Graduation. It’s the culmination of all of the hard work, determination, and can-do attitude that helped your student get through school. Now that you’ve both survived, it’s time to celebrate. How do you plan the perfect graduation party?
Find your Location
Depending on your student, you have a multitude of options available to you. Some graduates would be happy to have a small party at a local restaurant. Others would be satisfied with a party in your backyard. Still others, especially those who worked extremely hard to earn the graduation, may want to have their party in a special location.
Plenty of venues are available in every town across the nation. One particularly fun venue, should you live near a coast, is to hold the party on a yacht. Different options are available, but what fun it would be to offer the party guests a different view of the harbor, along with some fun snacks, and a chance to tell the graduate congratulations.
Invite your Guests
Guests at graduation parties are always a mixed bag of individuals. Grandparents want to be there, as do the graduates friends. You will have a diverse range of ages and interests. You want to keep your graduate’s desires in mind. However, the party should not be completely overwhelming to the host. Your graduate may need to be reminded to pay special attention to out-of-town guests. He or she doesn’t need to spend the entire evening or day with them, just a simple hug or handshake and a spoken appreciation for their travel is enough.
Your wording on the invitations will let the guests know what is expected. If you call the party an open house, people will know they are free to drop in and leave whenever they’d like. And, the invitation should say what the party venue is, according to one etiquette expert; that way the guests will know what to expect.
Save Money
Tight budgets don’t have to mean that you can’t have a graduation celebration. A leading supplier of invitations and announcements suggests the following ways to save money:
Consider co-hosting a party. Perhaps two or three families could go in together and host one large get-together. Joint parties take some coordinating, but sharing in the rental costs, food preparation and expenses will likely be worth it.
Consider having your party before the graduation or on a weeknight. You will have a much better chance with caterers and rental companies if you plan a celebration in May instead of June.
Ask family and friends to make a food item for the buffet.
Share rentals with a friend or neighbor.
A little planning will enable you to host a wonderful graduation celebration. Your graduate will be able to see that the hard work paid off and that you are proud of him or her. Take a moment to bask in the accomplishment, yourself.