Graduation Party Planning Checklist
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Planning for a graduation party or open house? Our oldest
daughter is graduating from high school in a few short weeks.
Because we do not normally throw big parties for our kids, we
decided to choose this occasion to throw a big party for her and
show her how proud we are of her.
With only a couple of weeks left before the big day, there is
lots to do. We decided to host her graduation party in our large
back yard. If you do not have enough room in your yard, consider
asking a friend or family member to volunteer their yard or check
your local parks for reserving a nice spot for your party.
Who to invite? We are inviting family who live close by, as well
as relatives we know are willing to travel. Because this is our
daughter's one and only "big party" we are inviting all of her
friends, teachers, youth leaders, her boss, and co-workers.
We've invited aboout 100 people in all, but not everyone will be
there for lunch. Our open house will be from 12:00 pm to 4
pm, so people will be coming and going all afternoon. We are
planning on about 40 people eating lunch with us.
We decided to rent tables and chairs because we do not have enough
to host a large party, so I called a local rental store and found
out I can rent them for $ 6.00 per table and $ .50 per chair. Very
reasonable, and because the party is on Saturday, I have until
Monday to return them. We are providing seating for 40 people.
I went to a party store at a local outlet mall for party decorations.
Because the party is outside, we will not be doing a
lot of decorating. I bought some plastic table cloth (on a roll)
to cover the tables. I chose a color that is one of my
daughter's school colors. It was about $ 10 for a roll that will
cover 11 banquet size tables.
I also bought some graduation napkins at the party store, and a
box that is made for graduation cards. You set the box out on a
table for guests to leave cards for your graduate.
I decided not to spend the extra money on fancy plates and cups.
I will buy large packages of these at Walmart or Costco.
For food we are planning to barbecue hot dogs and hamburgers. In
order to get my husband to agree to all this, we decided he could
buy a new barbecue. We looked everywhere and finally settled on
a stainless steel gas grill from Lowe's. This will definitely be
our biggest expense, but at least we will also be able to enjoy
it later.
If you are planning to invite a lot of family to your graduation
party, do not be afraid to ask them to help with food. Our family
will be bringing salads and chips to help out. We'll also serve
potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, and lemonade and iced
tea to drink.
If you decide to purchase a cake, make sure to order it ahead of
time so it will be ready the day of your party. We ordered a
large, beautiful graduation cake from Costco for only $ 15.99. We
just have to pick it up the morning of the party.
You might want to think about a photo display of your graduate.
You can create a poster of snapshots, or even lay out photo
albums or scrapbooks. I have a scrapbook I have been keeping of
my daughter's high school memories that I will lay out for guests
to enjoy. You also could lay out a book for your guests to write
notes to your graduate.
The key for our graduation party will be simplicity. We want to
enjoy the party and enjoy our family and friends, while also
celebrating our daughter's graduation. With two young boys also
under our feet, it makes it hard to get anything done, so I will not
be afraid to ask for help, because the whole family is looking
forward to this exciting day.
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