Graduation is a very special time for not just the person graduating, but for their entire family. Graduation marks the end of a student’s journey and all that hard work they have put into their studies. It also signifies the beginning of an exciting new chapter in life. There are many ways to celebrate this milestone, but one way that never gets old is hosting a graduation party for your loved one’s big day.
In this article, we will give you some tips on how to host the perfect event so you can commemorate your graduate’s achievement with style and grace! We hope these pointers help make your next graduation celebration as memorable as possible.
Hosting a graduation party can be daunting for some people, primarily if they have never hosted one before. Fortunately, hosting a graduation party is not as complicated as you might think, and we’re here to walk you through it.
Location
The first step in this process is much like anything else relating to real estate and venues. Location, Location, Location. So your first step is to find the perfect location for the event. It may be at your house if you have enough space, or it could be another place entirely – anywhere that can accommodate all of your guests comfortably. For example, if you’re having a party in LA, then you’d want to have things in an area that’s comfortable and has the things you need nearby and locally. We typed photo booth rental los angeles for the photo booth we needed for our party and since it was local, things went off without a hitch. The key here is comfort. You don’t want too many guests packed in a small area, and you won’t want the opposite, not enough guests for a huge area. Not only would that be a waste of resources and $, but when guests are in a space that’s way too large for the number of people attending, many parties and celebrations tend to go stale quickly. So, it’s best to find a happy medium.
Location will also help determine the kind of theme and atmosphere you want to set for your event. For example: do you want it at a beach house? Then seaside colors and decorations might be ideal. Or maybe you’re going for an elegant look and feel with a dinner party type of decor. If this is the case, then perhaps black and white or red and white tablecloths would work nicely (this is the route we’d personally recommend). Maybe the graduate likes bright colors, in which case rainbow-colored tablecloths may do well. The list goes on & the location will help shape the entire mood you are trying to create for your guests, so make sure you take plenty of time to choose the right one.
Guest List
The next step would be to send out invitations-either through email or traditional mail, depending on your preference. You want to make sure that the guests RSVP’d to avoid any last-minute surprises. Once you’ve received RSVPs, you can get a more accurate headcount of everyone who is attending. It’s crucial to plan ahead for a couple of extra guests in case someone needs to bring a plus one or you forgot to send an invitation to someone important to graduation since overlooking someone is bound to happen, especially during a graduation party. A good rule of thumb when it comes to graduation parties is to think of the graduate themselves. What would they like? If your grad loves food, make sure to have plenty of options for them available. For example, you can serve special catering or maybe even offer a fun cake with their favorite flavor or even candy on top.
If you’re planning on serving any kind of food, drinks, and/or beverages at your graduation party, then we’d advise you to choose something simple like wine or champagne, beer; soda; sandwiches or wraps; vegetable trays, or dips. You can go as extravagant as you want, but keep it simple, so the guests don’t have to wait around for food from start to finish. After all, you’re celebrating a life milestone here! There will be plenty of time to eat and drink later on.
Once all of that has been taken care of, it’s time to set up tables and other supplies for the evening ahead.
Choosing A Theme
With the location and guest list out of the way, it’s time to choose a theme for the graduation party. The theme is not the most important thing you have to worry about, but it will help set the tone for your party. A theme could be something like graduation (duh), simple or bright colors, funny quotes or sayings, etc.
You can work with whatever the graduate wants; just make sure they’re happy and excited about it is the most important thing. Keep in mind that this is where it becomes fun! Especially if the graduate is graduating from college or university, it is recommended that your theme focuses on this fact because everyone will be excited to celebrate with you. For example, if your school colors are crimson and gold or maroon and white, you can use these colors as the main theme for your party. It also makes it easier to decorate tables with any leftover graduation-themed supplies at home.
Themed parties are all the rage right now, so you can go that route or just stick with more simple decorations like streamers or even balloons! This part is really up to you and will depend on what your preferences are. Just don’t let it take away from what everyone came to celebrate the graduate.
If you don’t have time or are having a hard time figuring out what kind of party you should host, then we’d suggest sticking to an elegant yet fun look and feel. This way, people can still dress up if they want and enjoy themselves in casual clothes without feeling out of place.
Tables and Other Supplies
Once you have selected your location, theme, guest list, and layout for the party, it’s time to set up everything else. This includes tables and chairs, linens (tablecloths), serving utensils, food, drinks, and cups (the list goes on). Make sure to decorate according to the theme chosen earlier and ensure that there is enough seating for everyone attending. All these details will help put the graduate in the right place at the right time with positive vibes around them so they can celebrate in style.
You can get creative with the seating arrangements too. For example, if you have a few empty chairs left over after everyone arrives, why not create a “reserved for mom” sign and place them at one table, so she feels extra special? Grouping people together by their family ties is also another clever idea – grandparents might like their own area, and kids and parents could be seated at separate tables too (this also makes it easier to take photos).
Let’s Talk Food & Drinks
We probably don’t have to tell you that your grad party is going to be full of food and drinks. At the very least, we hope so. There are so many things you can do with food at a graduation party. You really have to ask yourself what kind of foods would suit the graduate best? Just make sure that there are no allergies involved before making any food selections!
There are a lot of different things that go into hosting a successful graduation party! You can get most of these supplies from any party or event rental store near you. Just make sure to call them in advance so they can be ready for your guests when they arrive.
A graduation party is a celebration of the graduate’s success, and it should be fun for everyone involved. So make sure that fun is at the very top of your list of priorities when planning the graduate’s party. Thanks so much, and a big congrats to all of the graduates out there.