No sign-up needed
Free party planning tools
Ten little tools for the bits of a party that eat your evenings. Pick a date, time the save the date and the RSVP, sort the food for a BYO or a bring a plate, draw the Kris Kringle and settle up after.
Pick a date and get the word out
- Group date pollOffer a few dates, share one link and see who can make which.
- When to send invitationsPut in your date and get when to send the save the date, the invites and the RSVP.
- Invitation wordingWording for every kind of party, in the tone you want, with your details filled in.
- Guest turnout calculatorInvited 120? See how many will likely come and how many to plan for.
Feed the crowd
On the day and after
- Secret SantaDraw names and send everyone their own link. Nobody sees who drew whom.
- Place cards and name tagsPaste your guest list and print place cards or name tags on A4.
- Event countdownA live countdown to your party that you can share with the group.
- Cost splitterAdd who paid what and get the fewest transfers to settle up.
Plan a party, start to finish
You don't need all ten. Here's where each one fits, in the order a party usually comes together.
- Pick the date. Offer a few dates in the group date poll and go with the one most people can make.
- Work out the timing. Put your date into when to send invitations and it gives you the save the date, the invite and the RSVP date. For a birthday, invites go out 2 to 3 weeks before.
- Get the words down. The invitation wording tool fills your details into wording for the kind of party it is, casual or formal.
- Guess the numbers. The guest turnout calculator turns how many you invite into how many to plan for. Take that number to the party food calculator for the food, drink and ice.
- Share the cooking. If it's a bring a plate, the sign-up sheet lets everyone claim a dish so the courses come out even.
- On the day and after. Draw the Kris Kringle, print place cards or name tags, share a countdown, then split the costs with the fewest transfers.
How they work
- Nothing to sign up for. Open a tool and use it, on your phone or your laptop.
- Most of them work in your browser, and nothing you type in them is sent to us. The date poll, the bring a plate sheet and Secret Santa keep a shared list for the group, and each one says when it's deleted.
- The calculators show their working. Every number they use is written on the page, so you can see where an answer came from and nudge it.
Tips for the host
Lock the date first. Everything else hangs off it, so poll before you book anything.
Ask about dietary needs with the RSVP. Find out about the vegetarian and the coeliac before you shop, not at the table.
Say what to bring. "Bring a plate" on its own gets you four pavlovas and no salad. A shared list sorts it out.
Settle up while it's fresh. Split the costs the week of the party, before anyone forgets who bought the ice.
Questions
Are these party planning tools really free?
Yes. There's nothing to pay and nothing to sign up for. HeadsUp makes them, and they work whether or not you ever use HeadsUp for your invites.
Do I need an account or an app?
No. Open a tool in your browser, on your phone or your laptop, and use it. The ones you share, like the date poll and the bring a plate sheet, work for your guests the same way, with no account for them either.
What happens to the names and details I type?
Seven of the tools work in your browser and nothing you type in them is sent to us. The date poll, the bring a plate sheet and Secret Santa keep a shared list so the group can use it. A date poll is deleted 60 days after its last date, a bring a plate sheet 60 days after its date, or 90 days after it's made when it has none, and a Secret Santa draw 60 days after the swap date, or 90 days after it's made when it has none.
Is Secret Santa the same as Kris Kringle?
Yes, it's the same game. Kris Kringle is what plenty of Aussie offices and families call it. Our Secret Santa tool draws the names, keeps couples apart if you ask, and gives each person their own link, so nobody sees who drew whom.
What does bring a plate mean? And BYO?
Bring a plate means bring a dish to share, not an empty plate. BYO means bring your own drinks. The bring a plate sheet lets guests claim a dish by course so you don't end up with four pavlovas, and for a BYO party, set the drinkers to none on the party food calculator and it drops the alcohol from the list.
When should I send a save the date?
Only when guests need to block the date out well ahead. A wedding's goes out 6 to 8 months before, and a milestone birthday's 2 to 3 months before. Most parties skip it and send the invite, 2 to 3 weeks out for a birthday. The when to send invitations tool works out every date from yours.
Can these tools track RSVPs?
Not these ones. The date poll finds a day that suits, and the turnout calculator guesses how many will come. For real replies, a HeadsUp invite puts the details, the RSVPs and the dietary needs on one page and shows you who's opened it and who's coming.