Doing a princess themed party for a debut is so much fun. You can really play with the theme, if you want it serious or playful, adult or still youthful. There is so much you can do with it and it speaks to a lot of girls, especially those who grew up with Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Ariel or just being Daddy’s or Mommy’s little princess.
I did one for Geli,very nice young lady a few years back, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get really good photos of the event and I always felt bad that I didn’t. So it was probably serendipity that I was able to recreate part of it for the Sugar Sugar Magazine Debutante issue last year. I was actually backing out on that one because the shoot coincided with the birthday of my own little princess and I was so pressed for time. But since they were so open to do a Princess-themed styling, I gamely said yes, and I got to document it finally!
The vision for the theme started when a coordinator contacted me as a last resort because all the other Princess-y proposals the other stylists presented didn’t quite capture what Geli felt the kind of princess that she is. I didn’t meet her or got a lot of information about her so I just started with what I know, that is my own little princess. I just envisioned what type of princess she was for me and how I would like to celebrate her debut one day… and for me there is no other worthier princess than… Cinderella. (You probably have your favorites, but it just so happens Cinderella is ours. Well, actually, come to think of it, she was mine since I was no more than 7 y.o., I believe, and she is my daughter’s since 2!)
So naturally, the whole theme revolved around Cinderella’s beautiful carriage which we made even more romantic by covering it with roses. We even had the whole stage floor covered with rose petals and golden pumpkins to add to the Cinderella effect. For the stage, we dressed it to appear more regal and mysterious by installing curtains to hide the whole set-up, only to be revealed when Geli was ready to sit on her carriage. You can just imagine the drama when Geli was presented, it was like Cinderella coming to the ball! For the centerpieces, we made gold pumpkin carriages complete with wheels from real squash. (It looked quite nice and original, but I swore I will not do that again. I realized I didn’t feel comfortable making completely edible food non-edible just for the sake of design.)
Another thing I did, this time for the mom, instead of using the portrait of the debutante of how she is at present, her picture was how she was when she was small, when she was really their little princess! It was romantic, nostalgic and showed how she has truly grown up. Of course, we framed it with a profusion of flowers so it was a sight Geli and her mom will always remember!
Personally, I like doing Princess themes for debuts because every girl, (in fact every lady) deserves to be a princess… even for just a night.
Ateh, ikaw ba ang debutante? Ganda-ganda naman…kita naman tayo minsan ng hindi sa internet lang wehehehe
hahaha! naku, di pa uso ang teen magazine ata nung nag-debut ako lol, i think you were there, you would know… tama ka dyan, we really should go out!
huhhu…. i cant see the pics… amfs…… can you email it to me.. hehhee.. i have plan din kasi to have a princess theme with my 12 yrs old lil sis.. ehhehee…
whats the name po of the debutante??
where can you find these kind of debutante’s chair for the set up?
hi! anyssia! i make that set-up : )
hi may i ask how much if rent this place for my debut?
Hi Janny, this was set up in the Rizal Ballroom of Shangrila Hotel in Makati, you may just ask them about their rates. : )