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How to #Gideonize Milestones at Home
Step up your at-home family celebrations with a Gideon Hermosa-styled bash
It has been over 17 months of lockdowns which have changed the way we celebrate milestones. From weddings to anniversaries and even funerals, for adults, the shift to more intimate, meaningful events has been almost natural with a focus on what really matters and who really must be present for the celebration. But how do we, as parents, ensure that our children will not be robbed of their much anticipated milestones within the confines of strict quarantine measures?
For many kids, 5 minutes of waiting is long enough, imagine waiting months for your birthday to arrive and not being able to celebrate it with your friends and classmates in a special way? Of course we may also use this time as a teaching experience for the children to let them know the true importance of these occasions but we should also make it a point to keep it special nonetheless. The celebrations don’t need to be over-the-top, even DIY set ups to make your child feel like it’s not just another day at home will surely make a huge difference to their day.
Some families have stepped it up a notch by hiring stylist extraordinaire Gideon Hermosa, who is known for his spectacular event styling. Hermosa, who has always had an interest in arts and crafts, has been in the industry for 11 years. He began his career with a focus on weddings until his former brides & grooms would ask him to also decorate their children’s christenings, birthdays and other special occasions.
Although he is known for his legendary large occasions, he has steadily added to his portfolio of beautiful events through House of Hermosa, the segment of his business which focuses on intimate celebrations perfect for milestones in the time of Covid 19. House of Hermosa was introduced two years ago offering template wedding reception styling. When the Pandemic hit, they pivoted by offering Lille Feast by House of Hermosa, the styling package that focuses mainly on petite and home-based celebrations.
Clients of Hermosa usually opt for unique photo walls to help commemorate the special occasion or brilliantly set up dining scenes that transport the family to another place while in the comforts of their own home. Heis very much known for his gorgeous and exceptional flower arrangements, however for events for children, he is also known to transform venues using balloons and amazing backdrops and props.
A package for an intimate event by House of Hermosa begins at around PHP 78,000. However, if you are on a budget or are in the mood to Do-It-Yourself, Hermosa suggests to just go for it!
“Nothing beats DIY-ing,” he shares, “You’ll be surprised with how creative you can be once you start to DIY! Take inspiration from videos and tutorials shown on different social media outlets. There are tons of available videos that show different ways or techniques to style.” Hermosa adds, “Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore. It is also a nice touch to include members of the family in the works. It’s an additional bonding experience.”
Taking inspiration from some of Hermosa’s work on children’s birthdays, here are some tips I have come up with for your DIY celebration.
1. You could start of by choosing a theme or characters that your children love. From there you can choose notable colors of the character, like blue, red and black for Spider Man and fill up a room with balloons in that color scheme. If your daughter is the ultimate girly girl, you can go for a unicorn theme and decorate with pastel colored balloons such as mint green, pale pink and lavender.
2. If you want to help visually transform a room, you can even print out a backdrop like maybe Gotham City for a Batman loving little boy or a fairytale castle, and you will truly make an impact.
3. To set up a pretty dessert or gift table, you can also bring out your child’s favorite toys and use them as decorations around the birthday cake and gifts. Now they will have more “friends” to celebrate with! For smaller toys, you can even use them as cake toppers.
4. Another fun tip would be to surprise the birthday celebrant with a costume to go with the theme of their mini birthday celebration so that they would fit right in and truly feel like a superhero or princess for the day.
5. For your babies, take into account that they are quite small and maybe some of them can’t even stand up on their own yet. You can set up low, on the floor so that the photo wall you create, can really be enjoyed from their point of view. Don’t forget to pick a spot with good lighting!
Hermosa also reminds us that it’s the personalized details that make an event extra memorable. He adds that as long as you get to celebrate with your loved ones, whether in person or virtually, no matter how big or small, grand or simple, that is all that truly matters.
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