Madge's Christening (05|18|13)

YEEY! My little pearl is now a certified Roman Catholic!!

:D

Last May 18, 2013, Madge was baptized with the name Fabrienne (Italian word for 'work with the hands' and French term for little blacksmith) Madge (greek term of Pearl) Asico Bongalbal. (Fabrienne Madge A. Bongalbal).

So who named her? Mommy!!

Where did I get those? From the world wide web ofcourse! I researched for it and studied why I should give her that name. First, I don't want her to have a common name. Second, I want her first name to describe her (inaassume kong magiging artistic sya since frustration ko un) and her second name (which served as her nickname) describes what she is for us.

To be honest, I really wanted her baptism to be extra special (I know all mommies do). So we provided her all those extra special stuffs on her big day. From the special individual baptism, to a somehow extravagant catering service.. from the yummy cupcakes and cutie souvenir, plus the photo booth, and the great Kuya Boyet as our photographer.

It was held at Sto. Domingo Parish in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City and I chose the 11:30 a.m. slot since it is not too early for us to cram (i hate cramming early in the morning) and not too late for the lunch as well.

Fritz's friend and Madge's ninong Brix, drove us all the way from Bagong Silang to Sto. Domingo. We left the house at 10:45 a.m. and the time travel from the house to the church took us an hour or so to reach our destination (eerrgh!downside of the 60kph @ Commonwealth). I admit, we were really late and we have no more time to fix everything we need for the ceremony, like the candles. I just asked the Godparents to tie a yellow ribbon I cut on the way to the church on the pink candle (atleast hindi bare masyado..hehe). Good thing, the baptism Ceremony before us is still ongoing that's why I still had my chance to distribute the candles and ribbons to the Godparents.

Here are some photos we had while waiting for Madge's turn.

trying to capture her smile

the uber makulit na celebrant!

mommy and baby

ninong Mark, ninang Marilyn and ninang Julien with Jorge

After a long while, we proceeded inside the chapel for the celebration. the ceremony started with a mass....

mommy, daddy and baby in front, Godparents at the back

Father Rudolph (if Im not mistaken)

family and friends

followed by the tracing of the cross to Madge's forehead by her Godparents...Baby's a little, super makulit thus making it hard for her ninongs and ninangs to trace a cross on her forehead..hehe..

Father first..mejo nagtaray ang bata kaya natawa kami. hahaha 

then ninong Pao (black shirt) and ninong Bruce (wearing blue)

ninong Jay

ninang N.A.

ninong Brix 

ninong Daryll 

ninong Budi

ninang Yen 

ninang Marilyn 

ninong Mark

Then, the pouring of water on her head..

inaasar sya ni tito DJ na iiyak kapag binuhusam, kaya lang tumawa sya pagkabuhos..hehe

cutie pie Madge smiling on her guests

Then tracing of cross using oil..

kala nya naligo lang sya..hehe

After that, the lighting of the candle..

daddy starting the lighting of candle

passing the light

sharing her light

Godparents holding their lights

The Baptismal Ceremony didn't last that long. After saying our prayers, Father Rudolph asked us to pose for the photo opportunity with him.

with father.. (fyi, hinubad na ni Madge ung shoes nya, nainis na)

..and photo ops it is:

with the family:

mother's side

father's side

with the Godparents:

Godparents

wacky nga ba?

Ninongs

Ninangs

Madge's kakulitan caught on continuous shot..haha

some more pix with friends:

office buddies

Jerusalem, so asan si Madge ko??

After the photo shoot (hehe) we then proceeded to the second floor for the reception.

Since we are late, I didn't get the chance to have the guest book and message board ready..:(

(sayang ang effort ko pag gawa..huuhuu..bawi-bawi sa persberdey!)

I loved the decorated function room c/o the caterer, Stars n Sun. (see it here)

We had a little of the photobooth after eating (hindi ata uso sa guests ni Madge un..hehe)

Then, some more photos by Kuya Boyet:

kulitan with daddy

Mara, Diane and the author

college dabarkads

the super late ninang gets the super cute pose from Madge..

our extended family

Madge is one lucky girl. With all the people who showed how much they care for her, and everyone who is willing to lend a helping hand, she is sure to face everything and surpass all with a happy heart and a smiling face..:)

Coping with bff @ Papa John's SM City Fairview

Last night, I had the chance to cope with my highschool bestfriend Miles. It's been awhile since we last had a bonding moment and its great to know nothing changed after nearly twelve years.

She treated me for dinner @ Papa John's. I ordered Diablo Burst (w/c i didn't think was spicy, silly me!), she had her carbonara palate and we ordered cheese stick for an appetizer. I didn't get the chance to taste her carbonara but my penne wasn't really that bad. It has the taste of Italy where pastas are to be sour. The only downside (atleast for me) is it's chili flavor ( i ain't fond of eating spicy foods). The cheese stick was just so perfect. The dough is not overly cooked and the cheese has just the right taste. (can't find the word that suites ei? haha).  I would order from their spread of pizzas next time I visit them.

