A 7th Birthday Party in McDonald's

To be honest, I already had visions of my daughter's 7th birthday party when she was still a baby, since it is a big deal here in the Philippines. I mean, I remember my 7th birthday was held in Manila Polo Club and my mom even got Lou Hilario as the magician. Well, I had dreams of throwing my own daughter a fashion themed party (with a runway) and going all out with decorations and stuff. But as the years went by, I realized that spending hundreds of thousands of pesos for a few hours just isn't worth it for me anymore. I believe you can create memories even with a simple celebration. Pero if you have the budget, go for it haha! But seriously, I think more parents are choosing to be practical nowadays and just going on a family trip or something. And when I asked my daughter about it, I was surprised when she said she would rather get her own room than have a party!

See, she currently shares a room with her brother, but of course we knew they would need their own space when they got older. So we figured it would really be the perfect gift for her. Instead of spending all that money for a party, we would just use the budget to fix up one one the rooms in the house. Plus, she really wanted a loft bed too. We already ordered one and I can't wait to see everything set up!

Anyway, I still wanted her to have a party since she wanted to celebrate with her friends and classmates. So we chose to just have it at McDonald's! Besides, I think everyone should have a McDo party at least once in their lives right? :)

Anyway, if you're not familiar with McDo's packages, you just have to pay for a party fee depending on the theme you choose. P2,000 for Ronald and the Gang, or P3,000 for their special themes like Adventure Time, Ben 10, or Winx Club. Then, you just pay for the food multiplied by the number of your guests. That's it!

They already have Food Mixes in their flyer (ranging from P155, P180, or P195 per person), but these come with loot bags or Happy Meal Toys. If you want it cheaper, you can order ala carte, based on store prices which is what I did.

So I got the Chicken and Spaghetti meal with drink (P109), then I added french fries (P33) and a hot fudge sundae (P29). My total per guest was P171, which is cheaper than the P180 cost for Food Mix 2 (Chicken & Spaghetti meal). This is better since you get to completely customize your meal.

I didn't want to be constrained with McDonald's existing themes, so my daughter and I decided on a rainbow art theme since she loves drawing. I just got the standard Ronald and the Gang theme and then did my own invites.

There are 2 party rooms at the Alabang Town Center branch and the bigger one can fit 60 - 100 guests. For the computation of the contract, I just said 60 guests (since that's the minimum) and then figured I'll just add food on the day of the party if needed.

In booking the party date, you just need to pay for the theme (P2k or P3k), then the balance of the food bill on the day of the party na.

I also got the first available time slot since I think it's harder if may nauna sayo na party. Kasi they might extend then you have no time to prepare. Especially since the party time is 1.5 hours lang and ang bilis ng turnover. My time slot was really 11am to 12:30pm, but of course I placed 10:30am sa invite so people won't be late (pero madami pa din dumating past 11am lol!).

McDonald's already has existing decors, like balloons and party hats. But I couldn't help myself, I still made these paper flower centerpieces and added coloring materials to each table. It's the inner DIY goddess in me haha! Kung pwede lang idecorate ko ang buong party room I think I would have lol! ;p

McDonald's also had prizes and giveaways:

But I still added some more so the kids would have plenty to take home.

And of course, my art themed giveaways which you can read more about HERE.

You can also get a cake from McDo, but I said I'll just order somewhere else. They allow it, but you won't be able to serve the cake, it's for picture taking purposes only.

I got the cake from Baked Twinkles for only P2,500. I just sent her my peg and she executed it wonderfully! The cake tasted super yummy too (choco banana flavor). We didn't want to cut it since it was so cute!

In the McDo Alabang Town Center branch, there were these flyers from RED Event Management offering photobooth and face painting services. I decided to get the face painting since it was only P2,000. They were very easy to talk to and I paid in full on the day of the party na.

And the artist was so good! I was amazed with all the designs I saw on the kids' arms and faces. Super sulit!

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I didn't get a photographer anymore since the party was just short with a few guests. I just used my own camera to take pictures and video.

They also have a promo of free items depending on your food bill. We got a free moon chair since my total food bill was about P11,000. And we also got a bobblehead gift set since our party theme was Ronald and the Gang (you don't get this with the other themes).

Oh, and I estimated 60 guests right? Well I just needed to add 5 more meals during the party. Buti na lang my estimate was correct and I didn't have any excess food.

Total food bill was P11,114 + party fee of P2,000 = P13,114

And I computed all the other stuff like the cake, giveaways, invites, her party outfit (I got her dress from SM, Modern Princess brand), even her pre-birthday photoshoot (which I have yet to post about) etc. So the total I spent for this entire party was about P25,000.

free moon chair plus birthday gift

Anyway, happy 7th birthday to our baby girl. Time really flew by so fast, before I know it 18 na siya lol! Let's see if she'll have a debut naman... haha! ;p