BOY MEETS GRILL
The Pitts love to host parties especially when they celebrate milestones. Cristalle shares, “It is a joy to celebrate our cherished life events with loved ones, as it helps us nurture and nourish relationships with close friends and family. On top of that, the events or dinners we host are small projects that Justin and I can work on together. We are so involved with every detail that goes into the event, that it really is a creative expression of who we are as a couple and a team!”
And while this particular occasion marked their son’s dedication, Justin and Cristalle make sure that every party or event they host is unique and better than their previous one. "For Hunter’s dedication, we wanted it to feel like an authentic Australian barbie (slang for barbecue). We wanted to give the guests a sense of something new—we had emu and kangaroo on the menu! A unique treat for most guests and a real taste of Australiana.”
The Pitts celebrate Hunter ’s dedication
with an Australian barbecue
In addition to these, the one-of-a-kind menu also offered other Aussie delicacies, an ode to
Justin’s childhood. Guests also feasted on Aussie pies and pasties, Lamington's, barbecued seafood, and fresh salads. All these were prepared by Bondi and Bourke’s Wade Watson. “Justin is really into food so the menu is always the central element of each event and we build around that,” Cristalle happily says.
And while the celebration puts the spotlight on Hunter, there are also added touches of Justin and Cristalle. “The vintage aviator theme brings forward memories of the couple's vintage luxe-themed wedding and the fun bedroom theme is reminiscent of Hunter, which features vintage airplane styling and a mural,”
The event was made more authentic with native Australian flowers sourced by Robert Blancaflor. The decor and aviator props were courtesy of
Barbie Pardo. And to soften the feel and give the people a sense that it is a christening, the couple and their team added some soft-style nursery toys as embellishments as well. Both Robert and Barbie are constant partners to the Pitts in events they’ve hosted. Cristalle explains, “They make it easy for our vision to come to life.” There were also adorable personalized “Hunter Air” poufs made by Instamug, one of their favorite suppliers capable of personalizing almost anything.
Cristalle also stresses the value of taking pictures, specially as the event celebrates a once
in-a-lifetime experience for Hunter, “One more important element are the photographers so that I can show Hunter the event when he is older. For photos, I like using The Stork Studio. They are a baby photography studio but they do amazing event coverage as well!”
When asked how she conceptualizes these amazing parties, Cristalle gamely shares, “It’s really based on what you’re celebrating. For this event, it was more of a relaxed environment with picnic tables, mats (for Hunter and the kids to hang out in) and a barbecue grill in the middle of it all. I also asked our friend Jason Soong to be the DJ to play fun afternoon cocktails music to give a festive vibe.”
A memorable and epic rooftop party is something they wish to do someday but Justin and Cristalle intend to save it for a milestone event. Cristalle tells us, “Justin often recants stories of the rooftop parties at the W in Hong Kong that
he threw and we feel Manila is ready for a sky scraping experience!”
Celebrating milestones, no matter how big or small is one of the ways the Pitts live a meaningful life. Cristalle elaborates, “I think that a milestone is not complete unless you’re able to share it with people close to you. It can be as intimate as me and Justin having dinner and celebrating a win or it can be a bigger event with people that are close and dear to us.”
And with the successes and joys of these occasions, the family never forgets to give back and share their blessings. In an act of philanthropy, many of Hunter’s gifts from his dedication were donated to the
MovEd Foundation.