Plan parties with guest counts, food, drinks, and decoration estimates. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Event Planning collection.
Use Cases
Plan a birthday party with headcount, food, drinks, and decoration budget estimates.
Calculate per-person catering cost for a corporate team celebration.
Generate a vendor checklist (caterer, venue, photographer, entertainment) with lead times.
Build a party supply shopping list organized by category and priority.
Tips
Use the per-head cost multiplier for catering estimates — caterers quote per person, so total food cost scales linearly with headcount.
Plan drinks as 1.5-2 standard drinks per guest per hour for the first 2 hours, then 1 per hour — this matches industry catering guidelines for average consumption.
Book vendors at least 8-12 weeks ahead for parties over 50 people — popular caterers, venues, and DJs in most cities are fully booked within that window on weekends.
Fun Facts
The birthday party tradition of candles on a cake dates to ancient Greece — Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt, was honored with round moon-shaped cakes with lit candles representing moonlight.
The US party supply industry generated $10.4 billion in revenue in 2023 (IBIS World), with seasonal spikes of 300-400% around Halloween and New Year's — making party planning highly seasonal for suppliers.
Studies on party planning psychology (Carnegie Mellon, 2022) found that hosts consistently overestimate how much guests will notice décor and underestimate how much they value food quality — suggesting budget allocation should weight food over decoration.
FAQ
Does it generate a budget breakdown?
Yes — the planner allocates budget across venue (30-40%), food and drinks (30-40%), entertainment (10-20%), and décor (10-15%) using common event planning ratios, adjustable by event type.
Can it generate a timeline for the event day?
Yes — enter event duration and the planner creates a run-of-show schedule with setup, arrival, meal service, entertainment, and cleanup slots based on your event format.
Does it handle dietary restrictions?
Yes — input dietary restrictions per headcount (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies) and the food calculator adjusts quantities and suggests menu options for each group.
