Party Planning Guides: Hats, Supplies and Timelines

What you'll learn

• How many hats to buy: a rule of thumb of one per child plus spares, worked through for different guest lists and pack sizes.
• Which size fits whom: standard cones about 7.9–8.4 in tall versus mini cones about 5–5.3 in, with base widths and calculated circumferences.
• How to assemble paper hats: pre-curling the sheet, locking the tab, sealing the seam and threading elastic so it holds.
• How to keep hats on: strap tension, placement on the head and timing hats around cake and photos.
• When to do what: a two-week timeline from guest list to setup, plus per-guest counts for plates, cups and napkins.
• Ribbon math: the cross-wrap formula of 2 × length + 2 × width + 4 × height, plus extra for the bow.

Where to start

How these guides are written

Sizes and counts come from the products the guides use: our rainbow and pastel 12-packs of standard cone hats, the mini 11-packs with gold and silver crowns, the beaver mini hats and the Happy Birthday ribbon roll. Where a number is a planning estimate rather than a measurement, such as spare hats or napkins per guest, the guide labels it as a rule of thumb, so you can adjust it for your own party.

Each guide stands on its own and points to related guides, so you can follow a thread from guest count to hat size to assembly without starting over.

Turn the guides into a shopping list

Once you have a guest count, the party supply calculator turns kids, adults, party length and style into quantities for hats, balloons, banner length, ribbon and tableware, with a buffer built in. Use it alongside the checklist so the numbers and the timeline match.

A few planning habits from these guides apply to any party. Build anything that needs assembly a few days early, not on the morning. Count spares into every quantity. And put hats on at the moment you want the photo, not when guests arrive.