are not the "speaking" type of people they would usually offer to forego such speeches. However, there are still a number who want to have these inspiring speeches from friends and loved ones.

Who may be asked to deliver a speech?

a) groom's father to formally welcome the guests (optional, for the host may also do this)

b) best man (to propose a toast like "To Mike and Jane, here's to your happiness and many years together")

c) bride's best friend (to tell the audience more about the bride)

d) groom's best friend (tell the audience more about the groom)

e) a female sponsor (advise and wish for the couple)

f) male sponsor (advise and prayer for the couple)

g) bride's father (formal giving away speech, expectations)

h) groom (acceptance and promise)

i) bride and groom (acknowledge presence of audience)

Are you preparing to be wed in June? How about sharing it with us here?

toasting

Toasting is a simple act of drinking wine turned into a ceremony. It is a show of hospitality, friendship, and good faith. Special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, promotions, debuts etc. would be made more meaningful with a toasting ceremony. A toast should be made in direct and simple language and usually ends with "Cheers" as goblets are raised and clinked.

Ironically, the origin of toasting was far from what it is now. It was used by the Greeks and Romans to poison enemies and unwanted husbands, wives, children, and thieves in the 6th century B.C. This was their way of dealing with social problems by poisoning the wine to be drank by their enemies.

Toasting today has become a popular way of expressing our wishes and happiness for the hosts or celebrants. It is one way of developing trust among members of the family and circle of friends.

wedding in JUne

I got my first invitation to a June wedding and it has chosen the 1st day of the marry month to exchange "I do's". The bride happens to be the daughter of a friend who is a pediatrician and the groom is a casual acquaintance.

The ceremony will be held at a local Catholic church while the reception is set at the function hall of St. Paul University-Dumaguete City.

Based on the invitation I had received the motif of the party seems to be around the color orange. I'll have more of the details after the party on June 1.

To Cake and Joren, here's to a peaceful, fruitful, and happy life together!

invitations

Today, invitations for a birthday party, wedding, debut, or anniversary can be easily made from a variety of choices with regards to the type of paper to be used, graphics, lay-out and design. With the computer, anything is possible. You can make your invitations personalized by having a photo of yourself on the card. However, a simple party may only need simple invitation cards that are available in stores selling school supplies. You may even get them free if you hold the party at Jollibee (for kids' party).

However, a well-thought of and well-written invitation always earns the admiration of people. Invitations with no more than the 5 w's and the h will not be as valuable as an invitation that contains a well-written note from the parents asking guests to be present.

2nd birthday party

My granddaughter and I just returned from a birthday party which a neighbor was having for her daughter who turned two today. It's a simple family affair type of gathering wherein visitors consisted of very close friends and relatives. We were neither, but since our houses are next to each other, we got invited.

Iss Jones, the birthday girl, is half-Filipina and half-American. Her father is an American while her mom is a true-blooded Filipina.

The party was jovial with two major games which made the kids scream with excitement as they tried to grab for the goodies that they were supposed to catch.

Dewey, my grandkid, went home delighted with a balloon and a bag full of candies as her loot.

Here's wishing the cute and pretty little Isabel a very happy birthday!

gifts for a debutante

I got a call tonight from a friend who is attending a debut party on Sunday and is worried about what to give to a debutante. To answer this query, you need to consider the following:

1. your budget

2. debutante's personality type

So I suggested to always consider giving something that the person can use. Bear in mind that a debutante is 18, young, and could be in college. Is she the type who likes clothes? Books? Music? Accessories? So you have to know the debutante to be able to give the right gift. A nice blouse, bag, pair of earrings, bracelet, a CD, beautiful photo album, make-up kit, or maybe a good book.

Since they will also choose 18 treasures, and it is possible that yours will be one of them, remember not to tell them exactly what you have in there. Just give some clues as to color, function, etc. Make your speech interesting and not boring. A sample of a short speech on this would be like this:

"Our debutante will be happy to have this gift of mine because it is something that will make her more beautiful. I am not saying that she is lacking in that department, no, I think she is very pretty but my gift will enhance and bring out the best of her. It will make people want to be near her and I am sure that with this she will be making heads turn and make the boys in our class go crazy over her." (Perfume)

a Mylot member marks her birthday today

Happy, happy birthday to a Mylot member, RESSIEO168! Cakes, drinks, and a sumptuous banquet for you, girl!

party games

Games could do or undo a kid's party.

