Planning a Baptism: The Reception

A huge family reunion was what I had in mind when it came to the baptism of our first child. Earl though had other ideas and my entire family backed him up instead of me. As my sister pointed out, there were less than ten people at my baptism including my parents.

Earl has to return to Singapore by March 28 and as much as possible, he doesn't want to go back without us. My husband thinks that if we have too many guests, it will be difficult to coordinate and he wants our daughter baptized before we board any form of aircraft. He also pointed out that the money we save at the baptism can be used to furnish and decorate our new apartment (we plan to move to a bigger place by June).

So, there will only be around 20 guests in attendance comprising of our immediate family members, the priest, and our closest friends (some of whom are also the godparents).

With the Church and the guest list settled, it was now time to search for a reception venue. We needed a small function room that can accommodate a maximum of 25 people, has ample parking space, and is easy to locate. But most of all, we should like the food being served.

Here's our short list:

Chateau 1771
- Minimum guarantee: Php 20,000 consumable
- Deposit requirement: None unless you order food in advance
- Inclusions: None
- Notes: Maximum 20 pax, sit down only no buffet set-up

Circles Event Café
- Rate: Php 1800 per person with taxes and service charge
- Minimum guarantee: 30 pax or Php 50,000 (if you have less than 30 guests, then the difference can be used towards drinks)
- Deposit requirement: 50% two weeks in advance
- Inclusions: one round of coffee or tea

Niu
- Rate: Php 1457.40 per person with taxes and service charge
- Minimum guarantee: 20 pax
- Deposit requirement: None but one person has to be there before 12 Noon otherwise the reservation is cancelled
- Inclusions: Unlimited drinks including house wine and fruit shakes
- Notes: Maximum 24 pax in the Norway and Denmark function rooms when combined

Sentro 1771
- Minimum guarantee: Php 10,000 (11 AM to 2PM) or Php 16,000 (1 PM to 4 PM)
- Deposit requirement: None unless you order food in advance
- Inclusions: None
- Notes: Room is good for three hours, charge of Php 1000 (consumable) for every excess hour. Corkage fee applies to outside cake and alcoholic drinks. Maximum room capacity is 25 pax.

Italianni's
- Minimum guarantee: Php 20,000 consumable
- Deposit requirement: None unless you order food in advance
- Inclusions: None
- Notes: Room is good for three hours, charge of Php 1500 (non-consumable) for every excess hour. No corkage fee for bringing your own cake. Maximum room capacity is 35 pax.

Earl did not like the first three on the list and when he saw a picture of Sentro's function room, he immediately asked, "No windows?" We then did an ocular and he said it reminded him of a very cramped office conference room. I had also considered Conti's but they're fully booked on our chosen date, and parking could be a problem over at Milkyway Café.

I was starting to run out of ideas when we walked by Italianni's in Bonifacio High Street and on a whim, I decided to stop and ask if they had a function room. The lady said yes, we took a look, and my husband declared the reception venue search to be over. He liked that the place was not only bigger, but also brighter.