Planning Your Child's Graduation Open House

Though you may still be scratching your head as to how it could possibly be time for you to watch your child walk across the stage and receive a high school diploma, you can't ignore the truth: your son or daughter is about to transition from high school to college. In many families, this milestone is celebrated with an open house.

Make your graduate's graduation open house be a memorable celebration of their accomplishments and don't forget these important considerations as you conduct your planning.

Budget

You didn't make it to this point in your child's life without learning a thing or two about the importance sensible budgeting. Let's face it, kids are expensive. And college? The spending continues. There is good reason to be realistic about the costs of the open house. The first step in planning the party should be determining the price tag. What are you willing to spend? Decide this number before you make any other decisions so that costs do not spiral out of control.

The Invitees

The number of people attending the open house will influence all of your other party planning decisions. Develop a list of invitees and be sure to get the input of your graduate. Once you have a number in mind, you can comfortably proceed with the rest of the planning, using the number of people who will be in attendance to help you determine where to hold the party, what to serve, etc.

Location, Location, Location

Locations for graduation open houses are as varied as the interests of the graduates themselves. Rented halls, big back yards, and even art galleries are all possibilities for a graduation open house.

The "where" of the open house is quite possibly the most influential part of the budget. The costs range from free (someone's home) to very expensive (rented time in an art gallery) to reasonable (a local rental hall).

Consider your son or daughter's unique interests and use this to help you choose the perfect place for the party. Is the graduate a basketball fanatic? Try and secure a park pavilion near a basketball court so that the guest of honor and party attendees can play a little ball during the party. Is the graduate a 4H Club member? Call upon a friend or family member who owns a barn.

The Food

An open house is quite often a potluck affair. Friends and family members all contribute their famous special dishes and the menu comes together as a tasteful group effort. For many families, this style is traditional and can be a great way to save money on the costs.

Other families choose to have the event catered. Depending on the location, there may or may not be a choice in caterers. Some halls have established contracts with specific caterers and others have an open policy. Obviously an open house at a private residence has free choice in catering.

Whether you choose to do the food yourself or hire a caterer, it is important to keep in mind that the very nature of an open house is the option for guests to drop in at any time during the open house. This means that the menu should consist of options that are ready to serve at all times during the party.

The Timing

Keep in mind that your graduate will want to attend the graduation parties of classmates. Therefore, it is important to schedule your party so as not to conflict with the parties of all the other graduates.

There are two approaches to achieving the perfect scheduling of the open house. One is to get your invitations out before anyone else. If you go onto the calendar before everyone else, the burden is on the other parents to plan their parties around yours. You absolve yourself the responsibility.

Another option is to plan your open house at an unusual time. Plan the party the weekend before the graduation ceremony and beat the rush. Plan the party several weeks after the graduation party after the other celebrations have occurred. If the party will be held on a weekend that will likely be the same as many other open houses, consider holding a brunch style open house which leaves the rest of the day wide open.

Celebrate

Once you've pulled everything together to achieve the perfect open house, enjoy the day and savor the moment of celebrating your child's accomplishment. Don't be afraid to pat yourself on the back for being such a crucial factor in your child's success.