Party: Allie's DIY Dessert Table

It was my first attempt to create a dessert table. On Allie's 1st birthday, no less. I channelled my inner Amy Atlas / Martha Stewart. It was scary. But I think it turned out quite alright.

All photos were taken by Resonance Photography

The DIY dessert table

White-washed bird cage. Borrowed cake stand and easel. Custom table runner. DIY cupcake flags. DIY Lilly Pulitzer paper-covered name. Easy paper flowers. Paper tassels. It was a DIY extravaganza.

I had an all-natural lemon cake done by a professional pastry chef. I think she's the pastry chef of Brasserie CiÇou, a cool French cafe in Greenhills that I have yet to write about. Soon.

The pretty flower topping.

She created the cupcakes as well. The cake was like pound cake. Yummy. I made the cupcake flags, which I shared the how-to earlier.

I bought striped wafer straws from the grocery. They came in various colors and flavors.

-- and got some marshmallow twist pops and some marshmallow bites.

We also bought donut holes from the donut store.

My sister had these cake pops made by her friend.

I also had food-grade polybags with personalized stickers for the guests to put in their dessert loots. At the end of the party, the table was unrecognizable. It was empty.

The dessert table was a success. Thank you Amy Atlas for the inspiration.

Party: Supplier Review - Resonance Photography

They are my memory keeper.

It was a fortunate stroke of serendipity to find Donna and Kix Tavora of Resonance Photography. They were referred by Ging Lorenzo.

I saw their sample work, and just like that, I booked them for Alyssa's birthday. I met with Donna at Makati to give her my deposit, and she was so easy to talk to. Donna was helping out her husband in growing their photography gigs, and it is really Kix who takes the photos, but Donna usually assists.

It wasn't smooth sailing as the party neared. Donna sent a message to me saying that Kix will be out of the country during Allie's party weekend, so he won't be able to make it. She offered either a full refund or a discounted rate with her heading the service along with another assistant. I took the chance and still got them. There was a silver lining. I got three photographers for the party. Yay! More pics!

I chose them to be my photobooth supplier too. They printed my Orla Kiely-inspired backdrop for free, and I got to design the layout for the prints.

I wasn't disappointed at all. They were great to work with, and very professional. I'm so glad I got them to cover Allie's party. I would gladly book Resonance Photography next time.

One thing I would suggest to make their service better is the way the photobooth was handled. The operator was friendly, but it would have helped if she gave us some sort of audible warning when the camera was counting down already to take the photos. Hmm, come to think of it, she gave some 2 seconds. Eek. Sayang some pictures. Too candid. Haha.

Here are the photos that made it to my list.

Resonance Photography:

Contact person - Donna Tavora

E: resonance.kixtavora@gmail.com | C: +63922-882-8672 | Facebook link

   Kiddie party rates start at P7,000

Book: Amy Atlas' Sweet Designs

It's no secret that love Amy Atlas and her work. Now, she's about to launch her new book, Sweet Designs, on April, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

You can pre-order on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.