How far ahead should I invite people to a house party?

About a week. Long enough that the date survives other plans, short enough that people still remember it. The checklist puts invitations seven days out and the guest list ten.

How much food should I plan for a house party?

Plan for the people who confirmed, plus a little. The harder problem is knowing who confirmed, which is why the checklist separates collecting replies from planning the menu — replies come first.

Plan by occasion

Planning a house party

A house party lives or dies on the week before it. The food and the playlist are the fun part, but the things that actually go wrong are the ones nobody owned: who was invited and never replied, who said they would bring ice, and whether the neighbours know there will be music.

The full checklist

Timing is relative to the day of the gathering. Mehfeel turns this into real dates once you pick one.

Plan

Decide the guest list 10 days before
Collect RSVPs 1 week before
Set a rough budget 10 days before
Send invitations 1 week before
Plan the food & drinks 5 days before

Buy

Buy food & ingredients 2 days before
Buy drinks 2 days before
Buy decorations 3 days before · optional

Prepare

Clean & tidy the space The day before
Prep / cook the food The day before
Set up a music playlist The day before · optional
Give neighbours a heads-up The day before · optional

Day-of

Put up the decorations On the day · optional
Chill the drinks On the day
Welcome your guests On the day

After

Tidy up On the day
Thank your guests The day after · optional

What makes this one different

The one task people forget is the neighbours. A message the day before costs nothing and buys you an evening without a knock at the door.

Let Mehfeel keep the list.

Pick a date and this becomes a dated plan, with invitations and replies in one place — and the circle saved for the next one.

Join early access

Common questions

How far ahead should I invite people to a house party?: About a week. Long enough that the date survives other plans, short enough that people still remember it. The checklist puts invitations seven days out and the guest list ten.
How much food should I plan for a house party?: Plan for the people who confirmed, plus a little. The harder problem is knowing who confirmed, which is why the checklist separates collecting replies from planning the menu — replies come first.