How to Plan the Best Graduation Party Ever

Graduation is a time of joy and fear. New graduates are excited to be finished with their studies, but may be uncertain about where they are going next. You want to throw a party that’s more than just a booze bash. You want to make it very special and show your graduate and her friends how proud you are of them and how bright the future is.

Pick a theme that relates to the guest of honor directly. Did they study in Florida? Have a beach party. Did they go to Yale? Have an ivy themed party to commemorate the Ivy League.

What was your graduate’s major? Create a party around literary figures or philosophers or chemistry sets. Have fun with it. This is one time you really do want to show off your creative side. You can even ask your guests to bring their graduation gifts revolving around a theme. Use your thinking cap!

The guests are most likely going to be fellow graduates, along with family members. So gear it towards the graduates while also making it comfortable for the adults. Grandma Josie does not need to sit on a beanbag chair. Make sure there’s seating for adults as well as fun and funky options for the youngsters in the crowd.

You can really have fun with your theme. For an English major, have all sorts of cut-outs and images of literary greats. You can find these online or at a local thrift store, you don't have to spend a lot to have a fun theme.

Have stacks of books and pens and writing paper as props on the table. You might even choose to have pens personalized that say, “Way to go, Rebecca!” as a cute favor.

You might have eyeglasses as your invitation theme to suggest how much your graduate has read over the years. You can also have fun with it and tease them by using various stereotypes.

For a chemistry or science major, you can bring out the beakers and lab coats. Get used beakers at a thrift store or online.

You can also find lab coats that are inexpensive at uniform shops. Have the hosts and the guest of honor don lab coats, or just the guest of honor.

You might even want to have his coat embroidered with his name, “Dr. Richard Harrington.” This may be the first time he’s seen it in print since graduation! How exciting!

Keep the theme going by having foods and favors that relate back to it. You can have foods that look like science experiments for the science major, or shaped graduation cookies that fit your theme. Props for these can easily be found at Halloween or party stores (think eyeballs in the punch, etc.). For an English major you might have English country foods and drinks. And of course, don't forget the graduation favors to match the theme!

For the high school graduate, you may want to do things a little differently. Have lots of sodas in tubs of ice where guests can help themselves.

Show embarrassing slideshows projected on a wall throughout the party of your graduate and her friends growing up. Have guests sign a scrapbook and make a page for your graduate so she’ll have a whole memory book at the end of the party.

There are so many ways to make a graduation party special.

Just be sure that if you are serving alcohol that there are no minors drinking.

You will be held liable if something happens to them after drinking at your party.

Better safe than sorry.

However, much fun can be had without alcohol and you can enliven the party with lights, music, and dancing.