Some games may not fit the venue or place or some games may only limit participation because of the number of players required. A good game is one that involves everybody or the most number of players possible. However, it is difficult to find games that will elicit a hundred percent participation from the kids.

First, how many games do you need to prepare for the entire birthday party celebration? Prepare as many games as you can. Kids love games and make sure that you have prizes for all the games. What are the usual games played during parties? Most common is the "hitting the jackpot" game wherein kids will have the chance to hit the pot and win a prize. I suggest that you have two or three pots so all the kids will get to be blindfolded and have the chance to win the jackpot. Then we have what we call "pabitin" wherein goods and goodies are attached to a squarish object which, when lowered, will allow the children to grab for the goodies.

Balloon popping relay is also fun but smaller kids might not be able to do this. Then the usual games like "Trip to Jerusalem" is still widely used. Others are egg relay, newpaper dance, statue dance, the longest line, water relay, and treasure hunting. My favorite is tug-of-war where the two teams will have to be provided with ropes.

The host or MC should facilitate the playing of the games and should see to it that all the kids are having a good time.

simple program for a kid's party

Should there be any formal program to follow?

Formal? No, I don't believe in following a formal program for a kid's birthday party. But it is always good to know the flow of the whole affair, or get a grip of how you want the party to go.

If you have hired clowns for the party, then the worry is in their hands. The clowns will run the show, keep the kids entertained with some magic, games, clowning, dancing, etc. If you also decide to hold it in a place like Jollibee or Mc Donald's they will also provide the MC or host who will stir the direction of the party. However, if you have not hired any clowns or you are not holding the party at Jollibee, then it is good to prepare a short program to keep the kids entertained. When you do this yourself, you need to see to it that you have a fun host or MC who can hold the attention of the kids. Here is a simple program for a kid's party:

1. Arrival of guests. While waiting for others, the clowns or maybe you can start one activity like face or arm painting.

II. (when everybody has arrived) Prayer (optional)

III. Introduction by host (occasion, whose birthday, parents--celebrant presented or introduced.

IV. Funny dance by clowns. (dance no. by some kids)

V. one game

VI. another game

VII. Song number

VIII. Banquet (music played while this is going on)

IX. Happy birthday song---blowing of candles

X. another game

XI..another game

XII. Magic (by clowns---story-telling/puppet show)

XIII. distribution of loot

IX. Everybody dance

X. Acknowledgement.

Suggested games that can be played during kids' parties will be given on my next blog entry. Have fun!

most practical b'day bash

Sometimes you can take off tons of worries in preparing for your kid's birthday party if you try one of the most practical ways of celebrating it at Jollibee or Mc Donald's.

Everything will be taken charge---venue, food, cake, invitation, party hats, balloons, give-aways, host, games and prizes and instead of a clown you have mascots which the kids love so much. These places also have different motifs for you to choose from. The thing is, make sure that you do your booking a month before so that you will have time to distribute the invitations. These places also have their own mini- playgrounds where kids can have a good time while there.

So if you do not want to worry about anything, you can try Jollibee or Mc Donald's. Kids will surely have a grand time.

why not a pool party for kids?

Pool party for kids? Sounds like fun until something happens which could spoil the whole birthday party of your kid.

This was what happened to a friend's kid birthday party which she decided to hold at a pool. Everybody was excited about it. Visitors should come prepared to take the plunge into the pool. Everything went well at first, the food was terrific, the place was incredible, everybody seemed to be having fun, until games were started.

One of the games was for the kids to race for the ball thrown into the pool. The kid that got the ball first won an awesome prize. Naturally all the kids wanted to swim for the prized ball.

When the ball was tossed and the kids heard the word "go", they all swam as fast as they could towards the ball which was in the middle of the pool. The middle part of the pool happens to be the deepest part. One kid was having difficulty swimming. A mother noticed this boy bubbling up and down in the middle of the water, gasping , hands flailing like he was asking for help.