Anyway, its always nice to see your bestfriend not changing even if time flies extremely fast. She remained as 'makulit' as she is. I've known her since way back 2001 when I had to transfer to another  school for my secondary education. It has been a rough 12 years for both of us. Since we're always together during highschool, people always compare us to each other. We often had petty fights because of that. We even came to a point where we stopped communicating with each other because of some silly reasons. But now I am effin' glad we surpassed it all. I am thankful to have a friend who listens to my woes and laughs at my corny jokes..I'm expecting loads of 'lakwacha' with her this year. :D

Madge's Christening overview

Yes, my Baby Madge's Baptism is done. But I still wanted to make a summary of what really pushed through with the checklist I made weeks before the event. 

1.) Church - Yes, Sto. Domingo is our final choice

The Altar

Price:

P 1,500.00 = Individual / Special Baptism w/ 1 pair of sponsor free

P 2,000.00 = for the Godparents

          P 100.00 = per succeeding sponsor  ( Madge have 11pairs )

TOTAL:

P 3,500.00 - P 1,000.00 (discount)

=P 2,500.00

2.) Catering Service - Yes, we really had Stars n Sun as our final caterer. I loved the design of the function room.

Here are the foods they served and the decorated function room:

carbonara

stir fried veggies

shanghai

roasted chicken

beef with mushroom in gravy sauce

fruit platters

choco dips and choco fountain

mallows

biscuits

wafer sticks

red velvet cupcakes from Epicurean Cupcakes

cupcake tower, cupcake and bear souvenirs

juice fountain

i really love this!!

the friendly staffs

Price:

P 22,175.00 ( 250/head for 70pax + 20% service charge + 1,750 upgrade fee from pancit canton to carbonara)

3.) Function Room = uh huh! Sto. Domingo Function Room, St. Thomas Hall it is! :)

Price:

P 3,500.00

4.) Invitations - main invite layout from Rads, and another layout of the Godparents made by yours truly..

main invite, forgot to place the time

Godparents

invitations

Price:

Photo paper (water proof) = P 50.00

Ribbons = P 9.00/yard (9 yards thick one) P2.00/yard (3 yards thin) = P 87.00

Paper for envelope = (P42.00 per piece, 2pcs.) = P84.00

P 221.00

5.) Souvenirs - cute little teddy bear keychains in acetate boxes from Divisoria for P40.00 each

cute bears

Price

P 2,000.00

6.) Photo Booth = a so-so layout and super konting props, is what I got from a discouned online voucher. But their prints are great.

layout

me, sleeping Madge and hubby

Price

P 2,699.00

7.) Cupcakes = I got 60 pcs from Epicurean cupcakes, 25 boxed, for the Godparents and 35 not boxed for other guests, this also served as Madge's Baptismal cake. P50.00/pc

Price

P 3,000.00

red velvet cupcake (grabbed from Epicurean's fb page)

8.) Photographer / Videographer = Hubby didn't pursue with his friend so we got Kuya Boyet (BusinessWorld's photographer) instead.

Price

P 1,500.00

I am very grateful to the guests who spent their precious time to join Madge's baptism and I am super happy with the outcome of my much planned event. Now, I can't wait to plan for Madge's first birthday on November..:D

Expenses:

Church                    =    P   2,500.00

Catering Service     =    P 22,175.00

Function Room       =    P  3,500.00

Invitations               =     P    221.00

Souvenirs                =     P 2,000.00

Photo Booth            =     P 2,699.00   

Cupcakes                =      P 3,000.00

Photographer         =      P 1,500.00

TOTAL:                         P 37,595.00

Madge's Christening Checklist

Since January of this year, I busied myself in planning and preparing for my baby Madge's Christening, from looking for the best church, to the invitations, catering service, photo booth and souvenirs. I went from sulit to multiply market place and facebook to search for the best stuffs for my little pearl's big day. I even read online forums to give me a clue on what to do on her baptism.

And now, 3 weeks before the event, I am so happy that I am almost done with all the preparations. (payments nalang ang kulang which has to be made on the day itself)

Here's a checklist of Madge's Christening:

1.) Church - Actually, I have 2 churches in mind; St. Peter's Parish in Fairview Quezon City and Sto. Domingo Parish in Quezon Ave., also in Q.C.
                   Why St. Peter? because we live near the place and it will be of easy access to us. And why Sto. Domingo Parish? Because most of the guests and the sponsors know the church and it will be hassle free for them going there.
                   In the end, I chose Sto. Domingo Parish, not only for the guests but also because they make me feel like a V.I.P. and I had discounts c/o Michelle Quezada (one of Madge's Godmothers). She works as a volunteer there that's why she knows the church people and she has really good access to the schedules.  hehe.

