Anika’s Prom Suppliers

Ang anak ko, parang kakaluwal ko pa lang sa sinapupunan ko kahapon, biglang nagattend na ng prom niya the other day. Yeah. I can’t believe it too!

Look how tiny and adorable, toddler Anika is here.

Anika and I have been looking forward to prom for years, and I am not exaggerating. I feel one of the perks of having a daughter is you get to prepare with her for prom. I was born to be a stage mother so imagine how excited I was for this day. To be honest, mga isang ligo lang, mas excited pa talaga ako sa magpro-prom. Lol.

ME: Teka, wala pa akong susuotin.

ANIKA: For what, Nanay?

ME: Sa prom mo.

ANIKA: You’re kidding, right?

ME: Whut? Ihahatid kita sa Okada. Magaantay ako ng 8 hours dun. Alangan naman nakapambahay ako. Siyempre a-aura ako ng slight.

She got it naman.

So first things first, the most important thing, the gown. Pero mamaya ko na pala na lang ikukwento yun. Sorry magulo. Save the best for last. Let’s just start with the hotel room. The prom was held at Okada Manila so naturally I called them to inquire how much their room rates are. Nahulog ako sa upuan ko. It was 17k pesos a night for a regular room. Prom was the day before Valentine’s Day kaya siguro ganun. I wanted to stay for 2 nights because Anika needed to start prepping before lunch. Check in starts at 3pm in Okada and prom registration starts at 430pm so hindi siya aabot if on the day of the prom kami magcheck in. Besides, I wasn’t spending 34k for room, bruh, expensive. Sayang though, I wanted to experience the tub overlooking Manila Bay. Pero alam niyo naman ang motto ko, umarte lang ayon sa budget. And so I asked around and Kingsford Hotel Manila was recommended to me. I checked the rates. It was Php 5,500 a night for an Executive Suite. Php 11k for 2 nights, pwede na. The room looks like this:

The Executive Suite, though only 50sqm and not as big as the regular room in Okada, has a spacious bedroom with a queen sized bed, a living room, spacious bathroom with two sinks, an ante room and bay windows. It was perfect for us!

There was a table near the window. I was able to do my 2 exams there the night before. It was also there where Anika had her hair and make up done. Except for the pillows which they can super improve pa, ang tigas and flat kasi, I liked our stay in Kingsford Hotel Manila.

Next are the accessories. Before I continue, so cute the Jelly Cat Anika’s prom date gave her noh? I don’t know what’s up with kids and Jelly Cats. Anika collects them.

Anyway, so for accessories, our choice was to buy the fancy ones in SM Department Store or borrow from Wowa. Kinabahan because Anika might lose them so we decided to buy the fancy fancy na lang.

When we went to SM to buy, these were 50% off. The earrings were Zirconia so tatagal siya. Hindi disposable levels. We got it for around 1k. The bracelet was less than 1k. I wanted her to wear a small tiara sana but instead, I found this super gandang hair piece that looks like a headband and a tiara combined. It was so pretty! It costs around Php 2kI will keep these in a maayos na space so that we can both re-wear them in the future.

For the corsage and boutonniere, di ba ang ganda ganda?

Anika and her date ordered their corsage and boutonniere online. However, 2 days before prom, these have not arrived yet. Anika was panicking already and wanted to go to Dangwa. I was like, “Ako bahala.”.

I went to Facebook Marketplace and found this corsage and boutonniere maker that uses wooden and dried flowers. The owner of the shop was soooo helpful! I started with their basic design and I tweaked it here and there. She was so patient with me. Ayan, ganyan yung kinalabasan. Maganda di ba? I was sooo proud especially when I tell people that the pair only costs Php 250! You can check them out. The name of the store is Ellie Flowershop in Facebook (click on the link).

Anika’s nails she got from Tiktok shop. Less than Php 200 lang. It matches her gown. That’s Wowa’s ring that she borrowed. Nilagyan lang namin ng scotch tape so that it’ll fit her.

For the hair and make up, our go to make up artist kind of backed out a few weeks before prom. Dahil sa pagka-excited ko, I booked him last year pa. Sa sobrang tagal, he forgot ata. When I was following up, may out of town na daw siya. So I asked around and RA Quiniones (click on the link) was referred to me by a mom friend. Serendipity talaga – finding good things accidentally and unexpectedly. Isa siya sa pinaka sulit na finds namin.

Anika loved her make up! I was listening to them while RA was putting make up on her. They were really collaborating on her look. I like how RA listened to Anika and considered her inputs and the same time insisting if he feels na better yung idea niya. Anika’s make up was fresh. She still looked young and yet glammed up. The make up enhanced her face and yun kasi yung gusto niya. It took RA 2 hours to set Anika’s hair. Ang tiyaga niya and hindi nagmamadali. After doing her make up, he put hair extensions on her and curled it as well. Feel na feel ni Anika yung hair niya. On point na on point daw.

Eto na, the gown. Last year, Anika had a gown in mind. So I asked for gown designers to quote on the price if patahi. Teh, mga 30k to 40k siya. The theme was renaissance so naturally big ball gowns ang peg ng mga bagets. So the patahi was a no-no. First, it was so expensive. Next, where will I store that huge gown after? I wanted to practical so I asked Anika if she can consider renting na lang.

Wala naman daw problema.

We found Mystical Wardrobes (click the link to direct you to their Instagram account). They rent out big ball gowns with intricate designs. They are the ones who design and make them. We went to their shop in Malabon. Oo, dinayo namin from Paranaque to Malabon. We scheduled a fitting of 3-4 gowns and we booked them na right then and there.

I was surprised because I was insisting on a red gown pero ayaw niya nung una. Red isn’t her color daw. But after fitting this gown, she fell in love with it. Sinabi ko na kasi na mother’s knows best lagi eh. Lol. She looked really regal. Her gown is her most favorite part of her look. This costs Php 8,000 to rent which is a lot, lot cheaper than having it patahi. Pati ako feeling ko nagwagi ako sa gown. Ang laki ng na tipid ko, mga bakla.

I am super happy that Anika was happy at prom. Sulit gastos ko. Sulit pagod. Sulit stress. Side kwento lang. The week of the prom, I had exams. The day before prom, I had 2 exams. One oral exams na talaga naman ang stress levels ko ay umakyat. I hate oral exams. And another exam for my side hustle. Kailangan kumayod guys. Please pray for me na mapasa ko both ha? So imagine my stress that week on top of work problems (na talaga naman sumabay pa), looking for corsages and checking in at the hotel, all the while studying non stop. NAKAKALOKA! But I am glad it’s over and nakapag enjoy din ako magantay kay Anika sa Okada ng 8 hours.

I just noticed something. Ang mga parents ngayon super supportive ano? When I had my prom, Wowa just turned over the car keys to Anika’s father and then inantay na lang niya ako sa bahay. I don’t remember seeing parents in Manila Hotel during my prom. Pero last Friday, ang dami daming parents sa Okada lobby where the grand ballroom was! Like involved na involved talaga sila. It was so cute! They were taking photos, fixing stuff and were waiting. Ang saya! Iba talaga ang generation ng parents ngayon. Very different from ours before.

So that’s Anika’s behind the scene prom kwentos. Antabayanan ang Graduation Ball in 2 years!