It was a good thing that one parent saw this incident. Otherwise, the boy could have drowned and nobody would have noticed because there were just too many kids swimming in the pool.

I'd never suggest a kid's birthday to be held at the pool. It's just too dangerous and rowdy.

what to give and what to wear at a wedding

A Mylot friend expressed her anxiety for a friend's wedding in June because she said it is going to be her first formal invitation to a wedding celebration. In fact, I thought she sounded overly excited to the point of sounding panicky about it.

I would like to give some helpful suggestions to those of you who are attending any wedding ceremony. First you need to ask for the motif (color motif or whatever). Is it just the regular type of church wedding which ends at a resort or 5-star hotel for the reception? Or is it an underwater wedding or an island wedding? You don't want to go there in your sequined gown if the wedding is going to be held at the beach. So find out about these things.

If the wedding is just like any regular church wedding, then the only thing you need to know would be the color motif. It would be good to wear something that goes with the color motif of the occasion. You may have the color only as an accent or background of your dress. One thing you need to avoid when you attend a formal affair like this is this: never wear black.

A wedding is a happy occasion and should therefore show that it is such. Someone who comes in wearing something black could be criticized for her bad taste and ill humor.

After knowing the color, choose a formal dress, meaning a decent one but still fashionable. Since weddings start at the church, something decent is preferred. However, you might want to look sexy during the reception so you might want to try a dress that reveals the shoulders or a little of your back. The real definition of "formal" for women is "floor length" while for men would be coats, tuxedo, or "barong". A dress that is mid-calf in length is also appropriate.

Now what to give. This one depends on your budget. No, it is not tacky to give cash as gift but you have to place it in a decent red cash envelope and if possible, hand it personally just to make sure. This is going to be small so there's a big chance of it getting lost.

If you have decided against a cash gift, consider what newlyweds who are just starting a new life need. Kitchen utensils and kitchen wares, beddings, and other household needs. However, if the couple intends to travel or leave the country after the wedding, it will be impractical to give them something they could not bring. So in this case, a cash gift would be preferrable because they will need all the cash in order to get started with their new life together.

Is there any fixed amount or budget for wedding gifts? No, as I have said earlier, it all depends on your budget. By the way, a number of newlyweds lament the fact that sometimes nobody remembers to give them a beautiful wedding album to house all those captured happy moments. You might consider giving them one.

Just put yourself in their shoes. What do you want to receive for a gift when your time comes?

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gifts for kids

Finding the right gift to give to a kid can be a whole lot of problem. First, you need to ask yourself this question:

Are we giving a gift to the child or the mom?

Very often we buy a gift with the mom in mind. Will the mom appreciate my gift? And so we make the mistake of pleasing the mother but making the birthday child sad because she does not like the gift you bought for her. Remember, kids are very spontaneous and honest with their feelings. They will say what they want to say. If they do not like your gift, then expect them to say it in front of you. Yes, they will do that.

I had experienced this embarrassment with my own kids when a godmother of my child came to deliver her birthday gift to my daughter who was celebrating her 5th birthday. It's a good thing that this godmother was a classmate and a good friend of mine. If not, my embarrassment would have reached the heavens.

My daughter excitedly opened the gift and found a very beautiful dress. It was a party dress and I really liked the gift but my daughter did not. She uttered something which was very embarrassing. Upon seeing the dress, my 5-year-old kid said, "I don't like it" in front of the giver. I felt like melting.

See what I mean? Rule number 1: Know who you're giving the gift to. If it's a child, know her age and gender. Children seldom appreciate such gifts as a pair of socks, undies, dress, t-shirt---it's the duty of the parents to buy their children these personal items.

During my granddaughter's 4th birthday, a number of friends and relatives gave her clothes like blouses, dresses, pants---- but only one blouse fitted her---all the rest were two sizes too small for her. So don't and never make the mistake of buying clothes if only for that reason.

Children love toys. But make sure that you don't give toys that are not advisable for their age. Read the instructions written on boxes and containers of toys---they usually will tell you whether it is fit for children of a particular age.I would never suggest giving toy guns or toy knives to boys, no. Let us help make this world a more peaceful place to live in. Choose toys that have educational value. Again, consider the age of the kid. Do not give a scrabble to a 4-year-old.

