The Great Gatsby Party In The Netherlands….Evans Laure turned 50 with glitter and glamour!

By Angel Axinto
Capelle a/d Ijssel, Netherlands
March 6, 2016



If you have seen the 2013 epic and romantic film ‘The Great Gatsby’ which starred the famous Leonardo de Caprio, then you will have a very good picture of how the evening looked like. It has all the makings of a glamorous 1960’s  Hollywood balls – just fabulous!

Celebrating her 50^th birthday last february 20, 2016 at the Party Centrum in  Capelle a/d Ijssel, Evans Laure showed her family and friends that she is stepping into her golden year with style!  The theme of the evening was gold- a confirmation of Evans official membership to the golden era. The party hall was lavishly decorated with anything and everything in gold and white– drapes, table cloths, flowers, balloons and even her five layer cake!
    

Families and friends came in wearing their best party attire and their own interpretation of the glamorous world of the 60’s.  One gentleman made his own impersonation of Al Pacino in the famous Mario Puzo’s Godfather!  And gosh he did a very good job. A friend appeared as James Dean, very convincing as well. Ladies grandiosely wearing glittering attires adorning their heads with lovely beads, flashy turbans or swinging feathers, they all looked like the rolling 60’s movie stars! Extremely fascinating.

Guests were treated with champagne, chocolates, all sorts of drinks and beverages and to top it all was a very delicious dinner. A very crunchy looking lechon (whole roasted pig) was the dining tables main attraction, no Filipino birthday party can do without.  No other than the lovely pop and jazz diva Ruth Galura provided the entertainment for the night.

The party started the moment the birthday celebrant Evans Laure, entered the hall full of happy and very enthusiastic friends. Dressed in her white beautiful long sleeveless flowing gown adorned with glittering zwarovsky like stones, she gracefully walked towards the stage as all the guests applauded and cheered – she was breath taking!!! After thanking her beloved and ever supportive husband, who would rather be called as simply Bep, the celebrant turned to thank her guests for their presence on this very special day of her life. Then she opened a big bottle of champagne and together with Bep, proposed a champagne toast to which every single guest raised their champagne glasses and altogether sang to a very happy tune of a birthday song.  Very beautiful!

Evans 50^th birthday party was a well prepared and organized lavish blowout. Aside from good food and great wine, the evening was full of surprises from her friends and loved ones. Videos showing her family and friends from her own hometown in Zamboanga del Sur greeting her on her birthday came as a great surprise to the celebrant herself. They all spoke good of her, expressed their love and wished her the best. It was so beautiful and very touching it made her emotional at one point she had to shed a tear or two. All part of a well-orchestrated surprise.

After the dinner, everyone was given the chance to pose with the golden girl Evan and have their pictures taken.  This one special evening should be remembered forever…and this moment should be cherished.


Guests were entertained with dances, one of which includes the birthday celebrant herself; surprise dance numbers by her friends of The Filipino Catholic Community of Rotterdam (FCCR) in which she is a member herself; and the greatest surprise of all was the appearance of the all-men group, the Locos. NO, they were not Chippendales and NO they we’re not naked. They wore very thick skin tone stockings and black pieces of cloths wrapped around their wastes.  

The performance of these seven men barely clothed brought the tent upside down! Using white plates with the number ’50 ’on it, they tried to cover their middle section as they danced to a medley which included YMCA! I must say they were well choreographed and the ladies went frenzied! Like young school girls they screamed as the Loco’s danced! These guys were so hilarious, but they did their best and they were good. Unbelievably funny.

This party so magnificent and so unique, it left a great mark on everybody’s memory.  It was past midnight when the guests started going home. All sweaty, with gloves out, headgears out but still very cheerful one by one guests thanked Evans for the wonderful evening and said their goodbyes. Everybody would undoubtedly agree that Evans Laure’s 50^th birthday celebration was a party like no other…full of Hollywood like glitter and glamour…. truly a Great Gatsby!

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Photos courtesy of: Anna Bracamonte, Livia B. Zerna, Evans Laure, Mherzy Van der Steen-Gemarino, Rosa Cabrillas, Mda Holland Netherland and Chelony Pinaypainter