Finding that special place

So my kid's celebrating his first birthday on the 17th of April this year. At the same time, we're getting him baptized as among the billion strong Roman Catholics out there.

Naturally, we want to celebrate it with family and friends. So first we have to do is find a place where we can  hold that celebration.

One of the criteria we're looking for is the location. It needs to be very accessible as not all of our friends drive cars, so it's necessary that they can commute to the place using public transportation.

Another criteria, is that it needs to be near to the church we're having the baptism.

Another, the rent should be inexpensive, if not free altogether as long as they provided the catering services. And if that's the case, the food should be good enough, if not outstanding.

Finally, one that I'm particularly obsessed about, is that it should be as private as possible. A place that we can have for ourselves. So chinese restaurants or places subdivided into function rooms is definitely out of the question.

We did most of our searching online and relied heavily on fora, especially for parents.

There were quite a few places that would have been great, if it only met all three requirements:

• Dad's - They have two places that are great locations, one in Glorietta, and the other in Megamall. Accessible locations and are near to churches. Both locations offer Meryendads, an eat-all-you can promo for merienda time for less than 300php, which is perfect for the time we would be having the party as well as budgetary constraints. Unfortunately, you can't rent the entire place although you get a function room. 
• 500 Shaw Events Pavilion - This is a fairly new place, started around 2011, and we accidentally found it when we came from Ortigas on our way to Archbishop's Palace to inquire about having a baptism there. It's along Shaw Boulevard and it's very near the Archbishop's Palace. The place is very new, has a high ceiling and it's really perfect for events. It's inside 500 Shaw so you have covered parking, which is free. The rent is also free if you choose them as your caterer. It's not exactly cheap, but it's relatively inexpensive compared to other places. For around 58,000php for 120 adults, that's just 490php per person, which is definitely a bargain when you compare it to other events places.
• Prestige Towers - Hidden within the confines of Ortigas Center, is an events place in the penthouse level of Prestige Towers. They don't have an online presence, but do some serious online searching and you'll find out that they have been hosting events, especially birthdays, for quite a number of years.  Based on the reviews, food is good, and more importantly, very cheap. For around 30,000 php, you get the place for free and enough food for 100 guests. It's very accessible, and is just beside an open area parking. On weekends, there are barely any office workers in the building, so you practically have the entire place all to yourselves. The only drawback, is that it's a bit old, the lighting is gloomy. It's really a great place to have celebrations, except if you want it to be really, very special.

So, who's the winner for our kid's party venue? It's actually the first place my wife and her sister dropped by for an ocular visit. We found it in a local online buy and sell forum.

One Cafe Events Place - The venue is located at the 6th floor of One Corporate Center. If you're an Ortigas-based slave like me, you'll know that the building itself is fairly new (finished around 2009).  The function room isn't really sprawling, and the ceiling isn't that high. But the main function room along with a smaller adjacent one can fit 170pax easily. The design is modern, with floor to ceiling windows covered by blinders you can easily adjust to let more natural light in. The place is free but you'll have to make do with their in-house menu as the place is really a cafe foremost, with available function rooms for special events. But from what we've heard, the food isn't that bad, and they don't charge corkage fees for certain items. They have AV equipment you can use for free along with a projector. They have set-plate menus for full meals or meriendas, and buffet set-ups as low as 345php per person. Kiddie meals are priced at around 150php. 

It was a toss-up between Prestige Towers and One Cafe Events Place. I really wanted to go with 500 Shaw Events place, but after the initial excitement of seeing the place and I had sobered down a bit, you can see how it was a bit impractical for us. We wanted to have a great first birthday and baptism for our still only kid, but the 60k we'll be shelling out for the place, doesn't cover our other expenses such as the giveaways, invitations, and other miscellaneous expenditures. So our final costs might nearly reach 80-90k. We want the event to be special, but we don't want to get broke in the process.

Prestige Towers seemed like the one that offered most bang for your buck. You had the entire place to yourselves and it was a step up from celebrating birthdays at a fastfood or chinese restaurant. Not that we are averse to the idea, or seem too snotty. But the place really seemed gloomy to me with the lighting and rather old interiors.

So, after debating for a while, and having seen One Cafe for myself, my wife and I agreed to have the reception at One Cafe. Although it means we'll be tightening our belts for months to come, parenting does mean putting your kids first, before yourself. And even if our kid won't remember the party itself, I still have that old saying to ease my worrisome wallet: It's the thought that counts.