Some children love books or coloring books but again you need to consider the age of the child. Do not buy a Harry Potter book to a 4-year-old. Children's books also have age levels so look for them and buy those that fit the birthday boy or girl..

Giving the right gift is an art. You need some creativity in order to come up with a gift that will create that magic sparkle in the kid's eyes.

party venues

For weddings, debuts, anniversaries, birthdays and other occasions, success starts in the choice of the right venue.

Do you want a garden setting? Or a celebratiion at the poolside? Or do you want an indoor or more formal atmosphere?

In choosing to celebrate at an outdoor setting, it is important to have options in case something comes up at the last minute, like a storm, which may make or unmake the party. You have to make sure that the date is typhoon-free if you want a garden or poolside celebration. The venue should have a hall or place to house the guests in case it rains.

Another thing. If you want torches to light your way at the reception choose the right time to hold the party because a torch will never be appreciated in broad daylight.

More party tips on my next entry.

to be wed in June?

For weddings that I hosted, I'd usually ask the couple to clue me as to what they would like to happen at the reception. They'd usually give specifications and preferences which I jot down, like in the flow of the program, they might want certain numbers to come ahead of some numbers or might want to add or skip some of the rituals. Make your program very flexible, allowing for last-minute changes like deletions or insertions.

A regular wedding in the Philippines would have the following items. I know that a lot of people are looking for this because right after each program I hosted a few would come to ask for the copy or script, if I would like to give it away. So here's a sort of a guide that a weding host or MC can follow. This happens at the reception.

I. Arrival of guests (newlyweds receive and welcome them at the entrance to the reception)

II. Entrance of bridal entourage. (when the guests are seated)

III Entrance of the couple who pass through the arc where a shower of blessings (confetti) are released before the start walking in)

IV. Release of doves.

V. (couple might decide at this time to hop from table to table for picture-taking or might want to have this in the middle of the banquet) Couple will proceed to their place at the presidential table. Host gives the introduction.

VI. Welcome speech by groom's or brides's parent(s).

VIII. Prayer before Meals.

IX. Banquet during which entertainment numbers like song and dance renditions can happen.

X. (middle of meal) Speech by one of the principal sponsors

XI. (towards dessert) cutting or slicing of the cake

XII. A bite of the cake---couple take turns feeding each other with a slice of the cake (emcee gives the symbolism while everything is done)

XIII. Toast (by best man)

XIV. Ceremonial drinking of the wine.

XV. Removal of garter.

XVI. bouquet toss

XVII. garter toss

XVIII. slipping of garter into leg of the lady who caught the garter

XIX. Wedding dance.

XX. Dance, dance, dance.

As I said earlier, make the program very flexible. You may want to add or change some of the numbers there. Make it fit the overall mood of the affair.

simple debut programme

I searched the web on this one but many times my search for "debut party" or "debut program" led me to porn sites I wondered why. What were they thinking?

Giving up, I have decided to share my own debut programme which I had tried as emcee in a number of debut parties. Of course, debut parties should be as different as the debutantes themselves. It all depends on what they want to happen. Do they want the party to be serious or formal? Then your programme and hosting style should also adapt to these requirements. If they want the party to be fun yet memorable, as host you also need to spice up your act with a few gimmicks. They might want the party to be wild or loud, so be it.

The host should coordinate with the debutante's family and ask them what they want. Anyway, the programme which I am going to give are only suggestions or tips which any host or emcee can use as guide. Feel free to add or remove numbers which you think are not so important. Let's start.

The success of the programme starts long before the arrival of the guests. The right atmosphere should be set. The place or venue must be perfectly set and soft classical music should be well chosen enough to give the guests the most pleasant welcome. Ushers and usherettes should help the family of the debutante to receive the guests. What is most appropriate is for the debutante herself to welcome and receive the visitors.

However, they have made some changes here because the family and organizers would want the debutante to be rid of this welcoming part and make herself "invisible" to everyone so she can have a most dramatic entrance when the time comes.

