Contributor: Nancy Seng of Passion Flowers
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The last line from the American poet Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”, served as the inspiration for Amara Paige Seng’s 1st Birthday celebration. Indeed the whole event was designed to celebrate unorthodox methods, the taste for unknown adventure, and cultivating the uniqueness of every child.
Held at Davao Convention and Trade Center, this event was decorated and organized by Davao’s homegrown source for creative floral arrangements and intimate events, PASSION FLOWERS.
PASSION FLOWERS is a testament to the sisterhood-power of BRENDA DU-CAM and NANCY DU-SENG, who started sharpening their creative organizing and styling skills back when they were still enterprising singles.
Incidentally, Amara is the second child of Nancy, the lead designer of Passion Flowers. Her second child’s adventurous personality and curiousity about the world around her inspired her to choose a theme that will bring the outdoors in.
BRINGING THE OUTDOORS IN
Guests to the event were greeted by an entrance adorned with oversized paper flowers, greenery, and a quirky signpost inviting guests to come in and experience “the road less travelled”.
Stepping inside, one’s attention is immediately drawn to the left of the expansive ballroom to the central area below the stage, where a grass-carpeted craft area for kids is furnished with sea grass cushions and low tables made from locally-sourced wooden pallets. Hovering above this area were festive strings of warm-colored garden lights and hanging flowers, completing the outdoor party feel. Immediately to the left and right of this area were rows of kid sized tiffany chairs and dinner tables decorated with gigantic floating balloons adorned by hanging vines and thick slabs of repurposed tree trunks that were carefully set aside when the couple was clearing the lot for their then-future house.
Your eyes then move up to the slightly elevated main stage featuring 3D stylized woodland animals and tree silhouette. On the right side of the stage, the guests were amazed upon seeing a kid-scale camper van which also doubled as a dessert display and photo op area. This camper van, painted with pantone color of the year, serenity and blue rose quartz with a wooden kitchen inside is indeed, a child’s dream come true… a double purposed playhouse where Amara’s exploration continues and her imagination can be endless even after the party. Then in the middle of the stage is a repainted heirloom metal garden set served as the setting for a 4-tier banana walnut birthday cake. The rest of the custom woodland animal desserts were made accessible down at the kid’s craft area on a whimsical handcrafted treehouse planted on the centermost table.
On stage left , the kids doesn’t want to leave this mini petting zoo featuring Siamese Cats, rabbits, turtles, pug, African lovebirds, and an emerald green parrot. This area had backdrop made from wooden pallets and hung with upcycled car tires acting as planters for a cornucopia of flowers.
On the left side of the petting zoo, kids were encouraged to customize their own giveaway sling bags using custom crafted rubber stamps that goes with the nature inspired theme. They are also provided with letters stamps to personalized the bags with their names.
On stage right, food carts served guests with healthy treats such as MISSY BONBON gelato, SOUL KITCHEN cold-pressed juices (a healthier option), and TATER’s flavoured popcorn.
No doubt, this was a real children’s party, with a full third of the whole space dedicated for the 100 plus kids and toddlers invited by the celebrant’s family. But sensitive to the needs of older guests who wanted a quieter space (but still near the action), the organizers divided the dining space for adults away from the kid’s busy area with an open space designated for the games and special numbers. However, the adults were treated with the best views of the big LCD screen located on their side for the AVP presentations (and prime access to the buffet tables, of course). Above the adult’s dining area hung cloth ceiling works of pastel hues, floating bamboo hoops laced with climbing beautifully crafted paper vines and flowers. Each round table had a natural geometric centerpiece made from fresh flowers and real succulent plants in a hexagonal wooden planter with a requisite floating balloon for height.
BLACKLIGHTS AND A SURPRISE RAP
After a sumptuous dinner catered by the venue, guests were treated to a surprise rap number from the celebrant’s dad, her uncle and her 3 year-old brother, singing a personalized version of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Growing Up (Sloane’s Song)”. The event’s grand finale began as venue lights were completely darkened and whirling colored streamers suddenly appeared for a magical glowing LED poi number by Davao’s young talents; a fitting end to Amara’s celebration of unconventionality and spirit of adventure!
Vendors who made it all happen:
Venue: Davao Convention & Trade Center // Styling & Coordination:
Nancy Seng & Brenda Cam of Passion Flowers // Invitations: The Lucky Cat Press // On the Spot Giveaway Bag Stamping Booth: Passion Flowers Davao // Cake: Cupcake Couture Davao // Desserts: Crafty Cakes & Cupcakes // Food Carts : Taters, Soul Kitchen Fresh Juices, Missy Bonbon Gelato // Event Photo Coverage: Simply Gray Studio // Pre-birthday shoot: Mimathology
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