Planning a Graduation Party

Graduating high school or college is a major achievement and planning a graduation party is a great way to celebrate the student's success with family and friends. While it may seem intimidating at first, there are many different things you can do to plan a fun event.

Here are some tips for planning a graduation party:

1. Make a Guest List: This is one of the most important things to do because you will need to have an idea of how many people are expected to come to the party to help you plan with a location and making sure you have enough food. It will be up to you whether you decide to invite a lot of extended family and friends or if you'd prefer a smaller and more intimate group setting.

2. Choose a Date and Time: In general most graduation parties are either close to the day of graduation or a few weeks later. Some may choose to have their graduation party at a much later date because there are often so many different graduation parties at once, especially high school graduations. Weekend dates are typically best, especially if you would be expecting out of town visitors, but you can also opt to have a weekday evening party also.

3. Choose a Location: There are many different options for where you can host your party. Many people will have them at their own homes, or if you think space might be tight you can also choose to reserve a picnic shelter or banquet hall type facility. If you will be having your graduation party somewhere else besides your own home you will want to make sure you call far enough in advance so you can have the date reserved for you.

4. Send Invitations: You will want to make sure that you give your potential guests plenty of notice so they can plan to attend your party. There are many different invitations available. You can choose to print out a flyer or card from your printer or you can use store bought invitations. Don't forget to include an RSVP number and date so you will have a good idea of how many guests to plan for.

5. Plan the Food: There are many different things you can do for food. If your budget allows, hiring a caterer can be a great way to have everything set up and taken care of for you. However, you can save hundreds of dollars by catering the party yourself. You will have to decide what types of appetizers and snacks to serve as well as main dish foods. It is popular for many grads to have a buffet table of different things for guests to eat as they feel like it, since many attendees will be coming and going at different times. If you are having your party at a picnic shelter, you may want to consider offering grilled favorites such as hamburgers or baby back ribs. Make sure if you will be serving food on a hot sunny day that you make sure cold foods stay cold by placing them over ice to make sure none of your guests get sick.

6. Decorate: While decorations are not absolutely necessary, they do add a nice touch to the atmosphere of the party. A very easy thing to do would be to hang balloons and streamers that match your school colors. You may also wish to make party favors or table centerpieces that go around the graduation theme. If your party is at night, you may want to consider stringing Christmas lights or having other lighting outdoors that would make the event seem more special. Many grads will often also set up a table that has pictures of them growing up and with friends as well as a place for friends and family to leave cards and gifts.

7. Have Activities Available: While you do not necessarily need activities to entertain and occupy your guests, it can make the party more enjoyable. Common picnic games such as horseshoes, volleyball, and badminton are popular choices. You may also want to set up to have music playing in the background which will add to the overall enjoyment of the guests.

8. Be Prepared: It is always a good idea to have certain things on hand for your graduation party that you may not normally think of needing. For example, you'll want to have a first aid kit on hand just in case someone would get hurt or stung by a bee. You should also make sure you have plenty of plastic wrap and foil for wrapping up food for guests to take home. Thinking of all the most unlikely things that could possibly happen at your party will help make sure you have everything you need just in case one of those things does happen. Sometimes playing the party out in your mind ahead of time can help you make a list of things you will need.

Planning a graduation party can seem like a lot of work at first, but if you break it down and follow these simple tips you'll find that it's not that difficult and everyone will be sure to have a great time!