When everyone has settled, the most important people, the family as well as the relatives and godparents of the debutante will make their entrance. When they have settled, a number of options may follow:

Prayer

Cotillion

Entrance of debutante with escort

or

Prayer

Intro by host

Welcome by father of debutante

Cotillion

Entrance of debutante with escort

RElease of 18 balloons

Harana or love song to be sung by a gentleman

Meal/dinner

--- 18 Candles & wishes

---blowing of candles after birthday song by everybody

---slicing of cake

---18 treasures

--- 18 roses

Speech of gratitude by debutante

Dancing, dancing, dancing

Underdressed for her prom?

What is it to be underdressed during your prom?

In today's standard, a winning prom gown is one that transforms the wearer into an ultimate beauty, like the magic gown worn by Cinderella to the ball which elicited "oohs and aahs" from both genders, making her the center of attention.

Who does not want to be the center of everybody's admiring eyes? Every girl would want to look her very best during her prom night. And every mother would want her daughter to be the most beautiful on that very night. Mothers would go far and wide looking for the right couturier and designer who could whip up the most elegant gown for their precious darlings.

One such mother thought she made the biggest mistake of her life in consulting the wrong gown maker for her daughter's prom gown. When the design was shown to her, she knew she shouldn't have listened to her. But the gownmaker succeeded in the end to convince her that the gown fitted her daughter perfectly.

The evening of the prom came and the mother was there to see how her daughter compared with others. She was standing next to me and I could hear her muttering, "My daughter is underdressed. My God, I couldn't forgive myself for this. My daughter Annabel is so underdressed". When I looked at the group of gorgeous girls in princess-like gowns, I immediately spotted her daughter and understood what she meant.

While all the other girls were wearing layers and layers of expensive-looking gowns, full blown or gowns fully bursting out occupying much space, the daughter, who I recognized for she was my student, was wearing a gown shaped like a pencil, straight, and slim. It looked very economical, probably using only a meter and a half of cloth for the entire gown.

It's not just the cloth or the number of meters that was so obvious in that gown but it was the "total effect", how it made her look in comparison to all the others around her. She looked like an understatement, she was there but not really. In other words, because of the economy or slimness of the gown, she became lost or almost non-existent.

When everybody else's gowns are screaming with layers of expensive cloth, and yours make you look like a log in vertical position, then you're simply underdressed.

debut

When a girl turns 18, her world opens up to a rainbow of possibilities. Eighteen is the age of maturity, when a girl is formally introduced to the public. This occasion is otherwise known as a girl's "coming out", her first taste of what it's like to have her first dance with a man.

One writer with a very conservative view of what a debut ought to be said that a girl who , before 18, can say that "she'd been there and done that" does not deserve to celebrate a debut. A girl who already had a boyfriend before `18 should not demand to have a grand debut celebration for it defeats the real purpose of celebrating a girl's debut.

A debut is a girl's first formal introduction to the world of adults, particularly to eligible gentlemen. It means she is now allowed to entertain suitors and even have a boyfriend if the right one comes along.

But preparing for a grand debut is not like a walk in the park. Planning should start two months before the affair to allow for practices and preparation of the program, food, invitation, etc.

The debutante can use the help of friends and family to contact people who will have parts in the program. The success of the program depends on choosing the right host or MC for the party. The host or emcee will control the flow of events, how the whole party will start and end. It is important that coordination between the host and the debutante will be made long before the party in order to allow for changes to be fitted in.

18 roses, 18 candles (goes with 18 wishes), 18 balloons, 18 treasures, 18 cakes, 18 "lechons"...the list could be endless. The debutante should choose the events she would like to happen and say so.

If you have any questions as to the flow of the program, you may leave them here under comment and I promise to answer.

mirror, mirror on the wall....

Prom season in our city in the Philippines happens around February. Schools become alive as junior and senior high school students get all excited about the prom which, in today's highly commercialized world, has become a very expensive school activity.

First the food and the place. It has to be a special place fit to hold a ball for hundreds of students who will come formally dressed in gowns and coats. The cost of the place and the food may already cause parents to squirm.

Then the gown or tuxedo which could be over a couple of thousands. Shoes, accessories like earrings, bracelets, bag, rings, brooch or tiarra may add up to hundreds of bucks.

