What a special day! My little man, Tristan Antonio was baptized a few weeks ago and it was such a joyful celebration. He was surrounded by our closest family and friends who really made an effort to be there. We couldn’t ask for a better day–the sun was shining, we had the church to ourselves and we had such a happy celebration after at Acacia Hotel Manila.

It’s funny, my mom had been bugging me for weeks to plan this baptism. I needed to delay this christening though because Tristan’s pediatrician wanted some of his vaccinations in his system before the big event (better to be safe than sorry). And, though I hate to admit it, I was dreading the planning part because it reminded me so much of our wedding (planning these big events are always so stressful). My worries were short-lived though, because as soon as I met with the lovely people at Acacia Hotel, most of the details were quickly ironed out and the rest of the decision-making were done through text and emails. No fuss, no muss.

Acacia Hotel Manila offered us their grandest ballroom: the Sequoia Ballroom, which made the event so much more special. Part of the awesome package was four hours use of the room, an incredible buffet (we tried and chose each dish before the lunch), a round of drinks for all our guests, and a centerpiece for each table (Acacia collaborated with my event stylist, The Event Architects for this). It all came together so well. I couldn’t be happier about the turnout. First off, the ballroom was gorgeous and so easy to dress up. I initially thought it was a little too big for my event, but after styling it and seeing all our guests, I realized we fit so comfortably in the room. The kids were able to run and play while the adults happily chatted the day away. Secondly, and I really have to mention this: the food was so delicious. I think this is so important at any event, because everyone always remembers the food! We had such a great variety of dishes to choose from, and Acacia works with your budget so they can adjust accordingly. Plus you can request for a food tasting day, which is what we did. We were able to sample all the food at the buffet and make suggestions on how to improve the menu. Third, the service was impeccable. The waiters were so attentive and nice, they took such good care of us at the event. They really went the extra mile to serve us, which meant so much to us. And lastly, the location–Acacia Hotel is in Alabang, which is where most of my family and friends are from! It is such a convenient location for us and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

For the theme and decorations, I got The Event Architects to dress up the venue. For a second, I thought of taking care of this part myself, but then I immediately talked myself out of it. I am terrible with DIY decorations, and I cannot imagine making a trip to Divisoria to pick up all the things needed for the theme (I went with rustic/shabby chic baby boy theme), especially since I had to bring Tristan with me. Anyway, I had The Event Architects in mind from the start because they are so good at what they do. I’ve seen their work before and I knew they could get the look I wanted effortlessly. And true enough, they got it right, just as I envisioned it! I love what they did for Tristan’s baptismal lunch.

And of course, the pretty cake and cupcakes were made by my favorite baker, My Little Buttercup! Owners Ros Campa-Gelano and husband Victor are incredible at what they do. The cakes not only looked good but they tasted heavenly. Thank you for making the cake I wanted! It was soooooo good!

Check out the photos from the event. This was such a happy, memorable day for us! All photos were taken by Yayay De Castro (follow him on IG: @yayaydecastro).