Finally, my little unicorn rider, Margaery Prym is a legit Christian. What a special day it was!
Prym was baptized on a Saturday, August 19, 2017, and just a few days ahead of her father’s birthday so we could have a double celebration. She 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 out and smiling and we had the church for ourselves.
We wanted to be able to invite as much family and friends as possible, but we had to work on a budget. Apologies to those who wanted to be there, but weren’t able to do so. We’ll make it up to you next time!
Having a girl as a first-born really made her baptism extra special. I became so meticulous at everything because I wanted the event to be perfect to the best that we could. Of course, a lot of odd things had happened that didn’t give me a peace of mind, but more on that later…
I am so proud of the teamwork my husband and I did just to make the event special for our darling. We are also thankful to the sponsors who contributed to making it extra special; you know who you are!
Let me share with you the suppliers for the event and how we organized it ourselves.
Church: The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Address: 242 Dionisio Jakosalem St, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines
I booked at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church two months in advance for Prym’s baptism. I wanted Prym to be baptized alone at their St. Francis Chapel to preserve the solemnity of the sacrament. Of course, we have to pay extra for that, but that wasn’t an issue.
Here are the requirements needed by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish to book a baptism ceremony:
1. Documents needed:
o Photocopy of child’s Birth Certificate
o Completed Baptismal Application Form signed by the parent(s) of the child to be baptized
o Written permission from your parish
2. To ensure that the godparent is a Catholic as per Canon Law, a photocopy of baptismal certificate of at least (1) godparent is needed.
3. Attend Pre-Jordan Seminar which is held every Friday, 7-8 PM at St. Francis Xavier Chapel.
o Parents and one pair of godparents are required to attend the Pre-Jordan Seminar except if they have had already two (2) previous children baptized at Sacred Heart Parish.
4. For Regular/Group Baptism
o Schedule: Sundays only at 10:00 AM and 4:00PM
o Offering: Php300 with 1 pair of godparents. In excess, an additional Php100 per godparent will be asked.
5. For Single Baptism:
o Schedule: ANY day, provide your own priest. The priest’s stipend is given to him by the parents.
o Offering: Php1000 with additional 100 per godparent.
6. Provide your own candle for godparents.
7. A donation is expected to cover electricity and maintenance costs.
You can choose to have your godparents pay the Php 100 fee, but my family chose to pay for the 21 godparents ourselves to save them the hassle. We had asked them to come and witness Prym’s Baptism, we surely didn’t want to add the extra burden on them even if they’re happy to oblige.
Prym’s Clothing
I read Iway Diaries’ blog that Sacred Heart Parish isn’t strict when it comes to clothing of the baby to be baptized. Any color will do. However, we still wanted Prym to wear white to follow the tradition. Thankfully, my officemate and Prym’s Ninang Tanya volunteered to sponsor her white Christening gown.
Reception: Sacred Heart Center Cebu
Address: Dionisio Jakosalem St, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines
I chose Sacred Heart Center as the reception venue because I wanted to save the guests the hassle of travelling far from the church. Sacred Heart Center is only beside the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church!
Sacred Heart Center is one of the best venues for parties and other social events as it has several spacious function rooms to choose from. The great part is that you only have to pay for the catering services to avail the rooms for free. For those wondering how much their catering service is, it’s Php 350 per head. The room that they will let you use depends on the number of people you pay for. Since we were expecting 70 people, they let us use the room called the Social Hall, which I think can accommodate 70-150 people.
I tell you, their food was delicious, especially the humba, chopsuey, and chicken cordon bleu! I never regretted getting their catering services.
The room also comes with a free sound system!
Lechon: Villa Teresita Resort
The preparation wasn’t that smooth. Thanks to the closure of Rico’s Lechon a day before the baptism, we were exasperated and so stressed out. They kept on promising us that they could deliver despite the closure; however, they cancelled on the night before the event. Rico’s Lechon didn’t release a refund until the next day, just after the baptism.
Thank God, we knew someone working in Villa Teresita Resort who helped us secure a lechon at the last minute. And their lechon was good!
Dessert Buffet: The Cakerie Cebu
I scoured a lot of FB pages that offer dessert tables, but only one supplier blew me away by their set up and the way the cakes are crafted, and that’s The Cakerie Cebu by Chef Emerie Uy. I was so amazed by the meticulousness of her cakes and cupcakes that I immediately paid her even before asking to confirm if they are still available on Prym’s baptism day. Fortunately, they were.
Her cupcake toppers are all edible and hand-crafted, something not every dessert buffet suppliers in Cebu do.
The Cakerie Cebu’s dessert buffet set up (excluding the cake) costs Php 6, 800. I paid extra Php 800 for the table decoration and Php 300 for the table cloth skirting.
As you can see, I was so happy of the delivered output.
Cake: Big Bites Cakes, Pastries, and Café
Big Bites is known for their dense, mouth-watering, moist chocolate cake. Good thing their customized cakes are so affordable. To match the dessert table, I provided them a photo of the cake design I wanted. I was glad they were able to create the unicorn exactly as the reference photo.
Balloons: Cebu Arty Party Balloons
Booking the balloons was done at the last minute. Because of that, most of the suppliers I contacted were fully booked over the weekend. Good thing a balloon supplier (Cebu Arty Party Balloons) from Lapu-lapu city that offers affordable balloons packages was still willing to accept my booking. The transaction was hassle-free and the balloons made the venue an eye-candy.
Stage Decoration: Synco Creatives
Two days before the event, I was still deliberating as to whether or not I should print a tarpaulin as part of the stage set up. I had no time to design it nor would I entrust designing the tarp to another person. Good thing, our friends at Synco Creatives offered to lend their creativity for the stage set up. Since we’re running out of time and I don’t want to hassle Prym’s ninong and ninang at Synco Creatives, I only asked them to do a simple stage design and sent them a photo of paper rosettes as reference.
So that’s it. At the end of the celebration, I was really exhausted. I was even thinking of getting an event organizer/ party package next time to save me the hassle. I hope this post was useful and would help you plan your own child’s baptism in Cebu City. Although Prym’s baptism celebration wasn’t that grand, what’s more important was that we celebrated it with the people closest to our hearts.
Check out more photos from the event. Did I already mention that this was such a happy and memorable event?
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