Some prommers can be nasty and ask for services like spa, hair rebond, facials, manicure and pedicure and the like. These would cost another couple of thousands.

Hair and make-up would run close to a thousand pesos depending on the make-up artist or hair stylist. If you go to the not-so-popular beautician, you may save a few bucks.

In the US, however, and in some parts of the world, the celebration of the JS prom is usually held during mid-May and the complications attached to the party are far from less.

This is an event students look forward to and everybody wants to look extra special. to be chosen as the prom queen is one of the dreams of girls attending the party. Of course, the fairest of them all gets to be crowned "Prom Queen".

What is the best gown to wear to the prom? Any suggestions? You may post your comments here.

the marryest month of all is June

There could be several reasons why women, especially in my country, would dream to be wed in June. There seems to be something extra special, something magical about being a "June bride". So what's the big deal about being wed in June? Is there anything in history which will tell us the benefits of choosing the month of June to "tie the knot"?

June, being the 6th month of the year, is named after the Roman goddess, Juno, wife of Jupiter. It is in June that summer begins (in some countries) and spring ends, when beautiful roses are said to be in bloom.

June 24 happens to be fairy day. In the Philippines, June is the beginning of the schoolyear and it could be a good way to begin a new life.

The best tip for June weddings is to stick to roses, have plenty of roses to deck the church and even as motif of the bridal entourage.

Hugz to all the MOMs in the world!

Honoring all the M O M S in the world! Happy Mothers' Day to all mothers in the world!

Without you, this earth would be barren. Without Mothers, you and I will not be here!

Here's to Life! Here's to Mothers! We love You!

Different parts of the world celebrate Mother's Day on different days and dates but most parts like the US, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. honor mothers every second Sunday of May. In our country, that's going to be tomorrow, May 13,2007.

a Princess invites you to a ball!

Plan A for Dewey's 5th birthday would be a Princess' party because it is one theme which is easy to prepare. Moms will not have to worry much about what the kids will wear inasmuch as party clothes or ball clothes are easy to secure. With such a setting we are thinking of a nice and cool place where children will feel comfortable in their ball clothes as the boys will come in prince' attire and the girls will come dressed as princesses. For give-aways, items with princess' motif are like everywhere so this shouldn't cause us much problem. We haven't considered the color motif yet but last year we had pink and lime green. Anyways, we still have 3 more months to go before the day so there will be changes in the days to come.

a trip to Never,Neverland

A trip to Never, Neverland was the theme we decided to have during my grand's 4th birthday. In the invitation we encouraged everyone (including the adults) to come dressed in any of Peter Pan's characters. It was fun. We dressed Dewey like a fairy, many came wearing pirates' costumes, a few wore Peter Pan's dress but most girls came as Tinker Bell. The party started with a fast dance number by the two clowns who also served as major entertainers that evening. For give-aways, we decided to buy colorful and assorted animal rubber toys around which we tied a string with the celebrant's name and date of birth. We chose baby pink and lime green as our color motif so the balloons that decked the place came in pink and green. Earlier, we decided to spread confetti of color motif on the floor and this helped create a fun atmosphere where you see guests happily interacting with each other as the party progressed.

That was last year and Dewey will be turning 5 very soon. We are thinking of a different theme this time and photos of the next event will surely be shared here.

Happy, happy b'day to Racheldarcy!

It is the birthday of a Mylot friend by the name of Racheldarcy and she is turning 34 today. Isn't it the coolest age to be? To Rachel, happy birthday!!! Another Mylotter happens to be celebrating her b'day today--happy natal day to Suryaxxx!

what's in the loot?

For kiddie parties what to put inside the loot bag can be a whole lot of a problem. Add to that the task of stuffing into each bag all the items you want the kids to take home. If you have invited 50 kids, that means stuffing each of the 50 bags with all the goodies you have prepared.

See to it that you give each kid loots containing exactly the same goodies. You don't want to spoil the party with kids crying and fighting for items they could not find in their bags. Stuff in exactly the same goodies. Kids can be very keen on this. If other kids' bags contain small bells or horns and others do not, the party will surely become a crying party.

