Yuan's Baptismal Celebration

06.07.09

Ive been longing to blog Yuan’s baptism, so here it is:

Originally, I was thinking of baptizing him simultaneous to his 1st birthday. But he’s growing really fast and at 3 months he’s quite big. I realize how big he could get at 1 year old and will no longer be cute on his baptismal suit. So there, after weeks of planning and preparation, we set the date on the 7th of June (Sunday) at St. John Bosco Parish Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Invitation
For the invitation layout, I chose blue and green, the layout was done by Paolo’s sister thru Digiscrap. I have it printed as photo and just added the site map. For those who can only be reached thru email, I have another version of the invitation with other stuff like more of Yuan’s photos, which I sent thru email.

Godparents and Guests
I want godparents to feel very special, since they are the “chosen ones” hehe.. So instead of visiting them to formally ask to be Yuans godparent, again I utilized the email. Sent individual presentation to each of the Ninongs and Ninangs. Im glad all godparents made it to the ceremony. Of course we are also grateful to see our family and friends grace Yuan’s big day!

Church and the Ceremony
Parishes nowadays are strict. They have so many requirements:
a. Parents should be married in the catholic church
b. Both parents should be Catholics
c. All godparents should also be Catholics
d. All godparents and parents should attend the seminar
e. Etcetera..etcetera

Thank God coz at St. John Bosco, theyre not that meticulous, though we were questioned since we had a garden wedding, so technically not a Catholic celebration. We haggled and made friends with the parish secretary and buti nalang Bosconian (yes, were both Catholic since birth) si Pao. They talked about the priests they both know. And voila! She allowed us to have Yuans baptism there. Thanks Tita Esther! My regret was they don’t allow special celebration, so we have no choice but to have it together with other celebrants as well.

And there, at the event itself, we were surprised that the should be solemn ceremony looked like a “binyagang-bayan” sa sobrang daming biniyagan. So for you guys planning for a baptism, look for a church that allows you to pick your day and go solo.

Photography
This need not to be expensive or spend out for. Just use your resources and ask a family member or friend to cover the celebration for you. As for ours, one of Yuan’s ninong is a photographer; Pao’s sister has an SLR, so there we have two sets of photographers! My only regret was, since the church was too crowded and the ambiance not really good, we failed to take photos of godparents holding Yuan – you know, the traditional photo-op.

Venue and Catering
We had several options for our venue. First we scouted several restos. Restos are a practical choice if you have limited guests with budget range of 25K-40K for 50 pax. But in our case, we need a bigger space. One of our choices was the clubhouse, these are cheap alternatives price range is at Php2,500-3,000 + catering. Try San Jose Village, Sta. Rosa Estates, or South Forbes (they have accredited caterers). We resorted to the St. John Bosco Hall. It was such a perfect venue – indoor, air-conditioned, just beside the church, comfort rooms are clean, and cheap at Php4, 500.

 

We had Golden Verina for our catering. Their service was good, ample serving, and they’re really prompt. The only downside was they didn’t provide a contract and made some price adjustments at the last minute. The whole package was at Php25,000. You may reach them at (02) 823-0878 look for Tita Carmen.

A special AVP presentation was also shown and it really tickled my heart – to see my pics when I was still pregnant and later its Yuan’s big smile!

Cakes and Souvenirs
The cakes were from Anna Banana’s which was perfectly done, and really yummy. Big thanks to Ate Mich for shouldering the cake and cupcakes! We love you Ate Mich! We also had Mernels cake!

For the souvenirs, godparents received cupcakes from Anna Bananas, and relatives and friends - Yuan’s hand sanitizer. You may call Michelle at 0929-6886848.

So there, we want to thank everyone for coming to Yuan’s baptismal celebration and for all who have extended their help! For those who didn’t make it thank you for the blessings. God bless!!!!