Your Complete Graduation Party Guide
Graduation is an outstanding achievement that deserves to be celebrated to the fullest. With a graduation party, you can honor your graduate while allowing them to share their excitement and pride with those who supported them along their journey.
Team with your graduate to plan a meaningful celebration for their milestone. Whether they’re up for a large bash, family cookout or low-key dinner, this all-inclusive guide can help you make it a party to remember.
Set your budget
A budget shouldn’t be a barrier when it comes to hosting a meaningful graduation celebration. There might be ways to cut costs while still ensuring you and your graduate enjoy yourselves to the fullest. Use these helpful hints to save money and create a memorable graduation party.
- 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.
- Limit your menu to snacks that can be frozen or stored for later use.
- If you prefer to provide a full buffet, keep in mind that most people who host graduation parties often complain that they had too much food left over. Limit the expensive items and stock up on non-perishable items that you can pull out if the food runs out.
- Ask family and friends to make a food item for the buffet.
- Share rentals with a friend or neighbor.
- Share decorations with a friend or neighbor.
Choose The Right Type Of Grad Party
Two of the biggest questions when planning a graduation party are who to invite and how many guests. You might want to leave it open to anyone or limit your guest list to a select number. Whichever you decide, invite-only or open house celebrations can accommodate.
Open House
An open house gives your guests flexibility by letting them drop in during a wide time range. Host it in your home, do a cookout, or rent a larger venue if more space is needed.
Invite Only
If your graduate wishes to only invite their closest friends and family members, a dinner at your home or in a private area of a restaurant is a great way to celebrate and connect one-on-one.
Setting a date
Timing is everything when planning a high school graduation party. June is often a busy month for families, so you might consider hosting your party in May – outside of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, of course. It also helps to ask your most important guests to check their calendars before the event, to make sure they are able to attend.
Try A Theme (And Decorate Accordingly)
Choosing a theme for your graduation party can make things more fun – and perhaps easier to plan. Once you select the theme, you’ll know what decorations to choose, activities to plan, and possibly the type of food to serve (if there is a fitting cuisine for your theme).
Popular Themes To Consider For Your Grad Party:
- High school colors/mascot
- College colors/mascot
- Sports/teams
- Pop culture (your graduate's favorite movie, band, or book)
- Decades (‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s)
Sending Invitations
Whether you host a picnic, open house, or formal dinner, it’s helpful to know who you should invite and the best way to invite them.
Open House
On your open house invitation, include a timeframe — around four hours is common — along with the date and location.
Invite Only
For an invite-only event, it’s a good idea to give guests an exact time and request an RSVP so you can get an accurate head count.
Personalize Their Celebration
Honor your graduate’s achievement with the tradition, beauty and personal sentiment of Jostens custom graduation invitations and announcements.