Remember moms to always use uniformity in give-aways because kids compare and they will always want what others have.

hat party

When my granddaughter had her first birthday we decided it to be a "hat party" because it was the easiest and most practical theme that we could think of. Guests were only required to come wearing "any" attractive hat. We encouraged the kids to don their most fabulous hats in order to win cool prizes.. During the party one number was a "fashion show sort of" making the kids just walk in front to show off their spanky hats. From these kids we chose one boy and one girl to win "best hat". We rented some playground facilities so kids will have more fun.

mom worries that costumes might not make guests come

When a friend's daughter was about to turn one, she was very excited about it. In fact she'd been making plans months before because this was her first baby's birthday. Her invitation, which was simple but personalized, had her daughter's smiling photo on it. Although the design was quite simple, stating only the 5 w's necessary for the guests to get the message, it was personalized. Since this was her daughter's 1st birthday, I suggested to her to make it something more alive and colorful by making the guests come in costumes. She liked the idea but later on thought against it because according to her, guests would usually not come because they did not have costumes to wear. So she did away with the costumes just to make guests feel comfortable and attend the party. She was afraid of having a party with no guests around.

The day of the party came. Two clowns were hired for the occasion and these clowns provided the fun part of the party. They also acted as MC during the entire program, introducing games as well as magic, and generally keeping the party alive.

What gave a good impression was the give-away which consisted of a framed photo of the birthday girl with the guests. Earlier, pictures were taken as soon as guests started to arrive

and these photos were individually framed for guests to take home.

As to food, there was a separate table containing food for parents and another food table for kids.

In the end it's the games that made the kids enjoy the party.

like a princess

To look, feel, and be treated like a princess is a dream-come-true of every debutante. That is why the event of turning 18 is a much-look-forward- to day by girls of all types. After all, a girl is only 18 once that is why today, the debut is one of the most popular social events which cost parents a fortune. One girl who was approaching 18 was asked by her dad what she wanted when the day came. She was given only two options: a car or a grand debut. She chose the latter. Her dream debut venue was at a poolside where everything unfolded like a fairytale coming to life. Pink and white balloons floated on the pool and the debutante came out from an arc of balloons where she was met by the members of the cotillion who were all dressed elegantly to complete the fairytale effect. It was one fantastic night for everyone.

planning is the key

The success of any event lies in the planning which should happen months before the big day. If it is a wedding or debut, many months of planning is needed for a smooth and successful celebration. Those who can afford it might opt to hire a planner or organizer or coordinator to do all the worrying. But this may prove to be a lot more expensive than if you do the planning yourself with the help of your family and friends. A list of the things you need to consider months before and involving willing relatives might be of help. First, the date. If it is a church wedding you need to coordinate with your parish or pastor about the date to avoid conflicts. You don't want to share the limelight with another couple. If it is a birthday, such a debut, the date of the celebration is also important. Certain engagements and schedules might run in conflict with the actual birth date of the debutante so much so that an adjustment will have to be made on the date of the celebration. I would like to point out a certain dilemma which happened to one debutante whose birthday happens to fall on a day before a final examination that she and her friends and classmates will have to take and pass. She could not sacrifice her whole future for one single birthday. However, she wanted to celebrate her debut so much that she had to make a decision, and that was, to move her party 3 days after her final exams. By doing so, she was assured of the full attendance of her classmates and best friends on this very special day of her life. How did the party go? I was the host so I should know. I will talk about it in my next entry.

happy wedding anniversary to a couple in Florida, U.S., new members of Mylot who call themselves Beach Time

You are one lucky couple to have made it to 24 years together (19 years of marriage)! How did you do that? Here's a toast for more glorious years, more happiness, and more love for each other.

Happy, happy birthday to a Mylot friend in Norway

Here's wishing you many more happy years, teison2, from your Mylot family! We love you!

Happy, happy birthday! You're the most important person today!

You are invited!

Yes, you! Don't look around. I am referring to you. You are invited to join the party friends here by submitting to us the date of your birthday, as well as your friends' or loved ones' birthdays so we can join in the happy celebration and greet you in our own special way.How about that? Just leave your birthdays here under comment and we will do the rest of including them under birthdays to note.