The end of the school year is fast approaching and that means it’s time to plan Graduation Parties!

Graduation party themes can be centered around school colors or a theme that encompasses the graduate’s interests, hobbies, passions, or hopes & dreams for the future. After you decide on your color scheme/theme for the Graduation party, choose invitations, decorations, and favors to match.

Send the graduation party invites out as early as possible (at least 3 weeks prior to the graduation party) so that your party isn’t lost in the shuffle. If possible, check dates with the parents of the graduate’s good friends in order to avoid scheduling conflicts.

If your graduate has one or two very close friends, don’t hesitate to combine the party if the teens like the idea. If you are planning on hosting the graduation party with other parents, or if you are expecting a big crowd, rent a tent to be set up outside your home. Most rental businesses stock these tents .. many will even deliver and set them up.

There is no right or wrong location for a graduation party…your home, a park, Country Club, school gymnasium, community center, bowling alley, local YMCA…anywhere that can accommodate your graduation party group and party preferences!

Spotlight the graduate with a table filled with memorabilia…awards, honors, prom photos, senior pictures, diploma, mortarboard, pom poms, yearbooks, textbooks, pennants, etc. This makes the graduation party more personal and unique!
 

A nice touch would be to set up a photo backdrop area – either a balloon arch, or a metallic curtain – so that the graduate can have his/her picture taken with either individuals or groupings of his choice. You will want to take plenty of photographs during the graduation party to document this once-in-a-lifetime event!

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If you are expecting out of town guests, call a few local hotels to gather room rates – don’t hesitate to ask if they offer a group discount rate!. Many will allow you to reserve a block of rooms for the weekend; then guests can call in and pay for their own room. On a separate insert in your invitation, include hotel names, rates, and a code for your block rate, along with a small map of where the hotels are located in relation to where the party will be held.

In your invitation, ask each guest to come to the party with his or her own toast, tribute or remembrance, in lieu of a store bought gift. This can take many different forms: A personal note, a doodle, a tape recorded message, a video segment, a message in song form, a poem, a skit, a photo collage, slide presentation, or a homemade music video.

Another option is to set up a video camera in an area with a decorated backdrop, and ask guests to stop by at some point during the party and record a message. Have each guest start by saying “Mike, you are special to me/our family because….” For a more light hearted or funny memento, have each guest start by saying ‘Jennifer, I think your future holds…’, or “John, I think you are most likely to…in the future’. This makes a memorable keepsake for the Graduate.

Have your guests bring something that represents their years in high school, or the year of the graduation. Add everything to a box and either bury it or give to someone for safe keeping meet back in 10 years (at the graduate’s reunion timeframe) and open up to reveal the secrets within!

You may find that it is generally best to do as little cooking as possible on the day of the party. Whenever possible choose food that can be prepared a few days prior to the party, or hire caterers, and purchase prepared food from restaurants, delicatessens, and food service markets. There is no need to create extra stress when the party is upon you, and you will have more time to mingle and enjoy the festivities.

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