As the school year begins to wind down, the graduation party planning begins to wind up. From high school and college to kindergarten, the coming months will bring graduations galore, and such significant occasions call for memorable celebrations.
Whether they're small intimate affairs or gigantic rock-star worthy parties, it's the small details that really stand out and will create cherished memories. Here are a few graduation party planning musts that will ensure your party gets top honors:
A good party really boils down to two things -- the atmosphere and the spread. If you can nail those things your party is going to be good.
Atmosphere
Creating a festive mood is easy with such a strong theme. Consider some of the following decorations:
Balloons in school colors
Paper graduation caps
Streamers
Framed pictures of the student's artwork throughout the years
Blown-up pictures of the graduate throughout the years
Mini mock diplomas tied with bright ribbons (these could contain the menu for the event)
Pennants or posters from the next school the student will attend
Paraphernalia representing the graduate's interests (e.g. footballs, if they played football; musical notes, if band was their thing)
A poster, picture, or other item guests can sign that the graduate can have framed as a keepsake later
Food & Drink
Once the mood is set, it's all about the nourishment. Here are a few crowd-pleasing ideas:
Tex-Mex
Chips and salsa, platters of quesadillas, a taco bar, or fajitas are crowd favorites. They're easy to prepare ahead of time or buy from your favorite Mexican joint.
Salad and Sandwiches
A seven-layer salad, fruit salad, and an assortment of sandwiches make refreshing fare for an outdoor event if temperatures are warm.
Barbecue
Get out the grill and serve up whatever you like to grill most -- burgers, chicken, and hot dogs are sure hits. Good side dishes include corn on the cob, watermelon, and potato salad.
Just Desserts
There's no need to serve an entire meal. A nice assortment of cookies, candies, brownies, and, of course, a cake are plenty for a mid-afternoon get together.
As for drinks, graduation parties just scream for punch. Here's a great recipe for a watermelon punch that can be made with or without alcohol.
Are you throwing any graduation parties this year? What are your best graduation party tips?
Image via carbonNYC/Flickr
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Comments 71
Our family always does the bbq and always has a rain date, just in case the weather is bad. We decorate the grill area like a college stadium stand. always fun! You can read how we did it here
http://www.celebrationideasonline.com/high-school-graduation-party-ideas.html feel free to use the idea.
We have a long way to go, but when my friend's kids graduated, we had a pool party for them. Cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill, buckets of chips, baked beans, graduation cake and homemade ice cream. Their school colors were orange and white, we had white paper lanterns and orange pool lights. We played music from their high school years, and my friend made a compilation cd of the college songs of the schools they had been accepted to.
Those are great ideas.
For my Sons Kindergarten graduation we are celebrating by spending a day at a waterpark.
Good tips! No parties for us.
We will not be having any graduation parties this year!