Michael Dela Paz, my classmate from high school sent me a message in Facebook asking me to touch base with his sister – Rachel Mallari. After a couple of emails, we got to talk on how I can be of help in executing her plans for Bea’s coming of age party since she wants to change their current Event Planner.

She shared her disappointments with their first Event Planner such as:

• Very hard to locate / communicate with
• Response to email – too slow
• Hired to do Full Planning and Coordination but client did most of the work
• No creative input

I would have to agree that it is best to change Event Planners considering that the party is fast approaching and they still do not have an invitation to start with.

Team Mallari was easy to work with (I call them Team Mallari because I got to talk to the whole family in planning the party). They know what they want and all I have to do is fine tune everything and execute their plans on the day of the party.  Ms. Rachel was even considerate with my time. She’s not demanding like other clients who feel like they’re the only client and wants your full attention whenever they need you. I’m just so lucky to have such understanding clients.

The first time I saw Bea, I thought I was looking at Jessica Sanchez. If Bea is a little bit taller, she would look great walking down the runway.

Ms. Rachel and Bea shared with us some thoughts on their experience in working with us. We hope that you will be able to learn from their experience.

~ What’s the best thing that happened during the party planning?
The best thing that ever happened during the party planning was your valuable input / recommendations you had done in invitation layout / drafting. You executed Bea’s suggestion to change the title of 18 roses (to 18 shades of lavender) and 18 treasures (to 18 paint brushes) in relation to her event theme / concept. You have keen eyes on every single detail of what has been written in the invitation and you can easily make changes on all the mistakes. You were able to make the invitation simply formal.

You came out with a different way for making the presentation of 18 treasures more memorable by showcasing a simple strokes or painting in the canvas of every person in 18 treasures before they make their own wishes. The best treasure that Bea will always cherish.

~ Your “aawww” moment.
When you were able to give feedback during the food tasting that lead to a better menu to offer to all the guests.

When you found the giant BEA name in one of the shops that gave us an idea and pattern to use in Bea’s giant name and that was placed at the front of the venue. It was so beautiful displayed during the event.

Likewise, Jade the Graphic Designer of Invitation Designs of Kenneth Uy enhanced the front page design of the invitation which was originally sketched by Bea.

~ Advice to a mother or debutante who is planning her party.
Party planning is having a simple concept / theme in mind. Plan it well and ensure you will put some creativity and drama to make it more interesting and if you have the money to spend, go for it.

Hence, if you have constraints in budget you can still make your party memorable and fun all you have to do is hire a good Event Planner to help you make a better plan, good execution, meet your budget and expectations.

Focus on what will make you happy and those as time goes by you will always remember and will never fade off.

~ Tips on how to save in party planning.
Nowadays, throwing a party is all about splurging and it is soooo pricey. I discovered there are heaps of changes happened in debut event and it is almost has the same elements as having a wedding. The fancier you want it, expect it to be more expensive. On the other hand, knowing that the event was successful and everyone was happy, all the money spent were worth it.

To help make it more reasonable, the debutante and the parents or the mother should be more hands-on in choosing the right supplier who would fit your budget but the most important one it would always deliver quality results. The basic tip that I could advise, expect the unexpected especially on money matters. Be a good negotiator (negotiate for good / best price). Always spend time on searching for a good supplier that could meet your expectations, very flexible and could provide an option if you request for the reasonable price. Hence, get a competent, resourceful and creative Event Planner – most recommendable Event Planner is Summer Carullo of Simply Beautiful Events.

~ What’s the best thing that happened during the party?
As per Bea, every single moment had played a vital role in the event. Everything we planned was well organized and executed. The gallery was simply elegant. The guests were all happy and had a great time. Bea’s heart was touched when the video of her friends and high school classmates were shown. The growing up AVP and the SDE done by Red Aisle Films were amazing and gorgeous. Hindi sya mukhang one day lang ginawa ang planning / conceptualization stage and the video shooting on the same day. Moreover, her brother’s speech was significant and made me feel proud of their good relationship as brother and sister. Bea can’t control her tears during the father and daughter dance.

~ Things that went wrong or things that you could have done differently.
I don’t think it was even relevant in the event. Nobody could even notice some glitches, minor mistakes. I would say it was all about small nitty gritty things. Some of the guests commented it was almost perfect and you, your whole team made the event smooth sailing.

~ Best decision ever made.
Best decision ever made … by trusting Summer Carullo of Simply Beautiful Events to handle the most important and once in a lifetime event – 18th birthday of my daughter, Beatrice (Bea) Mallari. As you know, YES, you are my second choice but the best one I ever made. You are my saviuor from the worst nightmare from the first Event Planner I hired.

Once again, when you came into the picture, I regained the momentum to continue the things I and my daughter started from the basic theme, conceptualization, planning and searching for required suppliers.

Moreover, your recommendation for DJ Hitman was the right one. He made a strong impact as an emcee/host during the entire party. Some of the guests made a good commendation about him. They were even asking how we found him. On the event itself, I was so impressed how he managed to run the show. Ang galing sa adlib. Very articulate and energetic emcee/host.

~ What are the things that triggered me to choose you as our Event Planner?
I read your profile in one of the websites. It is quite a long one that make me more anxious to read it. Your name Simply Beautiful Events immediately sink into my mind – may pagka low profile and pagka masa ang dating 🙂

Fortunately, without knowing ikaw palang ang nire-recommend ng brother ko to get as our Event Planner from the very start I was looking for one. This time around, I decided to listen to him and got the chance to hear and talk to you via mobile phone.

First impression, your sweet voice and politeness sound promising and more professional. You are also prompt in your responses and decision making, flexible, transparent and you even possessed a good listening skills that give me the confidence to choose you.

I am overwhelmed with joy with all the hard work, support, patience and never ending help you have done in making my daughter’s 18th birthday tremendously successful.

OMG!! I never made a mistake in choosing you as our Event Planner…

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much..

Cheers!

Rachel Mallari from down under, Australia

Thank you so much, Ms. Summer, for all the hard work and patience. You made my 18th birthday a very successful one. I appreciate everything you’ve done. Thanks.

Bea

Event Details:

Shared Planning and Coordination: Simply Beautiful Events
Prep Site: Holiday Inn Glorietta
Invitations: Invitation Designs by Kenneth Uy
Flowers and Styling: New York Florals
Hair and Make up: Make up by AnneVida
Reception: Enderun
Caterer: Enderun
Gown: Debbie Co
Cake: Hearts and Bells Cake Artistry
Photo: Kenneth Uy Photography
Video: Red Aisle Films
Souvenirs: Lightpipe
Emcee: DJ Hitman