It’s not everyday that I get to fill my car with flowers.
When my manager at work found out that we have big bosses coming from US, he asked me to come up with a theme for a townhall that would best represent our country, the Philippines.

First thing I do when I am tasked to be literally in charge of everything is to get all the information I need. The date and time of the event, the number of people, who sits with who, etc. I also do a simple layout of the place.

Here is a sample sketch:
(A. Layout of tables, B. Layout of Dessert Table if there is and C. Decors or pieces that will go on each table)

Since Philippines is a tropical country, I thought I would do a tropical table setting rather than a “fiesta” theme. I also wanted to showcase some Filipino culture on the table. I added sepak takraw, mini kalesa figurines, bunot coconut husks (used to polish household floorings) as the vase and palayok (a clay pot used as the traditional food preparation container in the Philippines) as centerpieces.

I asked my husband to go with me to Quiapo market to buy all the materials. The old Manila district of Quiapo is well known for its small markets and the Filipino handcrafts that can be found there.

I am proud to say that I did everything on my own. I enjoyed buying the flowers (I used birds of paradise) and even buying the fabrics which I turned into a table runner. I brought all the materials to work (making my car look like a jungle), did the flower arrangements myself, did the table setting etc. My boss and everyone else were happy with the outcome. It was all worth it at the end.