Hosting Great Graduation Parties
What better way to celebrate your graduating senior than to throw a graduation party? Many are in full swing right now, but in case you're still looking for ideas, we've found some great tips to make sure your grad party is a superlative success.
Be flexible
Because graduation weekends can tend to be packed with events, make your party an open house-style event with a wide time frame to give guests maximum flexibility to attend your party as well as other events. Tell people to drop by during your set hours and have snacks and drinks ready to go as non-perishables that can be easily restocked. Make it extra special with a customized graduation cake. If you want even more “grab and go options,” supplement the cake with matching cupcakes or cake pops. Pro Tip: If there are several parties scheduled for one day, the first party is where most people will eat; they tend to graze at later events. Plan accordingly when scheduling and planning your menu.
Make it a backyard bash.
There’s definitely a time and a place for formal affairs, and graduation is a major milestone, but holding your graduation party outdoors as a pool party or backyard event lets your senior celebrate in a more laid-back manner. Because the commencement ceremony is formal and seniors spend a week practicing pomp and circumstance, your grad may prefer a relaxed personal celebration. Besides, who wants to be inside for a stuffy party with our fabulous island weather?!
Attending the graduation ceremony may be difficult for family members due to mobility issues or limited tickets, so gathering everyone for a backyard brunch the Saturday or Sunday morning following the ceremony is a perfect way to extend the celebration and include family and friends who couldn’t attend. Keep that cap and gown handy for photos!
If your backyard isn’t big enough for the group you plan to host, consider taking the party on the road to one of our local parks or the beach. Invest in a canopy or tent to provide shade for refreshments and a spot for guests to duck in out of the sun. As your grad heads to college, the tent will be great for tailgating during football season!
Fill their bellies.
As we mentioned above, a fabulous graduation cake and or cupcakes and cake pops can serve as a stunning centerpiece for your party and there are so many fun ways to customize it for your senior! But man cannot survive on cake alone, so plan on serving party-friendly foods that all ages are sure to love.
A bar/buffet style set-up is one of the best ways to keep everyone happy at a party. If you’ve got a grill handy, the hot dog and burger bar offers up easy to eat options that can be customized to taste and may also give the guys at the party an opportunity to chill and drink the cold beverages of their choice as they “man” the grill. Set up a table with your traditional condiments, lettuce, tomato, onion, and toppings like various cheeses, chili, slaw, bacon, and guacamole. A chip and dip buffet makes a nice accompaniment. You may want to make sure there are also veggie burgers and other vegan-friendly options to accommodate any non-meat-eating guests. Offering single serving plastic cups that hold mini salads, either green, pasta, or fruit, make for a more convenient way for guests to enjoy sides and can be made in advance.
Another popular bar is the taco/nacho bar. You know exactly what we’re talking about! Start with soft and hard taco shells and tortilla chips with chicken, beef, shrimp, or whatever proteins you desire. Then you can go as big or small as you want with toppings like black beans, corn, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, queso, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsas and hot sauces, sour cream, etc.
If you want to indulge your sweet tooth and have a chest freezer you can keep outside, set up an ice cream float and sundae bar. Stock the freezer with vanilla and chocolate ice cream at the minimum. Supply root beer, orange, and other sodas, as well as whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, maraschino cherries, with large cups and straws for floats. Provide dishes, spoons, nuts, fruit, and other toppings for sundaes. Keep some cones handy too!
Focus on friends.
It’s important to remember that this may be the last occasion that your graduate will be able to get together with their friends before a busy summer preparing and departing for college, so rather than a big party, so they may prefer something more intimate with close friends.
If your grad is a part of a particularly close-knit friend group, you might consider organizing a dinner in a private room at one of our local restaurants and invite their friends and families to attend. Or take your graduate out for a post ceremony lunch or dinner with their best friend(s) and family. This more subdued atmosphere allows parents to reminisce together while you celebrate your seniors’ accomplishments and their shared experiences.
You may also consider getting together with your graduate’s friends’ families to host a joint party. This can help divide the expense and the tasks for the party. It makes sense when there would be a large overlap in the guest lists. Decide early on if there will be restrictions on how many people each family can invite and make sure everyone agrees.
Consider combining events.
As our local high school graduations take place just before Memorial Day, holding graduation parties over Memorial Day weekend is perfect way to make it easier for out-of-town family members to attend or extend their stay after the graduation ceremony.
This may be a no-brainer, but if you have both a high school and college graduate in your family, combine the guests and have one graduation party for both students with friends and family.
