Clear Lists
Get the app →
Party Planning Checklist
The tasks, quantities and timing for a home or small-venue party, from budget to the final hour.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
Saved in this browser. Send it to Clear to keep it on your phone.
Vistaprint says only 70 to 80 percent of invited guests attend, and The Bash puts typical RSVP rates around 75 percent, so a guest list can run a little over capacity. This checklist follows the order the sources use, from budget and guest count through the hour before doors open. It assumes a home or small-venue party of a few dozen people. It leaves out wedding-scale planning and hiring an event planner.
Why these items are on the list
- Set budget and guest count. Vistaprint puts budget, location and headcount first, before you buy supplies or book vendors.
- Pick a date and time. The Bash suggests checking for conflicts with key guests on your list.
- Choose home or venue. If renting, Vistaprint says to ask whether tables and chairs are included.
- Draft the guest list. Vistaprint suggests inviting about 20% more people than the venue fits.
- Send invitations. Vistaprint: the earlier they go out, the more likely guests are to attend. Make the RSVP deadline prominent.
- Decide on a theme. Sprinkle Some Fun says a simple theme is fine, or skip one altogether.
- Book entertainment or vendors. Vistaprint says to pay deposits and confirm specifics like the menu with the caterer.
- Plan food, 0.5-1 lb each. Event Brothers Co. gives 0.5 to 1 pound of food per person.
- Plan drinks, 1-2 per hour. Event Brothers Co. example: 20 guests for 3 hours is around 60 drinks.
- Order the cake. Sprinkle Some Fun says two weeks out. Social Tables says to check each bakery's notice rules.
- Buy plates, cups, napkins. Event Brothers Co. rule of thumb: 2 plates, 2 to 3 cups and 3 napkins per guest.
- Arrange seating for 70%. Event Brothers Co. says seating for about 70 percent of guests.
- Buy decorations and favors. Sprinkle Some Fun puts decorations, supplies and favors in the week before.
- Plan one or two games. Sprinkle Some Fun says one or two simple activities are usually more than enough.
- Follow up on RSVPs. Vistaprint, Social Tables and Sprinkle Some Fun all put this in the final week.
- Prepare playlist or speaker. Sprinkle Some Fun suggests a playlist two to three days out. Event Brothers Co. says to test it.
- Stock ice and trash bags. Event Brothers Co. lists both under things most people forget.
- Find extension cords, extra chairs. Also on Event Brothers Co.'s forgotten list, along with cleaning wipes.
- Clean party area, bathroom. Sprinkle Some Fun puts cleaning two to three days out. Event Brothers Co. says keep the bathroom stocked.
- Prep make-ahead food. Sprinkle Some Fun puts food that can be made ahead on the day before.
- Pick up cake, check the box. Social Tables suggests peeking inside the boxes before you leave the bakery.
- Final check one hour out. Event Brothers Co.: drinks cold, music tested, bins placed, food set out for easy access.
Tick it off on your phone over a few days, and share it with a co-host so two people do not both order the cake. Quantities like plates and cups per guest sit next to the task instead of in a separate table.
When to use it
Use it as soon as a party is on the calendar. For a small home party, the shortest timelines start 2 to 4 weeks out, while larger parties need longer.