The 18th Chapter

Hello~ This blog post is about my 18th birthday party. The content below will showcase my experiences when I organized my own party. I wrote this because I want to inspire others to do it too. This is a risk-taking event, and it made me so proud of myself to have it successfully done.

If you are planning to do so, I hope this helps.

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The 18th Chapter

by Jewel Liaison

Before my mother passed away, the last thing we argued about was my 18th birthday celebration. Her ideal celebration was the typical debut wherein the debutante, wearing a long sparkling red dress, will walk like a bride in a fairy tale-like setting; but I pictured it differently. My way ideal way of celebrating this social construct was to wear my Slytherin robe while casting various spells at Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP) in Japan.

It took me months to decide if I should grant my mom’s last wish. Traveling to Japan was already out of the choices during this time because it was too expensive. So, I precisely checked each option I have in mind to come up with the best way of celebrating it. I am a thrifty girl; I don’t like spending too much. The first option would cost a lot that's why I never wanted it. I also find it too girly--definitely not the best way to represent myself.

As a self-proclaimed creative mind, I mixed my mom's dream debut and my desire to wander WWHP. I have decided to have a Harry Potter themed party in a small venue with limited guests only.

I started my preparations two months prior the date I picked: December 16, 2017. I acquire leadership and organizing skills because I am both a leader and an artist. It would be a great challenge to organize my own party.

Here are my preparations:

1. Pre-debut shots

I love dressing up then posing for camera shots because it makes me feel confident. I also brand myself as sentimental for keeping too much pictures.

If you are planning to have your debut, this is the first thing to do. Pictures are treasures you can revisit anytime to relive to moment.

The concept I had in my mind was to have three sets of photos, so I had worn three different costumes in two settings.

1) a brown tube floral dress

2. Slytherin robe

3. modern Slytherin outfit (shirt + shorts + sneakers)

If you have friends, support them. Luckily, I have my friends to help and support me. With the help of Gwyneth Comilang (photographer) and Michael Orida (makeup artist), I achieved my ideal shots.

2. Invitations

My plan was to have an intact part; I just wanted to gather my closest friends as possible. Honestly, I don't want any other family members, but my dad insisted. Dealing with family relatives is such a hassle. It would also limit my self-expression because I need to be mindful of their opinions and principles which totally differ from mine. Anyways, as I was saying, evaluate your friends. Inviting everyone you know would be costly and inconvenient.

You need to fix your guest list before proceeding to the next steps to avoid complications. Having your ideal pax will determine the essential food, venue, souvenirs, etc. At first, I had only decided to have 60 guests just to reach the maximum guests required in the venue. In fact, I could have even had it less, but I was affected by peer pressure. It would be awkward and mean not to have those friends who invited me to their respective birthdays. It's just too much to deal with, so I ended up having 80 guests in total including my family and friends.

As for the design of my invitation, I chose a template inclined to Harry Potter. I edited the Have You Seen This Wizard poster of Sirius Black and changed it to *Wizard to *Witch. I also created Hogwarts invitation letter sealed with its envelope. I used Adobe Photoshop cs6 for editing and had it printed. Along with the invitation, I attached a DIY necktie, and a wand which I will discuss next.

3. Souvenirs

I unleashed my creativity for my souvenirs. I DIY-ed ALL of it to avoid labor fees. It was exhausting and time-consuming, so I asked my bestfriend who is also artistic (Thanks, Belle!).

I had two souvenirs: a necktie and a wand.

When I was conceptualizing this whole thing, I searched and found a thread on Tumblr on how to create DIY wands and decided to try it. As for the neckties, I did it with my own idea. I consider these DIYs as one of my proudest efforts.

To make your own wands, just search it on the internet! There are lots of tutorials. You can also search for the neckties, but I will share mine here.

How to create DIY Hogwarts neckties: Fabric with Hogwarts’ houses colors (red, blue, green, yellow) 1/4 and 1/8 width ribbon (silver, yellow, black) Glue gun AND lots of stick glue Double-sided tapes Garter Scissors

1. Draw lines like this:

I am not sure with the size of each necktie. One meter fabric can create 6-8 neckties.

2. Paste double-sided tapes at the back to hide blemishes and to make it clean, then iron it.

3. Use your glue gun to paste the ribbons like the HP neckties. It’s up to you if you would like to iron it again.

4. If you don't know how to tie a necktie, watch a video tutorial.

4. Venue, decorations, and food

For me, this is the most crucial part of organizing this event. It was really hard to find a venue that is not too expensive. Find one that fits your budget and your guests. You don’t need a fancy venue. It’s up to you on how you will decorate it and how the program flows. Also, make sure that the venue is not far from most of your friends live because some may not be able to attend.

The venue I picked already caters food (it’s a per-head payment, so be sure to ask your guests if they can really come). Aside from the food from the venue (a meal of three, dessert, and drinks), I also bought some from other shops and cooked some. Fun fact! I did not order lechon baboy because I don’t want to be the reason for a whole pig to be murdered and be eaten in just one dining. As for my cake, I had it designed just like Hagrid’s birthday cake for Harry!  My cupcakes were simple chocolate cakes with vanilla icing. I also added chocolate coins like it was from Gringotts bank.

As I have said, I also assisted with the decorations. I was not satisfied with the decorations the venue offers: table and stage designs only. I added hanging candles, Hogwarts’ houses banners, hanging envelopes, hanging broomsticks, posters, and potions. All are DIYs except for the banner.

5. Program flow

When I have decided to organize my 18th birthday, I reminisced my friends' debut to have an idea on how to do it.

Since I do not have any event organizer, I had to make sure the event will go smoothly. My bestfriend, Michael, also helped me survive that evening. As for the emcee, I asked my friend and paid her talent fee.

Breaking the typical, I changed some into my ideas.

Here's my program:

1. Entrance

First, the lights were turned off, then I will open the door and chant a Harry Potter spell (Lumos maxima!) to turn on the lights.

2. 18 Roses with a twist

-Each rose had two songs: formal (waltz) and informal (modern and funny dances) because as what I have said, I don’t like the typical. I edited the music for this. 

3. Dinner

-I used Harry Potter soundtrack as the background music.

4. 18 Presents

–Thank you for my gifts, especially these artworks!

Made by Rachelle Caitum, Thea Aldeguer, and Hannah Senarillos, respectively.

5. 18 Shots & Spills

–This is the highlight of the event! Instead of the typical 18 candles, I changed mine to shots & spills. The chosen 18 will spill a secret and embarrass me to the crowd, then drink a wine. I didn’t like drama to surround the atmosphere; I wanted it to be memorable, unique, and fun! 

6.18 Letters

–Just kidding, I still need the drama, but I wanted it only for myself. I chose 18 people to write for me. Their letters were put inside the hanging envelopes.

7. Papa’s drama

–The only drama of that evening. 

8. The After party

-This is the first time I drank alcohol!

Here are some of the photos during the event:

Organizing my own party was frustrating, devastating, tiring, money draining (I used my savings for the souvenirs, invitation, and some of the decorations because I couldn't afford to have my dad spend for it all).

Seeing my guests laugh, smile, and be a little emotional made me happy, especially when they said that it was the best debut they've had attended because of its uniqueness and diversity. Overall, I can say that I have learned a lot from it. It would not turn out the way it did if I did not spearhead this event.

Mom, it could’ve been better if you were here. Your little unica hija has now reached legal age. Sorry if I did not grant your ideal celebration, but I hope you’re proud.

Always,

Jewel

P.S. Send me a message if you want to know how much I spent.

#JewelTheGirlWhoLived #JewelThe18thChapter