If there’s just too much going on with graduation and Memorial Day weekend, you can always hold off your graduation party until June and celebrate both dads and grads on Father’s Day Weekend. This is extra special if you’re getting multiple generations together. There would be some great family photo ops here too!
Alternatively, you could break things up and hold two smaller events instead of one big bash. Throw a low-key gathering over graduation weekend. Plan a larger going-away party with your graduate’s friends for later in the summer before they head their separate ways. You can decorate using their high school colors for the first shindig and then debut their college colors for the going-away gala. Pro tip: have extra tissues on hand!
Keep them entertained.
While older guests may simply want to gather and chat, younger attendees may need something more active than simple conversation. Pool parties are an excellent way to solve this problem. Setting up cornhole boards and having other outdoor games available, like giant Jenga, are popular options for party fun. Remember collegiate cornhole game sets are available and make a great gift!
Photos and videos are some other great options. Show old home movies on a big screen. Collect favorite childhood photos and school and sports pics. Make a video montage of photos of your grad and their friends and play that during the party.
A cool party décor and entertainment idea is to have a Polaroid wall. Set up a table with a Polaroid (and plenty of extra film) and Sharpie markers. String some twine across a board and have clips or clothespins handy to hang photos here. Have your party guests take photos and hang them on the wall throughout the party. They make a great keepsake of this fun event.
You can go one step further and hire a photographer with a photobooth, like Studio PixelPop. Provide props with Class of 2022 and college themes in addition to the usual hats, glasses, boas, and other fun stuff. Your guests will leave with a photo strip keepsake and you’ll also have the ability to keep photos to create a book for your grad or put the day’s shots on a flash drive or in a video montage to share
Stay Stress Free
Graduation is a major milestone in your life. It’s important that you and your graduate can focus on enjoying the moment rather than getting caught up in all the party planning or whirlwind expectations with so many events occurring. Here are some tips you might consider to remove some of the stress.
Have the party fully or partially catered or hire a chef to cook for the party. This allows you to spend quality time with family and friends. It can be a real lifesaver if you’re hosting a houseful of out-of-town guests for the graduation as well, because then you can truly enjoy the event without worrying about shopping, prep, cooking, and cleanup.
If you don’t have the event fully catered, consider recruiting friends or hiring servers to come act as extra hands to replenish trays, wash dishes, and empty garbage. This is also where house guests can come into play, if appropriate. You might not want to make Great Grandma Sarah Beth wash the dishes, but many guests often feel in the way or at loose ends in your home while you’re hosting an event. So if your guests are willing and reliable, and it won’t take away from their enjoyment of the event, you may want to delegate tasks and put them to work.
If you’re recruiting friends to help, it’s a great time to use the buddy system and trade-off host duties. Ask one or two of your close friends to be on hand to replenish food trays and beverage containers, take pictures during the party, and clean up so you can enjoy your own event. In return, you’ll do the same for them when they’re hosting their teens’ parties or other events.
Party Alternatives
Remember that this special time is about celebrating your senior, so it’s important that you keep their wishes in mind when planning. Even if you’d love to throw a big bash, your graduate may have absolutely no interest in entertaining a huge crowd. They may prefer a simple home-cooked meal of their favorite foods and family gathered around the table, or they may just want to go out to their favorite restaurant. Graduation can be a stressful time, even if it is a major accomplishment, and it signals big changes in your child’s life, so if they’re feeling overwhelmed, think about alternative ways to celebrate.
Of course, available options vary greatly with budget, but here are some suggestions for alternatives to hosting a big graduation party. Plan a family trip or weekend getaway. This will give your family a chance to make some memories and share an experience before it becomes more difficult to coordinate everyone’s schedules. How about a road trip adventure to as many national parks or baseball parks as you can fit in? Maybe that European backpack adventure you never managed to take—make it happen with your grad now. Hit the new rides and see the latest attractions at Disney or head to Universal to share a mug of butter beer and buy them a wand in Diagon Alley to remind them of their magic. Nab tickets to a killer music festival or plan a trip to Red Rocks or the Ryman to see your grad’s favorite band. Give your theatre buff a weekend on Broadway with top-notch tickets or make a trip to Rodeo Drive with your fashionista. The gift of experience tailored to your grad’s passions is a marvelous way to celebrate their milestone.
We want to wish ALL of our graduating seniors the very best! Congratulations to the Class of 2022. Celebrate your accomplishments because you make your families and our community proud!
