Guides
Everything we know, written down
These are the guides we wish existed when we started. Free to use, whether or not you ever hire us — and detailed enough to actually plan from.
The Kids' Birthday Party Planning Checklist
Everything that has to happen, in the order it has to happen, from eight weeks out to the day after.
9 min read BudgetHow to Budget a Kids' Party
Where the money actually goes, which line items are worth protecting, and where to cut without anyone noticing.
8 min read IdeasBirthday Party Ideas by Age, 1 to 12
What actually works at each age, how long the party should run, and the mistakes specific to each stage.
11 min read VendorsHow to Choose a Party Entertainer
The questions to ask before you book, and the answers that should make you keep looking.
7 min read PlanningIndoor vs Outdoor Parties in the Bay Area
A region with five microclimates and one afternoon to get it right. How to decide, and how to hedge.
7 min read PlanningThe Day-Of Party Schedule That Works
A run-of-show for a two-hour party, and why the order of events matters more than the events.
6 min read FoodPlanning Party Food Around Dietary Needs
How to collect requirements properly, brief a caterer, and label a table so no parent has to interrogate it.
7 min read PlanningParties in Small Spaces
A San Francisco flat, twenty children, and a plan that makes that a reasonable idea.
6 min readOr let us do it
The guides work. They also take time. If you would rather hand the whole thing over, that is what we are for.