Party & Event Planner — Throw the party, not the spreadsheet.
Ideas from anywhere, a budget scaled to your headcount, the whole day hour by hour in pictures, the tables dressed in 3D, and a checklist that says what to book when.
- Free to start
- No sign-up to try
- Plan together
Everything in one plan
The ideas, the money, the vendors and the day itself usually live in four places. Here they’re one.
Includes a guest list with RSVPs, a seating chart and table design.
Idea board
Save every idea for the party.
The lights you saw at a friend’s, the taco cart, the duo for the early evening. Keep them on one board with a photo, a price and a note, and pass on the ones that won’t work.
“Messaged about the date. Two sets of forty minutes, they bring their own small PA.”An idea on the board of the “Backyard birthday” example
- From search, a photo, or a link
- Track each one: considering, contacted, shortlisted
- Pass on the ones that won’t work, without losing them
Idea board 1/2
The day
The whole party, hour by hour.
Setup, guests arriving, food, toasts, the music and the cleanup, each at its time and in pictures — so everyone helping knows what happens when.
3:00 PM Set up and decorate · 5:00 PM Guests arrive · 6:30 PM Food served · 8:00 PM Toasts and cakeThe “Backyard birthday” example’s day
- The run of the day as a list or in pictures
- Share the plan with whoever is helping
The day, in pictures 1/2
Budget
Know what the party costs before you send the invite.
Typical prices for food, drinks, rentals and decorations, scaled by headcount, so the number moves when the guest list does.
$1,725 · Food and drinks $1,275 · Venue and rentals $325 · Décor and entertainment $125The “Backyard birthday” example’s budget
- Costs scale with the number of guests
- Quoted, booked and paid for every vendor
Budget 1/2
In 3D
Dress the tables before anyone arrives.
Try a look — linens, place settings, chairs and flowers — and turn the table to see it from every seat.
Timeline & checklist
Book things in the right order.
Vendors, invitations, headcount, dietary needs and a safe-ride plan, each with the week to do it by, counted back from the day.
Catering: a grazing spread and mains · To bookThe “Backyard birthday” example’s checklist
- Each to-do with the week to do it by
- Invitations and RSVPs on the same plan
Timeline 1/2
Recommendations
The fine print, before it’s on the invoice.
Guides for your kind of party — what goes over budget, what rentals cost to deliver, what needs a permit — and local picks once you add your town. Open one and it answers for your plan, with its own numbers and dates.
What tents, amplified sound or street parking need a permit forA guide in the “Backyard birthday” example’s recommendations
- Themes, budgets, permits and insurance
- Add your town for local picks
A guide, answered 2/2
About the Party & Event Planner
A party budget is mostly a headcount problem: the guest list drives the venue, the catering, the drinks, and half the rentals. This planner scales its costs off your guest count, venue choice, and catering style, then lays out the vendor side the way caterers and rental companies actually work — book-by deadlines from real lead times, deposit and balance payment schedules, and dated appointments like tastings and walkthroughs.
It covers birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, showers, reunions, and holiday parties — not weddings, which have their own dedicated planner. Edit every line in place, work the day-of setup and cleanup checklist, and save, share, or export the plan to CSV or PDF.
What you can do
- Costs scale by guest count, venue, and catering style
- Vendor booking deadlines with deposit and balance schedules
- Dated appointments: tastings, walkthroughs, final headcount
- Day-of setup and cleanup checklist
- Save, share, CSV, and PDF export
Frequently asked questions
How does guest count change the budget?
Catering, drinks, rentals, and often the venue are priced per head or by capacity tier, so the guest list is the single biggest lever. Change the headcount and the scaled lines update; trim the list before trimming the menu if the total is over budget.
Can I use this for a wedding?
Use the dedicated Wedding Planner instead — it has 40 wedding-specific line items, regional pricing, and a longer booking timeline. This planner is tuned for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, showers, reunions, and holiday or corporate parties.
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Photos by Vitaly Gariev and Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.