Graduation Parties

As finals week for college students comes to an end and high school seniors are counting down the last month until graduation, all they are thinking right now is…Let’s party!

Clearly you know the graduates aren’t really interested in how this party is planned. They just want one to have their friends and family around, oh and of course to get presents! It is usually the parents that get stuck with the choices that need to be made. Below are some ideas on how to make a graduation party simple, yet fun.

Location
Most graduation parties are casual and held in the backyard. If you don’t have the room, and your graduate is open to having a joint party, see if one of their friends would be interested in hosting the joint party at their home. If not, then you can always look into renting a hall. It will give you the space you need, and still give you the ability to bring your own food/beverages to keep cost down. If you want something a little fancier, a dinner or brunch at a local restaurant is always nice too.

Themes
The standard theme for high school and college graduation parties is usually school colors. For high school graduations, you can even use the colors and additional flair of the college your graduate will be attending in the Fall. If you want to get creative, you can always incorporate some personality of the graduate into your theme. For instance, if this is a college graduation party, you can base the party’s theme on their major. Graphic design graduates can have their work displayed throughout the party to add a personal touch. Film graduates can have a red carpet party full with movie posters, movie set items and even a showing of the graduate’s work. For general business or marketing majors, you can make “Fun Facts about the Graduate” charts and graphs to put on display. Something inspirational that you can do for any party is creating a “The Graduate will be successful because…” board and have your guests leave a message for them. It’s a great way to boost their confidence as they are now breaking into the “real world.”

Food
So you have your theme set and now you are concerned about food. Most parties consist of lots of family and friends. For the family you want to make sure you have enough “real food” meaning chicken, pasta, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. For the kids/friends, finger foods are the way to go. It’s so difficult to get a solid headcount for these types of parties because friends tend to pop in and out during the party. My suggestion hit up Costco and stock up on finger foods/appetizers. The kids really don’t care about the chicken marsala and pesto pasta…they want the fried, finger foods…you know, the good stuff. This will also be a great way to keep the food cost from going completely overboard.

Gift ideas
Ok, so you are browsing the “Things Remembered” catalogue and just love the precious, sentimental gifts they have. My advice, chuck the catalogue and get out your check book. Most graduates, whether high school or college, always need one thing…money. If you are not comfortable giving money, then try and find something that they can actually use or enjoy. For example, high school graduates going away to college need pretty much everything to get their dorm room in order. If you are not familiar with their taste/style, a gift certificate to Target or Bed Bath & Beyond is great! One of my favorite things to do is buy a large Rubbermaid storage container and stock it with goodies that they can use in their dorm room.

And remember, TSP is here to serve you. Don’t feel like dealing with the set up/clean up? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help so you can enjoy the party with your graduate!