The arena at the Mall of Asia (MOA) has been used as venue for concerts and various public events but for the first time since it opened in 2006, a grand debut was held there!
A venue as large and expensive as the MOA arena is definitely not the usual choice for a debut but Dian Seranilla and her family wanted a huge place where they can reconnect with everyone in their extended family.
In the New York Fashion Week-themed celebration, everyone in the family was invited – and the MOA arena was deemed as the perfect venue because of its size and other specifications. The party held last March 26 reportedly had a guest list of about 1,000 people!
“We are a big family, and we all had guests to invite. Since it is the last debut for my immediate family, we wanted to reconnect with everyone,” Dian said.
Pep.ph estimates that the family spent more or less Php5 million on Dian’s debut. The estimate stems from the MOA arena rental fee of Php600,000 for the first four hours, followed by Php120,000 additional rental fee per excess hour.
Such a grand event deserves a grand menu; thus, the family reportedly paid caterer K by Cunanan with Php1,000 per plate. As there were 1,000 guests, catering fee was at Php1,000,000 – and that’s not to mention the cakes and other food not covered by the basic fee.
There were also two types of invitations given for Dian’s debut. One was a magazine-style invitation and another was an LED-type invitation which cost Php2,500 per piece. A chic personalized USB was given to the partygoers.
Two renowned designers created Dian’s gowns: Ezra Santos (the designer of Heart Evangelista’s wedding gown) created her main gown while Albert Andrada (designer for Pia Wurtzbach’s Miss Universe gown) made the opening outfit and the gown in the 18 roses portion.
Gown prices were not disclosed but rough estimates place them at Php1,000,000.
Before the main event at the MOA arena, Dian also had a photoshoot at the exclusive resort, Balesin Island Club.
Now known as the MOA Arena debutante, Dian Serranilla is definitely someone the fashion world wouldn’t forget soon.
Judging by the viral reports on her debut, we could easily conclude that the money her family spent on her party was definitely worth it – after all, the main goals of throwing an 18th birthday party are for the debutante to be happy and to ‘introduce’ her to the world, right?