Party planning checklist you can share with your co-hosts
From four weeks out to the clear-up, split between the people hosting.
No account, no install. You get a link you can send to anyone.
Most parties are planned by more than one person, and most of the stress comes from the gaps between them. One person thought the other had ordered the cake. Nobody asked about allergies. The extra chairs were never borrowed.
This template lays out the jobs in the order they need doing, from sending invitations four weeks before to returning borrowed glasses the day after. Share the link with whoever is hosting with you and put a name against each task.
It works for birthdays, leaving parties, garden parties and anything else where a few people are pulling something together. Nobody needs an account, and the list updates for everyone as soon as a task is ticked off.
How to get the most out of it
Set a reply-by date on the invitation
Numbers drive almost every other decision - food, drink, chairs and space. A clear reply-by date two weeks out gives you time to plan with real numbers instead of guesses.
Ask about allergies when people reply
Add each guest's dietary needs to the list as replies come in. It is far easier to plan around a nut allergy two weeks before than to discover it at the buffet.
Give each co-host a whole section
Splitting by section - one person on food, one on the space, one on invitations - avoids the back-and-forth of splitting individual tasks. Everyone can still see the whole list.
Keep the afterwards section
Returning borrowed items and settling shared costs are easy to let slide once the party is over. Leaving them on the list means they get ticked off rather than forgotten.
What is on the list
23 items across 5 sections. Everything is editable once you create the list.
Four weeks before
- Set the date, time and rough budget
- Decide on the guest list
- Book the venue, or confirm the space at home
- Send invitations with a reply-by date
Two weeks before
- Chase replies and confirm numbers
- Ask about dietary requirements and allergies
- Plan the food and drink
- Order a cake or anything that needs to be made
- Arrange music or a playlist
- Borrow extra chairs, glasses or a cool box
The day before
- Do the food and drink shop
- Prepare anything that can be made ahead
- Charge speakers and phones
- Clean the space and clear somewhere for coats
- Put ice in the freezer
On the day
- Set up tables, decorations and lighting
- Put out plates, cups, napkins and bin bags
- Chill the drinks
- Set aside food for guests with allergies
Afterwards
- Return borrowed items
- Take out rubbish and recycling
- Settle up shared costs
- Send thank-you messages
Questions people ask
- Can guests see the list?
- Only people you send the link to can open it. Share it with your co-hosts rather than the guest list.
- Can we split tasks between hosts?
- Yes. Add each host to the list and put their name against the tasks they are taking.
- We only have a week. Does it still work?
- Yes. Start from the two-week section and work through the earlier items as quickly as you can.
- Do I need to sign up?
- No account and no install. Create the list and share the link.