Dinner Party Planner Spreadsheet

Plan a dinner party without the math. Type in each recipe once, add your guests, and this spreadsheet scales every dish, builds your shopping list, tells you how much wine, beer, ice and appetizers to buy, and gives you a timeline for the whole evening.

Works for any occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, supper clubs, holidays or just because. Works in Google Sheets and Excel. Includes a bonus editable dinner menu.

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WHAT IT DOES
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✦ Scales every recipe to your guest count (kids count as half, plus extra for leftovers, both adjustable)
✦ Converts units for you: ½ cup butter becomes 8 tbsp, 12 oz cranberries becomes 3 cups
✦ Builds one shopping list, grouped by store section, rounded up to real package sizes, with estimated costs
✦ Works out the bar: bottles of wine, beer, spirits, mixers, bubbly for a toast, soft drinks, water and bags of ice
✦ Tells you how many appetizer pieces to make and times them to be ready when guests arrive
✦ Dishes a guest is bringing stay off your list

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WHAT'S INCLUDED
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✦ Party Plan: date, dinner time, budget and your key numbers at a glance
✦ Guests: RSVPs, dietary needs, allergies and who's bringing what
✦ Menu: every dish with a photo, who's making it, make-ahead day and cook times
✦ Ingredients: enter each recipe as written, and it scales automatically
✦ Shopping List: built for you, plus a "don't forget" party supply checklist
✦ Drinks & Apps: a bar and appetizer calculator with prices you can edit
✦ Timeline: countdown checklist, make-ahead plan, a cooking schedule with an oven-temperature check, and a run of show for the evening
✦ Budget: receipts, other costs and estimated cost per dish
✦ Pantry & Prices: 98 common ingredients with package sizes and typical prices you can edit
✦ Example version filled in with a sample dinner party for 12, plus a blank version
✦ BONUS: editable dinner party menu (Letter and 5 × 7) as a fillable PDF and a Canva template

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HOW IT WORKS
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1. Purchase and download your files (Purchases > Download files).
2. Open the How to Access PDF and click the Google Sheets link to make your own copy, or open the Excel file.
3. Add your guests, menu and recipes.
4. Shop from your lists and follow your timeline.

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PLEASE NOTE
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✦ This is a digital download. No physical item will be shipped.
✦ Works in Google Sheets (free) and Excel. Photos in cells need Google Sheets or Excel for Microsoft 365.
✦ Prices are typical U.S. estimates for planning. Edit them to match your store.
✦ Drink amounts are common party-planning guidelines. Please drink responsibly.
✦ For personal use only. Please do not resell or share the files.

Questions? Send me a message anytime. I'm happy to help!

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