Everyone admires the hostess with the mostest, and the secret is that work well planned is work half done. The Mostess effortlessly turns your entertaining checklist into a shared plan. Set up the event, share out the responsibilities room by room, and build a guest book that remembers who came, what you served and how it went.
Being the hostess with the mostest starts long before the doorbell rings. Every event starts from your own master checklist, grouped the way your home works: Downstairs, Upstairs, Hospitality before and on the day, and Food. Untick the rooms you don't need, add a one-off task for this event, and remove anything that doesn't apply.
Welcoming guests into your home is something a household does together. Give each family member responsibilities of their own, from laying the table to sweeping the leaves. Not only will they learn how to look after others, they will also experience the joy of doing something for someone else. Tick who's helping this time, then assign tasks one by one or a whole room at once. Each helper opens My tasks to see just their list; All tasks shows the full picture across every event.
Copy your allocating co-ordinator's emailed guest list into the app. The Mostess reads each household, the number coming and their phone number, picks up the date, and fills in brothers and sisters for households it already knows.
Hello,
Guests on Lord's Day the 9th November:
M/M David & Ruth Marsh (4) (+44 7700 900123)
Ann Okafor (1) (+44 7700 900456)
M/M Tom & Lea Price (3) (+44 7700 900789)
Total guests: 8
Example names and numbers
Every event adds to your guest book, building a record of the good times and happy memories. You can see who came, what the occasion was, and who the other guests were. Sort from oldest to newest to make sure you entertain without preference or prejudice!
| Household | Visits | Last visit | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom & Lea Price | 3 | 21/09/26 | Afternoon tea |
| Ann Okafor | 4 | 12/10/26 | Midday break |
| David & Ruth Marsh | 6 | 09/11/26 | Midday break |
Example guest book
A live countdown sits on the home screen and on each event, ticking down to the start time. Switch it off for any event that doesn't need one.
When you archive an event, The Mostess asks two questions and keeps your answers with it, ready for the next time you entertain.
Example notes
The Mostess is free to download and free to use. Set up your household once, and everyone you invite joins at no cost.
Download The Mostess and create your household in the app. Your checklist, guest book and settings live in your household.
Copy your household's invite link and send it to your household members. After downloading the app they can see the menu, who's doing what and when it needs to be done by.
If you have one-off helpers for a special occasion, you can add them to the event. They won't be able to see your previous or future events, just the events you invite them to.
If you would like to be part of the testing community for The Mostess, and give us valuable feedback, please enter your details below.
Yes. Your household's plans are private to your household: only the people you invite can see them, and we never sell your information or share it with advertisers. Your data is stored on accredited servers with strict security protocols. The most sensitive details, guests' phone numbers and allergies, never leave the phone they were typed into. They aren't stored on our servers, and they're deleted automatically once the event is archived.
Nobody. Only the people you invite into your household can see your events and Guest Book. One-off helpers you add to a single event see just that event, never your Guest Book.
Allergies are health information, which UK and EU data protection law treats as especially sensitive. To comply, you need to expressly ask your guests for permission to store the information, and it should only be kept for as long as it's needed, and for no other purpose. To protect your guests, and you, The Mostess keeps allergy details only on the phone they were typed into, and deletes them once the event is archived.
Although The Mostess is free to use, it's not free to run. Unlike many apps, it's ad free, which means your information is never sold to third parties. Any donations towards the running and development of the app, from keeping your household's information safe to adding new features, would be gratefully appreciated.
Your household's events and Guest Book stay put for as long as you keep your account, so you can always look back at who came and what you served. If you'd like all of your data deleted completely, use Delete account in the app (☰ → About), or email us at [email protected]. How to delete your account.