Price:
P 1,500.00 = Individual / Special Baptism w/ 1 pair of sponsor free
P 2,000.00 = for the Godparents
          P 100.00 = per succeeding sponsor  ( Madge have 11pairs )

TOTAL:
P 3,500.00 - P 1,000.00 (discount)
=P 2,500.00

2.) Catering Service - Originally, Max's Restaurant was the reception in my mind after Madge's Christening. Since Max's Q. Ave. Branch is just one jeepney away from the church, i thought it will be easy for the guest to proceed there after the baptismal ceremony. Besides, the restaurant already have their baptismal package (with invitations, souvenirs, etc.) so it will be a lot easier for me to plan for other important things for the event. But when they changed their baptismal packages, I decided not to get them. (medyo nagtaas kasi sila ng packages)
                   So, after searching the world wide web for a budget friendly catering service, I tumbled upon Stars n Sun Catering Service. (their website here) It was also referred to me by Michelle (again) and she stated good reviews regarding their service. So with no but's, I decided to have them for the baptism. I got the package worth P 275/head with complete set up, BOTTOMLESS fresh fruit fountain, and a free chocolate fountain with dips.

Price:
P 21,175.00 ( 275/head for 70pax + 10% service charge)

3.) Function Room = Sto. Domingo has a reception area which is usually rented for weddings and baptismal. The St. Thomas Hall's rate is P 7,000.00. But we're lucky enough that our caterer has a tie up with Sto. Domingo that's why we had the function room for 50% off.

Price:
P 3,500.00

4.) Invitations - To be honest, I had lots of designs I personally made for the invitations. But in the end, I decided to get the help of my officemate, Rads for the layout. I only had to buy the photo paper, ribbons and scented papers for the envelopes from National bookstore and printed it somewhere free. :D

Price:
Photo paper (water proof) = P 115.00
Ribbons = P 50.00
Scented Paper = P 80.00-P 100.00
P 265.00

5.) Souvenirs - when I saw the cute teddy bear in acetate box on an online store, I thought this would be the perfect giveaway for Madge's Christening. So when I got the chance to visit Divisoria, I looked for it and purchased 50pcs for 40pesos each. It's cheaper compared to the 55pesos online price. It's already complete with the ribbon and tag and acetate box.
                   The only thing which broke my heart is when I found out I'm missing one piece. I only got 49pcs of the souvenirs. Worst, I counted the giveaways at home that's why I didn't get the chance to get that one piece. I tried to text the shop yet they didn't reply.
                   If you're planning to buy from Divisoria, I advise you to count the souvenirs first before leaving the shop. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they only miscounted the stuffs.

Price
P 2,000.00

6.) Photo Booth = It was never my plan to have a photo booth on Madge's baptism. Not only that it costs too much and its out of the budget but I also feel this isn't necessary. but when I bumped to Ensogo's great deals and saw a Photobooth worth 2,699 for a 3 hour photobooth package, I grabbed it. (Ensogo's a website which offers discounted deals)
                   Iclique photo by Perfect Moments Photobooth (check rates here) gives us a very good deal of 3 hours unlimited shots with free standee, an onsite master, customized photo layout, backdrop, soft copy on CD and props. At first, I had a hard time contacting and communicating with them but they assured and confirmed me that they have already saved and scheduled May 18 for me.

Price
P 2,699.00

7.) Cupcakes = This wasn't also on my list but when I saw events which has cupcake towers, I feel I got to have it for my angel's Christening. Kim, an online blogger and a friend (also one of Madge's Godmothers) has an online shop (Epicurean Cupcakes) offering baked goodies specially made by her sister. They sell cupcakes for 50 pesos each piece, already with box and/or cake topper. There's an additional of 120.00 for the tower.

Price
P 2,500.00

8.) Photographer / Videographer = Of course, this would never be out of my list. We are lucky Fritz has a photographer friend who works in a photo shop. He only asked us for P 1,500.00 pesos for his fee and for the camera rentals. (He doesn't have his own DSLR so he has to rent from the shop)

Price
P 1,500.00

It's roughly 3 weeks before Madge's big day from now and I'm a super excited and a little nervous at the same time. :)

Expenses:
Church                    =    P   2,500.00
Catering Service     =    P 21,175.00
Function Room       =    P  3,500.00
Invitations               =     P    265.00
Souvenirs                =     P 2,000.00
Photo Booth            =     P 2,699.00   
Cupcakes                =      P 2,500.00
Photographer         =      P 1,500.00
TOTAL:                         P 36,139.00