Your Complete Graduation Party Guide
Graduation is approaching and it’s time to celebrate your graduate’s accomplishments. Your graduate can help you decide whether to have a large bash or a family cookout. And they should be involved in all stages of party planning.
Learn everything you need to plan a memorable celebration that makes the most sense for you and your graduate. This guide is here to help you set a budget, choose a theme, set a date and so much more.
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.
Select The Right Type Of Grad Party
One of the biggest questions when planning a graduation party is who you want to invite — and how many guests. Plus, you might want to leave it open to anyone, or limit your guest list to just a select few.
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
Maybe your graduate only wants to invite their closest friends and family members. You could try welcoming them to a dinner at your home or in a private area of a restaurant.
Setting a date
When planning a graduation party, timing is everything. June can often be very busy month for many families, so consider hosting your high school graduation party in May and avoid scheduling your party on Mother’s Day or Memorial Day. Ask your most important guests to check their calendars beforehand to make sure they will be able to be there.
Try A Theme (And Decorate Accordingly)
A theme can make things more fun — and it might make the graduation party simpler to plan. Once it's chosen, you’ll know what decorations to choose, the activities to plan, and possibly even the type of food to serve (if there’s a fitting cuisine for your theme).
A few popular themes for graduation parties to consider:
- 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 important to know who you should invite and the proper way to invite them.
Open House
For the invite, you’ll want to include a time frame — around four hours is common — and specify a date and location.
Invite Only
Because these are “Invite Only” occasions, it is good to give guests an exact time and request that they RSVP so you can get an accurate head count.
Custom Invitations
At Jostens, we’re committed to helping you create custom graduation announcements and invitations fitting of your graduate’s accomplishment.