How to Plan a Graduation Party

Graduates love to have a place to mingle and celebrate the big event - not to mention all those years that have gone by. Add some food and beverages and you'll have the perfect party.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Invitations
• Menus
• Postage Stamps
• Calendars

1. Choose a date and time for the party. Remember that there are many festivities and family commitments scheduled at this time of year, so choose a date and time that allow graduates to be flexible.

2. Set an approximate budget. This decision will help drive the others you need to make.

3. Consider the type of party you want. Again, keeping in mind that a lot may be going on, perhaps an open house or drop-in type party might be best.

4. Decide on a menu. Keep the age of the partygoers in mind when choosing food and drink: Pizza and soda may be great for high school graduates, but college graduates may expect something more sophisticated.

5. Make a guest list. You can limit the guests to close friends and family, or you can aim for a broader cross-section of friends or classmates.

6. Plan decorations if you want them. Consider school colors, graduation year or school sports teams as a theme.

7. Buy or make invitations, and send them out with enough advance warning. Remember to include the date and time of the party, a general idea of the dress ("dressy," "casual") and indicate whether there will be a meal served, or if it's just hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

8. Order a cake. No graduation party is complete without a "Congratulations Graduates!" cake to share.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be offended if not everyone accepts your invitation. Family celebrations often take precedence over other parties after graduation.
• If you are celebrating high school graduation, consider waiting a bit until all the graduation festivities are over. Since most graduates will remain in town until they depart for college, have a barbecue or other party later in the summer.

[mikkimo]

on 1/28/2008 My son will be graduating in June! I'm so excited and really want to make his day special. Any one know of and good ideas of how to decorate?

on 11/22/2005 When it was time for my graduation, I put colored paper together and bound it with some curly ribbon. I had everyone who went to my party leave a message with their phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and home addresses (which helped when it was time to mail out all those thank yous). It was like a year book of my graduation, with my family and friends' best wishes.

on 11/22/2005 When graduating from our high school, most graduates have an open house party where they invite all their families and friends. This happens from around 10 am-6 pm, since there are about 300 graduates a year. This gives your guests time to make it to all the different parties. It's also a tradition in my town to have a thing called a "shrine room." Set aside a room in your house and decorate the room with memories of the last 12 years. It can be anything from photo albums to awards to a book of well wishes that guests can sign. It's just a fun and personal way to see how the graduate has changed over the years.

on 11/22/2005 For the graduate who is to be a teacher, help build her collection of children's books! Along with the invitation, ask guests to include their favorite story as a gift and write a note on the inside cover of the book. (Works for baby showers, too!)